User reviews

Picking up where "Evil Dead II" left off in a somewhat altered opening, Bruce Campbell, now a full blown Han Solo smart ass, is trapped in the dark ages and is eventually found to be the one fated to the Deadites after he retrieves the Book of the Dead, which can also help send him back to his own time. But Bruce, being as stupid as he is, screws up the magic words that are meant to keep the Army of Darkness away and he ends up unleashing an army of undead skeletons by accident who are led by his evil alter ego. Now he must use his 20th century know how to save the day or else evil will forever rule the Earth.

Bruce is back and funnier than ever. No real horror here, more of a parody of a big budget fantasy adventure film. Sadly, a number of great gags were left on the cutting room floor that are generally only seen on extended DVD's and TV showings.

Hail to the King, baby.

I remember when this film just came out in the theater, I didn't know anything about the Evil Dead films and in fact hadn't even heard of them. From the previews I had ZERO desire to see this film. The years went by and in late 2000 or maybe 2001 I finally decided to watch it, cause I'd heard so much about it and just couldn't take it anymore, I had to see what the fuss was about. I was NOT disappointed! This is probably one of the funniest movies I've ever seen!!!

This movie is definitely not for everyone though. The comedy in this film is VERY odd, so I could understand if someone didn't find it funny at first. First thing you need to keep in mind is that this movie IS NOT trying to be serious, and most definitely doesn't take itself seriously. The movie is just plain weird, but that's what makes it so great. You really can't explain this movie to someone that hasn't seen it, you just need to see it for yourself.

Also, if you didn't already know this, this is the 3rd installment to a series. Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 are the first two installments, then Army Of Darkness. You don't even need to see the first two to understand what's going on or anything like that. In fact, to this day I still haven't seen Evil Dead. When I watched Army of Darkness, I hadn't seen either Evil Dead or Evil Dead 2. Since then, I have seen Evil Dead 2, but neither film is a prerequisite for this film.

Also this film has an enormous amount of quotable lines. Bruce Campbell is THE MAN! The way he says stuff is just great!

Well, I truly hope that you'll watch this movie. But watch it with an open mind and remember that this IS a STUPID movie, but it's supposed to be. Thanks for reading,

-Chris

It's not good as "Evil Dead 2" but it's still a fun humorous wacky movie with a bit of horror(well when it comes to the surroundings anyways). This doesn't really have that scare factor compared to the first two, but instead it brings out the crazy, humorous and wacky elements way more this time around. And it takes place in the Medieval Ages I think. Even though this one doesn't really have much to do with the previous installments it's still has that flare going for it. sure it's one of those movies that is the epitome of just going with the flow. Because a lot of it is random or doesn't make much sense. But if you can just go with it, you can enjoy this. What really drives this movie though is Bruce Campbell reprising his role as Ash. His goofy, silly and wackiness while also being a badass brings a lot to this movie. And gives a incentive to root for his side. Although it can be cheesy at times it's still a very fast-paced and entertaining film. Overall it's a ridiculous movie that is so good.

7.9/10

Most people would say you can check your brain at the door before you watch this film, but I beg to differ. This is genuinely intelligent stuff here folks. The director, Sam Raimi, reminds us in this film what it is like to have fun. From the film itself, as well as the DVD featurettes, it is apparent that Mr. Raimi is having a blast doing what he does best. It shows too. Granted, there is not much in the line of plot or theme, but these would be totally gratuitous in this escapist piece. Instead, we are given a fantastic adventure, appropriately tongue-in-cheek special effects, and an ode to The Three Stooges. The facial expressions of Bruce Campbell alone make this film well worth its 80 minutes. I don't want to give away a single joke, because the experience is just too much fun. So, do yourself a favor. Watch this film without being so hard on yourself. Yes, you are allowed to laugh. There can be non-sardonic humor in modern day America. Sam Raimi proves it.

Okay, maybe it's more comedy than horror, but who cares? Army of Darkness is an awesome movie. Bruce Campbell does an excellent job as Ash, the arrogant and hilarious hero armed with his trusty chainsaw and 'boom stick'. The plot was great and fresh, showing that the people behind the scenes were not trying to do the same thing that made Evil Dead I & II popular. The movie is filled with sword swinging skeletons, kick boxing witches and slap stick. Bruce Campbell has some excellent one liners. To sum it up, Army of Darkness is groovy.

