Line #72 Film/ArmyOfDarkness


1	[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mv5bodcyyzm4ytatngm5ms00nju4ltk2y2itzji5njkzztk0mmq1xkeyxkfqcgdeqxvynju0otq0oty_v1.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:1000:"''All right, you primitive screwheads! Listen up!''"]]
3
4	->''"Hail to the king, baby."''
5	-->-- '''Ash Williams'''
6
7	''Army of Darkness'' is the 1992 sequel to ''Film/EvilDead2'' and the third film in the ''Franchise/EvilDead'' franchise. It is directed by Creator/SamRaimi, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Ivan Raimi. It was released on February 19th, 1993.
8
9	Ash Williams (Creator/BruceCampbell) is transported back to [[TheMiddleAges Medieval Europe]], where he finds out he can return to his own time if he can retrieve the Necronomicon. Ash manages to find the book, but when he inevitably [[NiceJobBreakingItHero screws up]] the retrieval, he's forced to train and help the [[TrainingThePeacefulVillagers not-so-peaceful villagers]] he's placed in the path of an Army of Darkness.
10
11	Noticeably DenserAndWackier and largely LighterAndSofter than the previous two movies, ''Army of Darkness'' eschews the HorrorComedy of previous entries in favor of being an out-and-out slapstick comedy that's relatively tame in content. Due to this making it easier to broadcast on television with minimal edits, as well as being more accessible on home video due to being distributed by a major company, it has become [[SequelDisplacement the most widely seen and recognized]] of the ''Evil Dead'' films.
12
13	Also notorious for its many, many different [[ReCut Re-Cuts]] -- at least four are known to exist -- some of which had a [[RevisedEnding entirely different]] and [[DownerEnding considerably more depressing]] ending than the theatrical release.
14
15	----
16	!!''Army of Darkness'' provides examples of:
17
18	* AfterTheEnd: The original ending [[spoiler:has Ash accidentally drinking too much of the potion that will let him sleep for centuries and wakes up in a post-apocalyptic London.]]
19	* AgonyOfTheFeet: When Ash tries to crush one of the Mini-Ashes underfoot, it defends itself with a large nail, which goes through Ash's shoes and makes him scream in pain.
20	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: The {{Tagline}}, as seen on the poster: "Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas."
21	* ArtisticLicenseGeography: Medieval England looks an awful lot like Southern California.
22	* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The film is completely ahistorical.
23	** King Arthur is portrayed as a real person who rules England (represented by a single castle) in 1300 AD. Myth/KingArthur is a mythical figure who supposedly ruled around 400 to 500 AD, although it's never stated or really even implied that he's supposed to be ''that'' Arthur.
24	** Gunpowder would have been completely unknown in Arthurian times, but had been in Europe for about a century by 1300.
25	** Full body armor is shown numerous times in the movie. Such was only invented in the early 15th century, more than a hundred years after the film is set.
26	** The hut Ash spends the night in -- where he's attacked by the mini-Ashes -- appears to have a modern heating system (at least, there are metal vents for him to hit his head on).
27	** And, lest we forget, Ash's new metal hand, which is basically an overpowered, cybernetic prosthetic. This would be hi-tech even by early 21st century standards. RuleOfCool applies, of course.
28	* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Mocked.
29	-->'''Deadite Sheila:''' You found me beautiful once.\
30	'''Ash:''' Honey, you got ''reeaaaal'' ugly.
31	* {{Bookends}}: The movie starts and ends with Ash narrating the story.
32	* BlackAndGrayMorality:
33	** Lampshaded.
34	--->'''Good Ash:''' [[BondOneliner Good... bad... I'm the guy with the gun.]]
35	** The [[ReCut Director's Cut]]:
36	--->'''Good Ash:''' I ain't ''that'' good.
37	* TheBlacksmith: The nameless smith has a minor role, yet gets a fair bit of characterization. He's shown to be something of an OnlySaneMan among the primitive screwheads who seems to take pity on Ash and the other captives, Ash later saves his life when he fails to get the drop on a Deadite witch. Afterwards he helps Ash build his hand, fix his car, an is the first man to volunteer himself to defend the castle.
38	* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands: Variant, where Ash blasts a sword [[WreckedWeapon in half]].
