Blair Loveday
It has been far too long since the last time I watched Army of Darkness.
So long that I had actually forgotten just how insane and bonkers the movie is. After the franchise started as a horror film, and with the last couple of entries being proper horror films, it is truly insane to return to Army of Darkness to witness the early slapstick 90’s comedy that this classic has on offer.
If you haven’t seen it before, Army of Darkness is the third film in the Evil Dead series.
Evil Dead was a horror movie from 1981 that became massively successful. Its sequel Evil Dead II decided to go back to the same setting, but to become a bit of a silly horror comedy.
Army of Darkness sends our iconic hero Ash back in time to Medieval times for the silliest silly comedy.
When Ash is sucked through a portal he appears back in time landing where a battle has taken place. He is captured by the victor and taken back to the castle to be thrown into a pit with evil creatures in it. Ash does what Ash does, and shows that he is rather apt at taking out evil. Next minute he is hunting for the Necronomicon in this time, so he can get back to his own time.
The special effects are, well, from early 90s.
It varies from solid to rough, but for a movie this iconic, that’s not what you are here for. You are here for the chaos, and there is plenty of it. When it comes to over the top comedy, Army of Darkness takes it to the next level. We have silly one liners, we have excessive violence, we have slapstick comedy. Some lands, some doesn’t but it’s a wild ride nonetheless.
This edition comes with 3 versions of the film.
There is the theatrical cut, the better Director’s Cut, and a unique TV cut.
They all have their own unique quirks that make watching each worthwhile, but one thing that tickled me is the TV cut starts with a message saying it has been modified to fit the TV ratio, which was of course ages so when TVs were a touch more square.
I wouldn’t recommend watching all three versions in a row, but it makes a fun way to go back and watch a different version over time. When it comes to a Bluray release, being inherently re-watchable is pretty key. These different versions make this perfect for the shelf. On top of that there are heaps of features including how the film was made.
If you haven’t checked out this masterpiece of the 90’s you owe it to yourself to check it out. It’s not scary, it’s just very silly. And this makes it a must have for fans of horror-comedy films.