But you can let it end here. Give us another sequel please.

This frightening , strikingly designed horror/comedy movie achieved a lot of success thanks to its unstopped terror and humor , including continuous resemblances to the original version also directed by Sam Raimi . It deals with a 20th century guy , Ash (Bruce Campbell, first and last studio film he starred in as the lead) , none too bright hero , who finds himself trapped in the middle ages . As Ash along with his car , his shotgun, and his chainsaw is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., there he finds the ¨Book of the Dead¨ in which unwittingly emerge resurrect demons . Soon he is discovered and thought to be a spy for a rival called Lord Arthur (Marcus Gilbert) and is taken prisoner . He is freed and confronts a nasty witch (Patricia Tallman) and Duke Henry the Red (Richard Grove) . Later on , square-jawed Ash must fight an army of ghouls and generally causes all those wreak havoc . Menwhile , he romances a babe , Sheila (Embeth Davidtz) , and attempts to retrieve the Necronomicon so he can return home .

A scary , tongue firmly in cheek sequel of the original festival of gore and gags in which an ancient book of magic , Necronomicon , invokes a crowd of joke-tossing , flesh-snacking skeletons . Exuberately gory and filled of guts flick , this is a big-budgeter film , while its predecessors were short-budget . This comic book extravaganza is blending from previous versions ¨Dead evil¨ with creepy creatures submitted a fantastic possession have transformed into flesh eating , being influenced by Ray Harryhausen's skeletons seen in ¨Jason and the Argonauts¨ and ¨Bedknobs and broomsticks¨ . As the entire sequence when Evil Ash grows out of Ash's shoulder starting with an eye is identical the 1959 b-movie 'The Manster' . Highly adequate make up and excellent special effect with enjoyable monstrous creatures and apparent technological exuberance . It must be stated that this is one of the grossest , disgusting and most brutally unnerving movies in the nineties . A fun retelling providing chills , hilarious situations and grisly horror and isn't apt for squeamish neither feeble stomachs . This independently produced gem features sets and production standards but is skillfully narrated and results to be an exciting horror/comedy film . Sympathetic acting by Bruce Campbell as hero hurled back to the 14th-century through the powers of an evil book and attempts to get back to his own time . Although Bruce Campbell was displeased with the studio's delayed release of the film and their re-editing of it , as he stated he wasted a year of his life waiting for the film to get released to cinemas . Thriilng as well as rousing musical score by Joseph LoDuca. Colorful and evocative cinematography by Bill Pope .

All 3 films can be seamlessly cut together , including some introductory footage in the follow-ups . The first installment was ¨Evil dead¨(1983) by Sam Raimi with Betsy Baker , Theresa Tilly and Bruce Campbell who finds ¨The Necronomicon¨, dealing with a group of friends are vacationing in Tennessee woods when go into a mountain cabin and they find the book of the dead , then begins a possession demoniac and they undergo an eerie changing at night and going on a murderous rampage . Followed by two sequels with similar actor (Bruce Campbell) , producer (Robert Tapert by Renaissance pictures) , musician (Joseph LoDuca) and well directed by Sam Raimi . As ¨Evil dead 2 , Dead by Dawn¨ (1987) in which young people again take refuge in an abandoned cabin and taking place subsequent transformation the students into evil monsters until only Ash remains to battle the evil . This ¨Army of darkness¨ was stunningly directed by Sam Raimi with great originality , though takes parts here and there , too . It's become a cult favorite thanks to its relentless terror , irony , graphic horror but has still tongue-in-cheek . Well worth watching for terror and gore lovers .

The third--and presumably last--of the Evil Dead movies finds Ash Williams(B-movie supreme ruler Bruce Campbell in full froth)somehow transported(along with his broken down car)in Medieval England,about to do battle,once again,with the undead,with the aid of(among other things) his "boom stick" and his chainsaw. While being a strange man in a strange land,he romances plucky lass Sheila(Embeth Davitz,pre-Schindler's List) and aiding the reluctant natives(among them Ian Abercrombie,MArcus Gilbert and Richard Groce).

