Army Of Darkness
Army Of Darkness is a cult classic horror film. It is the third film in the infamous Evil Dead franchise. Army Of Darkness is known as a comedy horror, or perhaps a dark comedy. Like other pieces in the comedy horror genre, it makes use of horror tropes, such as zombies or other monsters, in a comedic setting. The Evil Dead franchise is known for its gore and violence. All three movies were rated R. Army Of Darkness was originally given an NC-17 rating by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), but the film’s producers and director were able to argue that the rating should be dropped to an R since much of the most graphic violence is committed against undead rather than humans.
Army Of Darkness is the first film in the franchise to take place in the Middle Ages. The previous two films were modern, but Army Of Darkness uses time travel to send a formerly modern main character back to the middle ages. A great deal of wacky hijynx ensues, involving zombies known as “deadites”; a “Lord Arthur” who is a clear stand-in for King Arthur; a famous quote about a boomstick; a copy of HP Lovecraft’s Necronomicon; a Wise Man who is a clear stand-in for Merlin; and multiple instances of time travel.
There is a great deal of trivia around the film, well-known to its audience. For example, the main character, Ash, has a girlfriend named Linda. The character of Linda was played by three separate actresses in each of the three movies. In Army Of Darkness, Linda was played by the actress Bridget Fonda. Bridget Fonda was a big fan of the Evil Dead franchise, especially the second film, and being able to play Linda was very special for her. She had tried to work with the director of Evil Dead (Sam Raimi) before, for his movie Darkman, but had not gotten the opportunity. For Bridget Fonda, this was a dream come true.
Another fascinating piece of trivia is Ash’s car. The car is an Oldsmobile. Specifically, a 1973 Delta 88. That car has appeared in every single Sam Raimi film. There are other subtle references and homages in the movie as well. For example, the phrase that Ash must say in order to get the Necronomicon is a slightly changed version of a phrase from The Day The Earth Stood Still, a 1951 science fiction movie. Most strangely of all, however, is the fact that the film originally had a different ending. In the original ending, rather than returning safely to the modern day, Ash winds up too far into the future and finds himself in a post-apocalyptic version of London!
The Evil Dead franchise is well known the world over as a cult horror comedy classic and its merchandise is still quite popular. There’s a reason you still see people wearing Army Of Darkness t shirts.