39	* BodyHorror: It's a little freaky when Evil Ash essentially forms off of Good Ash via budding.
40	* BooksThatBite: One of the false Necronomicons in the graveyard bites down on Ash's hand when he touches it.
41	* BrickJoke: In the theatrical ending, when the coworker listening to Ash's story asks if Ash [[KlaatuBaradaNikto said the words right this time]]. [[spoiler:Of course not.]]
42	* BroadStrokes: Everything Ash explained in the opening happened in the [[Film/EvilDead2 last film]], they just didn't happen in the exact ways that the flashback in this one showed.
43	* BronsonCanyonAndCaves: Ash rides through the canyon in an early scene.
44	* TheCavalry: Henry the Red and his peoples.
45	* CreationSequence: Ash and the villagers building his armored hand and supplying weapons to his car provide excuses for montages with lovely close-ups.
46	-->'''Ash:''' Groovy.
47	* CriticalStaffingShortage: The castle is evacuated, leaving 60 men to fight an army of the undead that outnumber them about 10 to 1. They have to keep moving defenses from wall to wall as they simply don't have enough people to effectively guard each side at the same time.
48	* TheCynic: After spending two whole movies going from being an InnocentBystander to an ActionSurvivor from the Deadite's sadistic games, Ash by the start of this movie is ''done'' with everyone's shit. Part of his arc in this film is him going from selfishly looking out for himself to becoming a true ActionHero, deciding to stay and help the people fend off the ArmiesAreEvil. The fact that [[NiceJobBreakingItHero it was his carelessness that put them in danger in the first place]] probably had something to do with it.
49	* DeadlyRotaryFan: Taken up to eleven with the WeaponizedCar's combat refit.
50	* DenserAndWackier: Much more overtly comedic than Evil Dead 1 or 2.
51	* DemBones: Most of the eponymous Army raised by Evil Ash/the Necronomicon.
52	* DescriptionPorn: Ash introducing his boomstick.
53	* DualWielding: Ash briefly wields two swords simultaneously while fighting on the castle wall's stairs.
54	* DungAges: The setting for this film, and results in Ash being a jerk to everyone in the beginning.
55	* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:Henry and his men [[TheCavalry riding in]] to save the very people who days previously were their captors, and about to execute them in an extremely horrific way.]]
56	* EnemyWithout: Evil Ash forms out of the original Ash's body.
57	* EverybodyWasKungFuFighting: After proving it has the ability to shred a human body into a blood geyser, the Pit Witch decides to handle Ash with... a series of facial punches and backflip kicks.
58	* EvilKnockoff: Evil Ash is a [[AntiHero worse version]] of the original.
59	* EvilMakesYouMonstrous: Bad/Evil Ash initially looks exactly like his regular counterpart, but after being [[HumiliationConga shot in the face, dismembered, and then buried]] by Ash he later comes back as a rotting zombie.
60	* EyePoke: Ash gets a number of these in the cemetery scene in a Film/TheThreeStooges homage.
61	* FaceHeelTurn: Sheila briefly turned heel when she became a Deadite.
62	* FireForgedFriends: Lord Arthur and Ash, as well as [[spoiler:Lord Arthur and Duke Henry]], to a greater extent.
63	* FlashbackWithTheOtherDarrin: The opening scene, which recaps the events of the story so far, includes some small bits of footage from ''Film/EvilDead2'', but all images with Linda in them are reshot to have her portrayed by Creator/BridgetFonda.
64	* FromNobodyToNightmare: Evil Ash starts as just a tiny doppelganger of Ash playing violent pranks on him, indistinguishable from his fellow little bastards; even after growing in size, Ash puts him down with a shotgun blast to the face and buries his dismembered corpse. After Ash bungles the incantation, Evil Ash comes back as the BigBad and full-on general of the Deadite army.
65	* GenreShift: Successfully completes the transition of the franchise from violent horror with elements of comedy to [[DenserAndWackier Bruce Campbell killing skeletons with a windmill car in the Middle Ages.]]
66	* GulliverTieDown: The mini-Ashes do this after Ash knocks himself out in the medieval windmill.
67	* HighPressureBlood: The poor sap that is thrown into a pit before Ash, which contains two Deadites, is turned into a geyser of blood which erupts to the surface, spraying it everywhere.