To me(and I suspect I am not alone on this),one of the neat things about this film is that it moves at such a rip-roaring pace that one has little time to catch their breath or even add up the absurdity of the story. But,to quote another commenter,Who cares? This offering,which pretty much eschews the original Evil Dead's Horror premise,and capitalizes on more of the crazed,feverish pacing of Evil Dead 2,seems content to offer large doses of humor mixed with raucous violence and only the thinnest character exposition. Bully for director/co-writer Sam Raimi,co-writer Ivan Raimi and company on this! This is a great "palate-cleanser" of a movie and is a solid party film(among other occasions),whether you're fans of Campbell,Raimi,berserker action films,comedies or all four.

The evil dead films go from horror with some black comedy to a horror and comedy mix to this rather innocent adventure comedy. Army of Darkness has more in common with Hercules and Xena than the first two evil dead movies. This does not take away from the fact that this is a faithful sequel. Bruce Campbell has all the fun as he performs Three Stooges routines, goes a little Gulliver, romances a babe, and kills his evil self twice. The battle of Oldsmobile is the highlight as Ash takes on an army mixed of Ray Harryhausen skeletons and KNB zombies. The voices, the sliding dagger skeletons, and the hi ho hi ya make the battle super cool. The silliness is sometimes stupid(shoe laces?) but mostly hits the mark, mostly.

*Evil Ash: I am bad Ash, you're good Ash. Your little goody two shoes! Little goody two shoes! Little goody two shoes!*

Evil Dead 3 goes by many different AKAs.

However even though the film is nearly 20 years old and was low budget even then it still holds up. It remains unbelievably quotable and helped make Bruce Campbell move from a B movie actor into a B Movie Star, and the director Sam Raimi a bona fide Hollywood big shot, I think the Spiderman films might've helped though…

In the first 5 minutes Raimi effortlessly manages to catch us up on the first two films by showing the summarised backstory, only now including new scenes and events that featured Bridget Fonda as Ash's lady friend, and introducing his S-Mart career. Only a few details actually line up with the events of the first two films – which were in reality the same film made twice anyway – but who cares when the new elements are this fun? In short we rejoin Ash as he is dragged inexorably into another dimension by the forces of evil, ending up in an earlier time of (say) the 1200s, when men were men, demons were prevalent and a constant threat, and American people spoke with thick and contrived British accents – especially the extras.

Ash immediately finds himself stuck between two warring factions, the heavily armed castle fortress of Arthur and his men, and the (allegedly) vicious and desperate forces of Henry the Red – so named due to his amazing flaming mullet. Both sides believe the other are responsible for bringing the evil to wreak havoc on one and all.

After Ash hilariously proves that he is neither a "Deadite" nor a disciple of Henry the Red – and with his shotgun nor is he a man to be f*cked with – the local "wise one" declares him the "One" that has been foretold (look out Keanu, Eddie Murphy et al).

On hearing this and enjoying the subsequent grovelling and fawning that the desperate villages bestow upon him Ash reverts back to the wisecracking, self centred and cocky character that he gradually morphed into in ED2 – though it must be said that this attitude get ratcheted up a few notches with this film. If Evil Dead was a horror film with a few chuckles, and Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn was a horror-comedy, Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness is a comedy-horror, with perhaps 75% laughs and 25% scares and gore. But even the scares are more funny and the gore is more played for laughs than gasps.

Ash heads off to find the magical Book of the Dead – the Necronomicon – which will banish the forces of evil and allow Ash to head back to his own time and minimum wage job. Of course his solo quest is destined to never run smoothly, and over the journey Ash must face and defeat a series of mini Ashes (in an amazingly creative Must-see scene), his evil doppelganger Evil Ash and his interred horde of undead minions who range from mere skeletons to more recently deceased zombie soldiers.

Along the way there is much over the top gore and action, some witty and incredibly arrogant dialogue, some "Three Stooges" homages and the extraordinary physical acting abilities of a young Bruce Campbell. He and Raimi are well acknowledged as longtime best friends, and they obviously had a ball making this film and threw everything but the kitchen sink into it… amazing considering this is only an 80 odd minute film depending on which version you have. Raimi is well know for reveling in the on screen torture of pal Bruce so in the film Ash must perform some incredible "backwards acting", get attacked by flying and biting books, get attacked by underground bones and perform lengthy and intricate sword fighting combinations.

