Every month, we at The Spool select a filmmaker to explore in greater depth — their themes, their deeper concerns, how their works chart the history of cinema, and the filmmaker’s own biography. October sees not only the onset of Halloween but the birthday of cult horror maestro-turned-mainstream filmmaker Sam Raimi; all month, we’re web-slinging through his vibrant, diverse filmography. Read the rest of our coverage here.
What happens when a horror franchise decides to stop being scary? Sure, we’ve had series that have stopped succeeding at scares (Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street), but Army of Darkness is a strange beast: an Evil Dead sequel that steadfastly and intentionally throws every ounce of horror out of the window in favor of a campy, bloody riff on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. And honestly, thank God it does: while it’s the most lightweight of the Evil Dead series, its sense of slapstick fun is as infectious as a Deadite bite.
After a whirlwind recap of the first two Evil Deads (Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his girlfriend find the Necronomicon, open up a portal to hell and unleash pure evil, yadda yadda), Sam Raimi and brother/co-writer Ivan waste no time in sucking their one-handed hero — and his Oldsmobile Classic — back to the Middle Ages. There, he’s quickly wrapped up in a quest to retrieve the Necronomicon from the past in order to return home — and turns the eye of a comely maiden (Embeth Davidtz) as well. But in classic Ash fashion, he screws up the incantation (klaatu barada nikto, a droll nod to The Day the Earth Stood Still) and unwittingly unleashes the evil Deadites, who plan to raze the countryside and destroy all of humanity led by a scarred, evil clone of Ash.
Army of Darkness is Raimi finally starting to work in big-budget studio mode (at $11 million, it’s the most expensive and ambitious of the Dead series), and the expansiveness is both an advantage and a handicap. On the one hand, it’s a thrill to see Raimi work with all the special-effects toys at his disposal: creature effects from KNB mix with Ray Harryhausen-esque stop-motion skeletons and green-screen mini-Ashes, making for a veritable feast of practical horror effects. The climactic showdown makes inventive use of multiple techniques to sell the gags and gore of an army of skeletons besieging a medieval castle; if nothing else, it’s a hell of an effects reel.
Still, it does feel like something gets lost in the series’ switch from cosmic horror to “Three Stooges meets Jason and the Argonauts“. At eighty minutes, it also feels lean to the point of rushed, speeding from plot point to plot point with all the expediency of a theme park ride. By the time you actually get to the big castle siege at the end of the film, you’ll be rubbing your eyes and thinking, “Oh, we’re already at the end?” Evil Dead II masterfully combined its slapstick humor with blood-curdling frights; Army of Darkness leans so far in the other direction that it doesn’t even try to scare.
Despite these flaws, it’s really, really hard to get mad at Army of Darkness‘ pathological efforts to delight and entertain at every possible moment. Raimi’s acrobatic camerawork is in full force here, canting and zooming with near-reckless abandon. He leans hard into the near-Vaudevillian gags of Evil Ash pushing his face back together to give an order or the two Ashes duking it out Larry, Curly, and Moe-style in an abandoned windmill.
What really pulls the mangy experiment together is Campbell, who’s never had a better time on screen than he has here. It’s grand fun to watch him smarm his way from setpiece to setpiece, cracking wise in that meatheaded-jackass way that would spawn the likes of Duke Nukem and so many other pop-culture wiseacres.
He also gets to cut his teeth as one of the ’90s quintessential macho-posturing antiheroes, getting his ass beat so much even Harrison Ford would give an approving nod. Both actors have that unerring ability to balance action-hero might and the relatability of a working-class schlub; as Ash, Campbell’s innate coolness is always leavened by his dunderheaded idiocy, which more often than not causes the trouble he has to climb his way out of. Plus, the film gives us iconic lines like “Gimme some sugar, baby” and “This is my boomstick!” You can’t be mad at that.
In the end, Army of Darkness feels like a transitional point in Raimi’s career — one last go-round with the franchise that made him (and Campbell) a household name before moving on to more studio-friendly fare like A Simple Plan and For the Love of the Game. Plus, this time he had the budget and the license to opt for go-for-broke goofiness over scares. (An alternate ending, in which Ash bungles his time-potion proportions and wakes up in a post-apocalyptic London, was canned by Universal for being too dark; instead, he puffs his chest and blows away a witch with a Winchester in S-Mart.)
