Where to Watch Army of Darkness
- RichardDecember 13, 2025I first saw this on an import DVD from the US and the packaging alone felt like a relic, almost like holding the Book of the Dead itself. Sam Raimi’s third Evil Dead entry throws Ash Williams into medieval times, where he has to retrieve the Necronomicon and battle an army of the dead to get back home. Bruce Campbell is in peak form here, delivering one liners with perfect camp timing (“This is my boomstick!”) while juggling slapstick comedy and horror. Raimi leans fully into fantasy pulp: skeleton armies, stop motion effects and over the top set pieces that feel both cheap and charming. On DVD, the grain and slightly rough transfer only added to the cult vibe, like watching a forbidden tome come to life. Compared to the raw horror of Evil Dead and the manic energy of Evil Dead II, this one is more comedy fantasy than terror. It knows exactly what kind of movie it is: a cult romp that blends horror, humor and swashbuckling adventure.
- Vincent ReggianniniMay 1, 2025A Treasure trove of perfect adolescent one-liners delivered expertly by a hammy, cocksure Bruce Campbell. Thrust into a wholly unbelievable premise but carried by a whirlwind of quips and quirky comebacks (that every teenage boy memorized in their high school years) this delightfully manic Sam Raimi love-child carries our hero, Ash, from an S-Mart Cashier to Middle Age European battlefield against a legion of “The Evil Dead”.
- ርልዪረFebruary 5, 2025To fans of the Evil Dead films this Blu-ray is no doubt a godsend; it contains two versions of Army of Darkness, the cinema release and a director's cut, each with different endings. In this respect the latter wins; Sam Raimi's intended last shot is a funny, bitter punchline. The studio approved finale's also good - it has a neat fight scene - but Raimi's is better. The studio were right about one thing though: Raimi's cut is too long. There's a lengthy action climax that doesn't suit a madcap film; the plot's just a clothesline on which to hang comic set pieces and special effects, so the swordplay grows pointless. The heroes and villains are caricatures, so why do they need an epic battle? It's like if Airplane! ditched the jokes during its third act and became a serious action film. The studio cut is also better-looking; its effects scenes are much clearer, but I think that's because Raimi's unused cut wasn't cleaned up for general release (or maybe, as another review suggests, it was poorly transferred from someone's VHS copy). The plot is very simple: after a prologue covering Evil Dead 2 we pick up where that film left off, with Ash (Bruce Campbell) in 1300AD, where he's surrounded and almost killed by Lord Arthur's (Marcus Gilbert) men. After he shows off his shotgun and chainsaw they make a deal with him; if Ash brings them the Book of the Dead they'll use it to send him home. Ash messes this up, and in doing so raises an army of the dead which he'll lead Lord Arthur's men against. The angelic Embeth Davidtz plays a love interest, and in a great scene she and Ash parody how fantasy heroes fall for each other. Army of Darkness' tone is almost the polar opposite of Evil Dead's, and though Evil Dead 2 was a comedy it's still much grimmer than this second sequel. Army of Darkness is a bit like if David Lynch directed a Three Stooges short. It's compellingly strange at times, but through it all is a light and jolly romp which aims for humour rather than tension. Campbell, who was an average slasher hero in Evil Dead, gives a brilliant comic performance here. He's a great physical comedian; he has a few slapstick scenes which are surreal and hilarious. It would be unfair to say that everyone else phones it in, but that's kind of how it feels. Apart from a couple of villains the others aren't memorable; they're basically enacting cliches for Ash to banter with. All in all, Army of Darkness is a weird, light-hearted fantasy adventure filled with imagination. Raimi rightly doesn't worry about plot, focusing instead on slapstick, parody and awesome visuals. This is a shamelessly outlandish film which doesn't care if you get it or not; for those who do get it, it's a hell of a ride.
- MetroidTalonAugust 22, 2025Louder, dumber, and way more fun than it has any right to be, Army of Darkness ditches horror for slapstick adventure and somehow makes it work. Bruce Campbell fully embraces Ash as a chainsaw-handed blowhard, and the film runs with that energy from start to finish. The effects are charmingly scrappy, the one-liners are nonstop, and Raimi’s direction leans into pure chaos with style to spare. A cult classic that knows exactly what it is and never apologizes for it.
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Army of Darkness Trivia
Army of Darkness was released on October 31, 1992.
Army of Darkness was directed by Sam Raimi.
Army of Darkness has a runtime of 81m.
Army of Darkness was produced by Robert Tapert.
When Ash Williams is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., he must retrieve the Necronomicon and battle an army of the dead in order to return home.
The key characters in Army of Darkness are Ash (Bruce Campbell), Sheila (Embeth Davidtz), Arthur (Marcus Gilbert).
Army of Darkness is rated 13+.
Army of Darkness is a Fantasy, Horror, Comedy film.
Army of Darkness has an audience rating of 8.7 out of 10.
Army of Darkness had a budget of $11M.
Army of Darkness has made $21.5M at the box office.