The evil dead soldiers are often shown in stop motion animation, and there are some shots that I would guess are either homages or were influenced by the work of Harryhausen. Perhaps if they made the same film today CGI might make it look prettier and make some of the actions of the undead a little less herky-jerky, but it wouldn't make the film any better. Every one of the apparently precious few dollars can be seen on screen, with the diminished budget demanding that the film-makers and crew simply had to be more creative than ever before.

Thankfully Raimi, Campbell and co were up to the task, the rough edges of Army of Darkness don't detract from the film at all, if anything they make it funnier. A scene in which one of Evil Ash's generals asks for orders and then rides off is hilarious when you look at the General's riding partner who is obviously little more than a skeleton shaped scarecrow, and the appearance of an unwitting crew member in the original version is another quirky and amusing oversight that enhances my enjoyment of this brilliant film.

The Evil Dead trilogy already represents some of the best examples, in horror, horror-comedy and simply comedy in cinematic history.

Not a bad effort for a few blokes with a miniscule budget and a few crazy ideas. After all look at what Michael Bay can do with hundreds of millions of dollars and ask yourself is that better? I'll break the suspense for you: Hell no it isn't!

Final Rating – 9.5 / 10. A brilliant conclusion to one of the better trilogies in cinema history. Ash will go down as one of the horror genre's defining characters.

P.S. I know a remake is slated for release next year, with a 0% chance of improvement on the originals why bother?

Army of Darkness is such a mix bag for me, on one hand it is a very fun and whimsical fantasy adventure but on the other it is such a step away from the franchise that it feels out of place. It is marketed as a horror film, but there is absolutely zero tension or spooks to be had in its entire runtime, luckily the movie was actually quite funny. Raimi tried to do a bit too much in the special effects department, leaving many of the effects feel cheap and out of place. The green screen technology especially just was not there for the time. Raimi's direction was very relevant, and his signature touch on the film really helped. The performances and writing absolutely save the film. Bruce Campbell is the best he's ever been, with incredible line delivery that had be legitimately laughing out loud. The quick witty dialogue between characters was hilarious. Overall, Army of Darkness is by no means a bad movie, but it does take a step a little too far from the source material, which just didn't resonate with me as much.

Score: 67% 👍 Verdict: Good.

Oh, come on, you just gotta love this. Whether a girl or a snotty old man, this movie is funny. Bruce Campbell overdoes himself into this goofy comedy, transforming scene after scene into a laughing contest. One just has to see this.

Seeing the first two movies as well, I think I realize how this one came to be. I think that most of the times artists allow themselves to have fun at their own work, jewels of comedy emerge. I would just love a fourth movie in the Evil Dead series.

Funny thing, though, as this is the most successful of the movies, I have seen it quite a few times, on video, TV or my computer. I can vaguely remember that one of the movies had an ending when the guy found himself in a far post-apocalyptic future after getting the potion, while in others he was in a supermarket, attacked by a demon. Were there two endings to this movie?

=== yup, searched it up in the trivia, it had two endings :)

This is the third and final installment of the "Evil Dead" series. Like the second in the series, it was filled with "campy" humor. With director Sam Raimi, you know it's done with a lot of tongue-and-check, if not totally tongue-in-cheek. If not, it would have to be classified as one of the all- time dumbest movies ever made.

If it weren't the language (Bruce Campbell, in the lead, provides lots of profanity), this would be a film little kids would love with all the non-stop action and Three Stooges-like slapstick humor. The violence is so prevalent it just gets too much and the film is only 80 minutes long! The humor helps take off some of the edge of the violence.

What you have is a medieval-horror-comedy film with Campbell fighting an army of skeletons, a la Jason And The Argonauts. Campbell is best at making goofy faces. Embeth Davidtz provides the romantic interest.

