Army of Darkness (1993) is the third installment of the Evil Dead film trilogy, directed and written by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell. This movie takes
a more humorous bent than its predecessors; as a matter of fact, to refer to this movie as comedy would not be inaccurate.
The advertising tag line was "Trapped in Time. Surrounded by Evil. Low on Gas."
The protagonist, Ash (Campbell), who, in the previous The Evil Dead
and Evil Dead II discovered the Necronomicon ex Mortis and unleashed
demonic forces, is sucked into a time vortex caused by reading the spell to defeat the demons. He ends up in England in 1300 AD
where he is believed to be the "Hero From The Sky", the man destined to deliver mankind to salvation from the "deadites", or
demons. The only way to return to his time and stop the deadites is to retrieve the Necronomicon ex Mortis, or the "Book of the
Dead", which contains both spells. Ash must lead the humans against an army of the undead headed by his evil clone (also played
by Campbell) and retrieve the Necronomicon to ensure the survival of the human race and, more importantly, to get him home.
The movie had a considerably higher budget than the prior two Evil Dead films. The budget is estimated to be around $15
million while Evil Dead II had a budget of $7 million and The Evil Dead a budget of $350,000.
Financially the film was considered a bomb. It was in and out of the box office in the blink of an eye, grossing much less
than its budget. The box office failure is generally attributed to the mainstream audience never hearing of the Evil Dead films
and not having a clue as to what was happening. It has obtained an ever-grown cult following along with the other two films in
the trilogy, however.
The movie has become a cult classic, and quotes and tributes have even found
their way into video games such as Duke Nukem 3D and Blood.
Trivia
The mystical phrase Ash is supposed to speak when he takes the Necronomicon, "clattoo verata nicto", is a reference to the classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. In the film, the
phrase "Klaatu barada nikto" is used to cancel the robot
Gort's attack.
Bruce Campbell sustained an injury on the set when a piece of armor
made a gash in his chin. When he was rushed to the emergency room, he was still in his costume and make-up. The physicians had to
ask which cut was the real one!
The film was mostly shot in the Nevada desert near Las Vegas.
The plot of the film was originally meant for Evil Dead II. During
pre-production, the plot of Evil Dead II involved the evil force from the end of the first film hitting Ash and sending him back
to 1300 AD where he would destroy the book. Promotional drawings were created and published in Variety during the casting process
before the budget was deemed too little for the plot. The working title at the time? Evil Dead II: Army of Darkness.
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