68	* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler:Evil Ash, which is the evil force coalesced into an evil double of Ash.]]
69	* IdiotHero: Ash, who knows an awful lot about killin' deadites but somehow manages to bungle both attempts to speak the magic words.
70	* IgnoredExpert: The wiseman.
71	-->'''Wiseman:''' My Lord, I believe he is the one written of in the Necronomicon. He who is prophesied to fall from the Heavens and deliver us from the terrors of the Deadites.\
72	'''Arthur:''' What? That buffoon? Likely he's one of Henry's men. I say to the pit with him!
73	* ImmediateSequel: The story picks up more or less right where ''Film/EvilDead2'' left off, but with a rather noticeable change, as seen under {{Retcon}}.
74	* ImperfectRitual:
75	** Ash is sent to recover the Necronomicon and is reminded by the wizard to recite the words "KlaatuBaradaNikto" when taking possession of the book. Unfortunately, Ash recites the words wrong... leading to [[OhCrap a whole army of undead rising]] and attacking the castle.
76	** In the end, Ash is sent back to the present by another ritual... whose words he once again bungles, allowing Deadites to follow him.
77	* InsultBackfire:
78	-->'''Arthur:''' Are all men from the future loud-mouthed braggarts?\
79	'''Ash:''' Nope. Just me baby. Just me.
80	* InMediasRes: The movie starts off with Ash dragged in chains towards his execution. [[OpeningNarration He narrates the story of how he got the year 1300.]]
81	* IronicEcho: "Gimme some sugar, baby."
82	* FallingIntoThePlot: This film picks up immediately after ''Film/EvilDead2'', which ends with Ash falling through a [[SwirlyEnergyThingy time vortex]] to wind up in the Middle Ages.
83	* KirksRock: Principal photography for the movie was done in Vasquez Rocks, and the rock itself appears about half an hour into the film.
84	* KlaatuBaradaNikto: Ash starts the spell to safely retrieve the Necronomicon "Klaatu Verata Nik..." then forgets the rest and starts to bluff with different words.
85	* LaughingMad: In the original ending, [[spoiler:Ash, after finding out he'd slept too long and woke up in a post-apocalyptic England.]]
86	* LegCling: The original poster.
87	* LighterAndSofter: While there were some goofy elements in the previous films, they were [[SlidingScaleOfComedyAndHorror mostly]] very gruesome horror movies with some comedic parts. This one is an outright comedy-horror with some spooky elements, but mostly invoked for humor, and with little of the [[{{Gorn}} graphic violence]] that made the originals so infamous.
88	* LivingLegend: Ash could have been a king. In his own way, he ''is'' king.
89	* LookBehindYou:
90	** Ash plays it straight early to get the drop on Arthur, with the old "your shoe's untied" move. When it's not even clear that Arthur even has shoelaces, no less.
91	** PlayedForLaughs when he buries Evil Ash, where he's doing it in part to [[ShutUpHannibal stop Evil Ash's gloating]] and in part [[IShallTauntYou to taunt Evil Ash by pointing out just where he's about to dump some dirt]].
92	* LowClearance: While Ash is fleeing on a horse from the camera... ahem... the Evil Force, he gets swept from the saddle by a low branch and falls into a puddle of mud.
93	* TheMagicVersusTechnologyWar: To some point, thanks to Ash's quick application of steam and gunpowder knowledge the medieval Englishmen got a chance against a vast undead army.
94	-->'''Ash:''' [[RousingSpeech We can take these guys, we can take them!]] [[ForScience With science]]!
95	* MedievalMorons: "You primitive screwheads!"
96	* MenOfSherwood: The soldiers and surrounding villagers of Castle Kandar suffer some losses, but most of them survive and they kill large numbers of deadites after getting new weapons and training from Ash.
97	* TheMiddleAges: Setting of this film.
98	* MiniMe: At one point Ash has to deal with several mischievous Mini-Ash duplicates that came out of shards from a broken mirror. When one forces Ash to swallow it, Ash tries to get rid of it by downing boiling water after it. [[spoiler:This doesn't kill it, though, as the Mini-Ash mutates and forms out of him into who would be called Bad/Evil Ash.]]