What would you do, if you're chucked into a flue, that takes your mind, body and soul, and throws you down a wide wormhole, regurgitates you back in time, an ancient world that is not fine, like the one you've left behind, demons down pits you will now find, you head off in search of the evil book, the one that looks back, when you take a look, the one that bites if you come too close, the one that you should keep quite seriously closed, it's not long before the army of unfed, are on a warfront for some fattening bread, sticks and stones may break their bones, these folk are far from being quite toned.

Not as good or as funny as I'd remembered it.

At the end of Evil Dead 2 Ash is sucked back in time through a time warp. He returns to medieval times where he is mistaken for the prophesied saviour. He is sent to recover the lost Necronomicon to save the people but also return him to his own time. Typically he makes a mistake when reading the book and he reserectes the army of the undead onto the land. Ash must fight to defeat yet more undead fiends!

The third in the series sees the gore drop off and the comedy step up even more. The previous two were both darkly funny but this is just plain hilarious. The sheer raft of one liners and silly/horror set ups keeps you laughing all the way. The horror is not scary as before – mainly because the gore is gone, however I prefer this as the stop motion stuff gives it an old fashioned feel that adds to the value of it – it's hard to explain but I really enjoy this because it feels like an old Harryhausen film.

Campbell is brilliant – I bet he can't believe hi s luck, the rest of his career he's struggled but Rami seem to love him. And rightly so, he is like Jim Carrey but has so much more talent and is a classic B-movie leading man type. The rest of the cast are so-so but really this is an one man show and he does it really well.

Overall this is a great little film. Fans of the series will love it, fans of comedy should love it and fans of B-movie cheese should enjoy it. And the less gore means fun for all the family (almost).

Well, at least I found it to be hilarious. I really did get into the Evil Dead series, it was so silly how it even started. I just happened to have a Blockbuster gift card and bought a pre-viewed "Evil Dead" and my mom had watched it with me. Strange, right? Well, because of her, I got to see one of the best movie trilogies of all time. Not to mention I couldn't believe the fan base these movies have. So it's good to know that I'm not alone.

Army of Darkness starts where Evil Dead 2 left off. Ashley has now gone back in time to the mid-evil times where he has to find a way back to his time. But the people he has met through this time think that he is the one who will save them all from the evil dead. They promise to help him find a way back if he saves them. Along that journey, he meets a beautiful peasant girl, Sheila, and they have a romantic affair. Along his journey to save the people, he must retrieve the "Book of the Dead", but when he slurs the words and does a half assed job of it, the book rises an evil twin of Ash's and leads his Army of Darkness to destroy the village Ash has promised to save.

This movie has great laughs and is a great end to this terrific trilogy. You won't regret seeing it, trust me.

10/10

Ash (Bruce Campbell) is transported with his car to 1,300 A.D., where he is captured by Lord Arthur (Marcus Gilbert) and turned slave with Duke Henry the Red (Richard Grove) and a couple of his men. When Ash is thrown into a pit, he defeats two monsters and wins respect of Arthur's army and vassals. The Wiseman (Ian Abercrombie) points Ash as The Chosen One that will retrieve the Necronomicon but Ash is only interested in returning home. When he learns that the only way to return to his time is using the Necronomicon, Ash decides to travel to the unholy land of the Deadites. The Wiseman advises that he must say the words "Klaatu Barada Nikto" to safely get the evil book. However, Ash forgets the last word and an army of the dead resurrects to attack Arthur fortress and recover the Necronomicon. The battle between the living and the dead is about to start and the support of Henry the Red is the only way to help Ash and Arthur to defeat the army of darkness.

"Army of Darkness" is one of my favorite cult-movies and one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. Bruce Campbell, who is one of the best actors of B-movies with Jeffrey Combs, has a fantastic performance and is hilarious. I do not know how many times I have seen this film, but today I have watched it in an excellent DVD released by the Brazilian Distributor Cult Classic, with alternative ending and four deleted scenes. The phrase that Ash is supposed to say is a tribute to the 1951 masterpiece "The Day the Earth Stood Still". My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Noite Alucinante 3" ("One Hallucinating Night 3")

Note: On 24 July 2016, I saw this film again.

Army of Darkness is by all means, a fun and hysterically ridiculous movie, just like the first two it takes the ridiculous aspects and turns them up to a 1000%, while this one pales a bit in comparison to the first two I still found it to be a very fun and enjoyable watch.

