Army of Darkness (1992)

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers (WGA):

Sam Raimi (written by) &
Ivan Raimi (written by)

Release Date:

19 February 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas

Plot:

A man is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., where he must battle an army of the dead and retrieve the Necronomicon so he can return home.

Plot Keywords:

H.P. Lovecraft | Slapstick | Good Versus Evil | Bizarre | Steampunk

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Bruce Campbell	...	Ash
Embeth Davidtz	...	Sheila
Marcus Gilbert	...	Lord Arthur
Ian Abercrombie	...	Wiseman (Wiseman John in the script)
Richard Grove	...	Duke Henry the Red
Timothy Patrick Quill	...	Blacksmith
Michael Earl Reid	...	Gold Tooth
Bridget Fonda	...	Linda
Patricia Tallman	...	Possessed Witch
Ted Raimi	...	Cowardly Warrior / Second Supportive Villager / S-Mart Clerk (as Theodore Raimi)
Deke Anderson	...	Mini-Ash #2
Bruce Thomas	...	Mini-Ash #3
Sara Shearer	...	Old Woman
Shiva Gordon	...	Pit Deadite #1
Billy Bryan	...	Pit Bitch

Also Known As:

Army of Darkness: The Medieval Dead (UK) (video title)
Army of Darkness: The Ultimate Experience in Medieval Horror (USA) (closing credits title)
Bruce Campbell vs. Army of Darkness (USA) (closing credits title)
Evil Dead 3 (USA) (working title)
The Army of Darkness (USA) (original script title)
The Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness (UK) (DVD box title)
The Medieval Dead (USA) (working title)
Armée des ténèbres, L' (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
A Sötétség serege (Hungary) [hu]
Armáda temnot (Czech Republic) [cs]
Armée des ténèbres - Evil dead III, L' (France) [fr]
Armata delle tenebre, L' (Italy) [it]
Armee der Finsternis (Germany) [de]
Armia ciemnosci (Poland) [pl]
Armija mraka (Serbia) (video title) [sr]
Army of Darkness: Evil Dead III (Sweden) [sv]
Ejército de las tinieblas, El (Spain) [es]
Evil dead 3 - L'armée des ténèbres (France) (DVD box title) [fr]
Exército das Trevas, O (Portugal) [pt]
Kyaputien supamaketto: Shiryo no harawata III (Japan) [ja]
Pimeyden armeija (Finland) [fi]
Tanz der Teufel III: Armee der Finsternis (Germany) [de]
Uma Noite Alucinante 3 (Brazil) [pt]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and horror.

Runtime:

81 min | 96 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | Italy:T | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:16 | Ireland:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Acton, California, USA

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

The magic words Ash must use to claim the Book of the Dead are "Clatto Verata Nicto" - a reference to "Klaatu, Barada, Nikto", the words used to command the robot Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Crew member visible behind grating in the pit sequence.

Quotes:

Gold Tooth: He said spikes, give 'im spikes!

Movie Connections:

References The Black Cauldron (1985)

Soundtrack:

March Of The Dead

Not for the pretentious

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.