99	* MsFanservice: As the skeleton army assembles we see a couple of scantily clad beautiful woman dragged across the front of the screen. In the DVD commentary Bruce Campbell admits this was simply because producer Robert Tapert wanted "Naked slave girls in chains" in his movie.
100	* NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight: Sword actually. Happens in the ThisIsMyBoomstick scene, when Ash breaks a sword wielded by Arthur by shooting it with his gun.
101	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: If only Ash could [[spoiler:have remembered those damn words]].
102	* NightOfTheLivingMooks: The titular Army of Darkness. Partially subverted in that they ''run away screaming'' when shelled with explosive arrows and bags of gunpowder.
103	* NippleAndDimed: There's a short, blink-and-you-miss-it moment where a couple of topless slave girls are herded past the camera. It may have been intended as {{Fanservice}}, but the fact that they're being led off to be raped by demonic undead monsters achieves the [[FanDisservice opposite]] effect, underscored by the fact that it happens while [[spoiler:Sheila is being forcibly kissed by the Deadite copy of Ash]].
104	* OffhandBackhand: Ash does this with a shotgun.
105	* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: The Englishmen in 1300 are perfectly capable of understanding Ash's very slangy modern English, and themselves speak modern English peppered with thees and shalts.
106	* OpeningNarration: Ash narrates the opening of the film, a brief recap the events of the [[Film/EvilDead2 last film.]]
107	* PivotalWakeup: The deadite in the pit rises this way from the water/mist that were keeping her hidden, right next to Ash.
108	* PlayingPossum: The Deadite witch that infiltrates the castle that Ash takes down. Arthur nearly does the classic Horror film screw-up of just touching it to see if it's dead, but Ash stops him.
109	-->'''Ash:''' It's a trick. [[DoubleTap Get an axe.]]
110	* PossessionLevitation: Ash fights off a woman who got possessed by a demon in S-Mart. While he is shooting her, she floats in the air.
111	* PostClimaxConfrontation: Replaced the DownerEnding that was made originally.
112	* PrecisionFStrike: Ash drops the movie's sole F-bomb while pushing his way through a crowd after retrieving the Necronomicon.
113	* PunctuatedForEmphasis: [[ThisIsMyBoomstick "This... Is... My... BOOMSTICK!"]]
114	* RatedMForManly: Although this is present in the second film as well, ''Army of Darkness'' is so manly that it can make your TV grow chest hair and a full-length beard. [[TestosteronePoisoning Some of it is definitely satirical, however.]]
115	* ReCut: No less than four different versions of the movie exist:
116	** The ''US Theatrical Cut'', the first to be released, runs a lean 81 minutes and concludes with Ash returning to the present and battling one last Deadite in S-Mart.
117	** The ''Director's Cut'' is much longer at 96 minutes, featuring some dialogue changes in addition to the many added and amended scenes, and ends with Ash waking up in a post-apocalyptic future.
118	** The ''International Cut'', the version released theatrically in Europe, Australia and Japan, is simply the Director's Cut with the S-Mart ending and a few other edits.
119	** The ''US Television Cut'' is the US theatrical cut with most of the explicit language and violence removed, as well as two deleted scenes which aren't present in any other version.
120	** A FanEdit, the ''Primitive Screwhead Edition'', has been created, which combines all of the scenes unique to each individual version of the film, resulting in an impressive 104 minute running time.
121	* RefusalOfTheCall: Ash does everything he can to avoid being the savior the people need him to be. It takes a DamselInDistress to finally convince him.
122	* {{Retcon}}: ''Film/EvilDead2'' ended with the soldiers cheering a horrified Ash as the hero of prophecy who will save them from the Deadites. This one begins with only the Wiseman believing him to be so, and Arthur orders a confused Ash to be shackled and led away for execution.
123	* ReverseCerebusSyndrome: After the bleak and sexually violent [[Film/TheEvilDead1981 original]] and its equally graphic [[Film/EvilDead2 sequel]], this movie is more of a wacky, comedic adventure movie that comes across more as a lot more parodic. In spite of this drastic tonal shift, it's still incredibly entertaining and [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools the favorite film in the series among many audience members.]]