Bruce Campbell is possibly at his high point here as Ah Williams, his performance is every bit serious as it is funny and hysterical, as stupid as this plot may sound with being transported to medieval times, they managed to take that stupidness and turn it into a visually spectacular ride through the old times.

I never thought I'd see instrument playing skeletons in my life, but now I have, along with books with teeth and tons of other things.

B+

If you have seen the previous installments, the Evil Dead 1 and 2, you know what to expect from this movie. If you haven't, prepared to be shocked and impressed.

When I first saw Army of Darkness I had not seen the previous installments in the loosely called 'series'. I had no expectations, but right from the start of the film, it becomes clear that you are to relax, free your mind, and laugh as hard as you can.

Army of Darkness has no flaws in my opinion. It is perfectly paced and this is the role Bruce Campbell was born to play. The film sets a unique tone that not many movies can. It focuses more on comedy than gore unlike it's predecessors, but it works well in it's favor.

Once you watch it, you will have unlimited quotes to use with your friends. I still quote it to this day, and its been 20 years later. If you don't see this movie, you haven't lived life yet. Gimmie some sugar, baby.

An American horror-adventure; A story about a man who finds himself trapped in medieval times. He must quest for a book of evil which can return him to his time. Unfortunately, he releases the evil trapped inside the book. The third in the film series finally proves the point that there is no substitute for a good story and high production values. Evil Dead III is funny, well acted, and consistent in pacing throughout. It retains all of the familiar tropes of the original - gore and slapstick humour - but less of the blood-soaked insanity of the previous two instalments. It is more of a cartoonish sword-and-sorcery fantasy, albeit one with some imaginative monsters and special effects with a horror element attached to it.

The third time really is the charm, and "Army of Darkness" proves it incontrovertibly. This time, they just let the movie be what the first two movies were at heart: nice, silly, goofy, wacko, nonsensical fun. Just imagine the Three Stooges starring in a horror flick and you've got "Army of Darkness". The whole movie basically consists of Ash (Bruce Campbell) going after various evil spirits in the funniest way possible. And the quotes are some of the most hilarious quotes that you could ever imagine, probably mostly owing to how Bruce Campbell says them. Literally every scene is pure hilarity. Whether it's Ash showing his "boomstick", having trouble retrieving the book, battling mini-Ashes, or the big battle at the end, you never stop laughing yourself hoarse (I particularly liked some of the bone-related quotes). It doesn't even suffice to give this movie 10/10 stars. It deserves 100...no, a million...no, infinity out of 10 stars. Yeah, infinity out of 10 stars. Bruce Campbell not only deserves a star on the Walk of Fame, there needs to be a statue of him.

Oh, and an extra note. When I went to see "Bubba Ho-Tep" in the theater, Bruce Campbell was supposed to be there, but had to cancel. So, there was a short clip at the beginning showing him thanking us for coming, when his phone rang: "Hello...Oh, hi Sam. Listen, I'll get to you in a minute." (turns to audience) "So thanks for coming to this movie." (retrieves his phone) "Yeah, Sam?..."Evil Dead 4"?! I'll do it!"

I just wonder how they would continue the story, now that Ash battled skeletons with his "boomstick".

I like how Sam Raimi didn't just trot out another cabin movie per the usual kind of horror film formula, and I also like how he wasn't afraid to retell the ending of the last movie when setting up this one. I really hoped to like this one more, given what I thought was a creative transition back to the year 1300. His special effect work is pretty cool as usual, and I think my favorite moments were when the false books attack. There are also all sorts of homages in here which were interesting to see, e.g. the stop motion animation work of Ray Harryhausen with skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts, Errol Flynn as Robin Hood, and the Three Stooges.

For me though, it just wasn't my kind of film. It shifts the tone of the previous movies from horror/comedy, with emphasis on the horror, to action/comedy, with emphasis on the comedy - and the comedy is too damn silly for me to find funny. The film seems to go out of its way to be stupid, having the main character say cheesy lines like "gimme some sugar baby" before having sex with a woman he's met, and all sorts of other bits that I groaned over. The story and action scenes end up being pretty standard too, certainly not keeping up with the special effects, though I have to say, I loved the ending.