Sure, it sands off the spine-tingling edges of its forebears, which can grate if you’re not in the mood for “what if Moe Howard had to fight off an army of zombies?” But it’s always charming to see a series swing for the fences in terms of genre and tone, and Army of Darkness is one hell of a swing. Hail to the king, baby.
Army of Darkness Trailer:
Read next: The Spool's Best New Releases
Streaming guides
The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
The praises of live TV streaming services don’t need to be further sung. By now, we all know that compared to clunky, commitment-heavy cable, live TV is cheaper and much easier to manage. But just in case you’re still on the fence about jumping over to the other side, or if you’re just unhappy with ... The Best Live TV Streaming Services With Free Trial
How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
Season 3 of the hotly anticipated Power spin-off, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, is arriving on Starz soon, so you know what that means: it’s the ’90s again in The Southside, and we’re back with the Thomas family as they navigate the ins and outs of the criminal underworld they’re helping build. Mekai Curtis is ... How to Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3
How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re so back! To celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary, the BBC is producing a three-episode special starring none other than the Tenth/Fourteenth Doctor himself, David Tennant. And to the supreme delight of fans (that would be me, dear reader), the Doctor will be joined by old-time companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and ... How to Watch Doctor Who: 60th Anniversary Specials
Which Netflix Country has Interstellar?
Maybe you’ve just seen Oppenheimer and have the strongest urge to marathon—or more fun yet, rank!—all of Christopher Nolan’s films. Or maybe you’re one of the few who haven’t seen Interstellar yet. If you are, then you should change that immediately; the dystopian epic is one of Nolan’s best, and with that incredible twist in ... Which Netflix Country has Interstellar?
Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
For whatever reason, The Hunger Games series isn’t available in the same countries around the world. You’ll find the first and second (aka the best) installments in Hong Kong, for instance, but not the third and fourth. It’s a frustrating dilemma, especially if you don’t even have a single entry in your region, which is ... Which Netflix Country Has Each Movie of The Hunger Games?
How to Watch ESPN With A Free Trial
One of the major concerns people have before cutting the cord is potentially losing access to live sports. But the great thing about live TV streaming services is that you never lose that access. Minus the contracts and complications of cable, these streaming services connect you to a host of live channels, including ESPN. So ... How to Watch ESPN With A Free Trial
How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
To date, Paramount Network has only two original shows on air right now: Yellowstone and Bar Rescue. The network seems to have its hands full with on-demand streaming service Paramount+, which is constantly stacked with a fresh supply of new shows. But Yellowstone and Bar Rescue are so sturdy and expansive that the network doesn’t ... How to Watch Paramount Network With a Free Trial
How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
Previously “Women’s Entertainment,” We TV has since rebranded to accurately reflect its name and be a more inclusive lifestyle channel. It’s home to addictive reality gems like Bold and Bougie, Bridezillas, Marriage Boot Camp, and The Untold Stories of Hip Hop. And when it’s not airing original titles, it has on syndicated shows like 9-1-1, ... How to Watch WE TV With a Free Trial
How to Watch TNT Sports With A Free Trial
For many sports fans, TNT is a non-negotiable. It broadcasts NBA, MLB, NHL, college basketball, and All Elite Wrestling matches. And, as a bonus, it also has reruns of shows like Supernatural, Charmed, and NCIS, as well as films like The Avengers, Dune, and Justice League. But while TNT used to be a cable staple, ... How to Watch TNT Sports With A Free Trial
How to Watch Comedy Central With a Free Trial
It’s no coincidence that many of today’s biggest comedians found their footing on Comedy Central: the channel is a bastion of emerging comic talents. It served as a playground for people like Nathan Fielder (Fielder For You), Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson (Broad City), Tim Robinson (Detroiters), and Dave Chappelle (Chappelle’s Show) before they shot ... How to Watch Comedy Central With a Free Trial
How to Watch FX With a Free Trial
You’d be hard-pressed to find a bad show airing on FX. The channel has made a name for itself as a bastion of high-brow TV, along with HBO and AMC. It’s produced shows like Atlanta, Fargo, The Americans, Archer, and more recently, Shogun. But because it’s owned by Disney, it still airs several blockbusters in ... How to Watch FX With a Free Trial