124	* RevisedEnding: Filmed originally was an CruelTwistEnding with Ash [[spoiler:waking up in post apocalyptic England after taking too much of a sleeping potion]], which was changed to a PreAsskickingOneLiner-filled ending thanks to ExecutiveMeddling.
125	* SexualKarma: Ash and Sheila's sex scene is [[IdealizedSex played out as romantically as possible]], with a rose-tinted lens, sunset and Ash gently letting Sheila's hair unravel as he gazes into her eyes. Evil Ash just rips Sheila's dress off and [[ForcedKiss forces her to kiss]] his rotting, mutilated mouth.
126	* ShoutOut:
127	** At one point Ash calls The Wiseman "Spinach-chin". This is a reference to Film/TheThreeStooges short "Malice in the Palace".
128	** [[Film/TheDayTheEarthStoodStill1951 Klaatu Barada Nikto!]]
129	** Bad Ash's facial burns are very similar to the titular character's from ''Film/{{Darkman}}'', Sam Raimi's previous film.
130	** Another Film/TheThreeStooges reference is after the ImperfectRitual goes off and the skeletal hands hold Ash down and do an impromptu Stooges-style slap fight on Ash, including two attempts at a Moe-style EyePoke (the first foiled by Ash, but the hands obviously learn).
131	** The Necronomicon was already a shout-out to the works of Creator/HPLovecraft, but Ash stumbling over the "n-word" in the spell brings to mind Lovecraft's infamous racism.
132	* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: After Ash's EnemyWithout becomes necrotized and takes charge of the Deadite army, he starts wearing a skull-like helmet.
133	* SlapSlapKiss: {{Lampshaded}} by Ash.
134	-->'''Ash:''' First you want to kill me, now you want to kiss me. Blow.
135	* SuddenDownerEnding: This was the main reason for the original ending being changed -- while Ash [[spoiler:screwing up the potion and getting trapped in the future]] likely fits his character (and the trilogy as a whole) better, it was considered by executives to be an extremely jarring shift in tone from the rest of the almost purely comedic film.
136	* SleptThroughTheApocalypse: The original ending.
137	* TimePassageBeard: Happens to Ash in the deleted alternate ending, [[spoiler:when he "slept too long" and overshot the 20th century.]]
138	* TimeTravel: Ash was sent back to Arthurian times by The Necronomicon and Ash spends the majority of the movie trying to find a way to get back to his own time period.
139	* TookALevelInJerkass: Justified since Ash had [[ButtMonkey gone through hell]] throughout the past two movies. By this point, he's just done taking everyone's crap and just wants to go home.
140	* TrainingThePeacefulVillagers: Sort of. They weren't exactly peaceful to begin with, but showing them how to make gunpowder certainly was useful. Oddly enough there's another scene where he teaches them how to use ''their own'' spear weapons.
141	** The last bit is justified, as he is showing them to swing the spears, Whereas they would be more used to using them to stab and poke, which would be useless against an enemy with no vital organs to poke. As shown in a later scene this works out quite well.
142	* UnholyMatrimony: Bad Ash and Bad Sheila.
143	* UnreliableNarrator: we see the entire story is being told by Ash to a bored and disbelieving co-worker back at S-Mart, giving an explanation as to the various inconsistencies in the 3 movies.
144	* TheWallsAreClosingIn: The beginning of the film sees Ash thrown into a pit containing a couple demons that he has to fight, as well as this particular DeathTrap just to make things more exciting. He escapes by hanging onto the chain powering the closing walls as it moves up.
145	* WarriorUndead: Some of the Deadites take the form of skeleton knights.
146	%%* WeaponizedCar: See CoolCar above.
147	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
148	** Ash manages to kill two of his tiny counterparts, but several of them manage to escape with no account for their whereabouts (one of the survivors becomes the main enemy of the Dynamite Comics Xena crossover).
149	** His chainsaw hand isn't seen again after chopping up Evil Ash.
150	* WhatTheHellHero: Ash messes up reciting The Words and doesn't care that he has doomed everyone.
151	--> '''Ash:''' Klaatu! Verata! Ni--coughcoughcough...OK then! That's it!
152	* WorldOfHam: Oh definitely, though largely PlayedForLaughs.
153	* TheXOfY
154

Context Film / ArmyOfDarkness