Army of Darkness. Image courtesy of Universal Pictures
What a rough week it has been! There was a lot of rain, a lot of thunderstorms, a lot of strong winds, and a lot of other ***** things, the days that passed wherein I could write something, but I decided to wait for the right time to do that, and this is something I have been waiting to write about for a very long time, a movie that must be explored, appreciated and revisited.
It is “Army of Darkness”! What, you say?! Haha… Yes, the one and only, a classic to me and a million other movie aficionados, movie buffs, movie critics, nerds, and horror geeks. This is officially the third “Evil Dead” movie, but for some reason, the movie studio decided against giving it the title “Evil Dead 3.” So what does creator, writer, and producer Sam Raimi do? He renames it “Army of Darkness,” which is a brilliant move when I think of it. And, of course, you’ve got to have Bruce Campbell in this, as the one and only “Ash Williams,” the suave, cocky, cool one-handed, chainsaw-wielding, and deadite-killing bad***! Because without “Ash Williams,” it can’t be called an “Evil Dead” movie or even referred to as one in any way despite the change of movie title.
I have fond memories of this cult-favorite movie; I remember renting it out before and eventually getting to watch it more when it was shown on a movie channel. “Army of Darkness” is not a horror movie in the purest sense, but it has a special place in the hearts of many who got to watch it back then. It has become a window to the past and an inspiration for others to follow when it comes to this specific kind of filmmaking, goofy dialogue, and subgenre of horror. Many movies that mix horror with comedy and other genres were inspired by this movie in one way or another.
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To this day, several scenes crack me up, amuse me, and get my imagination going. Especially when I was much younger, I never knew at my young age that a movie that has the backbone of being a horror movie could be enjoyable to watch because there were no intense gore scenes, there were no bloodbaths of violence, and there were no sickening moments that would make you barf It is well-balanced for what it is, and there is no mystery as to why when you have Sam Raimi at the helm of this and Bruce Campbell as its star. For those familiar also with the history of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, and for those who are not, do understand that these two men are solely responsible for creating the “Evil Dead” format style of filmmaking.
Each time I get a bit overwhelmed and saddened with what is happening in the movie industry, this is one of the forgotten but awesome movies I watch again because it takes me back to a wonderful time when there was nothing wrong and no wrong was being found with an iconic onscreen character such as “Ash Williams.” After all, being the way he is, is his signature personality, and nowadays, that type of manly personality onscreen would rub people the wrong way or find him to be politically incorrect for some reason. I mean, c’mon, it is a movie, a work of fiction that is not meant to be taken too seriously. Well, anyway, this is what I mean by why people like me tend to look back more because, wow, how times have changed. Nowadays, I find it extremely strange that anyone can find this movie offensive in any way. Unless you are woke! Haha….
When “Army of Darkness” was released, it was a special time wherein you had award-winning movies, epic-scale dramas, groundbreaking films, action flicks, comedy gems, and so on. It fits the times, and it was taken seriously because of it, despite how it was marketed as a lighter take on the “Evil Dead” movies, with its central character “Ash Williams” finding himself transported back into the time of King Arthur, but evil finds him, and this is where it becomes an amalgamation of adventure, action, comedy, and a bit of horror. Who would have ever thought of an “Evil Dead” movie that the whole family could watch and enjoy?
There aren’t a lot of older movies that are as hilariously dated as this without losing their charming appeal in the process. Up to this day, now and then, I watch “Army of Darkness” online and realize what made it special all those years ago still applies to this day. It is unique because it connects to the inner child in you, that machismo and testosterone that all of us real men have, and who does not want the leading man to end up with a beautiful lady, a damsel in distress, and a woman who possesses such magnificent beauty? Because those normal things do happen in “Army of Darkness” wherein “Ash” cannot only kill some deadites, monsters, and evil incarnates, but he finds himself with a beautiful lass by his side.
“Army of Darkness” was proof also that despite a limited budget, with enough ingenuity, resourcefulness, and passion, yes, that word is important for many reasons, one can make a movie that delivers on the entertainment but more so on the enjoyability. On the contrary, there are movies now with huge budgets, at least a hundred million or two hundred million, and yet, they are not that enjoyable at all. They are more on flash, design, and surface-level things that do not leave a lasting impression on anyone who gets to watch them. You can blame it on relying too much on CGI and special effects, but beneath that, there is not much meat to the bone, but instead an empty hollow husk of a vessel for a movie that will be easily forgotten after a few days of watching.
I do believe that depending on the decade the movie was made, there are direct effects on the overall quality of it. It is not a coincidence that there are more movies considered to be masterpieces, classics, or all-time favorites from the 80s to 90s to early 2000s because the filmmakers, actors, and movie studios were different from what they are now mostly, and that can be justified by their passions, intentions, and motives when it comes to filmmaking. I mean, are they out to entertain moviegoers or try to win an award, or possibly both?
In hindsight, I should have made this observation earlier, but I only realize it now as I write this: “Army of Darkness” is a mix of “Dungeons & Dragons” and “Evil Dead” because there are elements here that never occurred in the first two “Evil Dead” movies. These elements only became possible when “Ash Williams” was thrown back to a different era in time. What remains constant is that the cursed ancient book, the Necronomicon, is still the focus, and he must find it to return home: a time-traveling adventure. It certainly can be described. But “Army of Darkness” is a whole lot of fun, whichever way you view it to be.
With “Army of Darkness,” you know what you’re getting if you are in a certain age group. Do yourself a “groovy” favor, now that Halloween night is fast approaching, watch this one more time or for the first time and you will see why I consider this a favorite from my childhood.