In an age of darkness. At a time of evil. When the world needed a hero. What it got was him.

Army of Darkness (also known as Bruce Campbell vs. Army of Darkness and marketed as such on some home releases) is a 1992 American dark fantasy comedy horror film directed and co-written by Sam Raimi, co-produced by Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell and co-written by Ivan Raimi. Starring Campbell and Embeth Davidtz, it is the third installment in the Evil Dead franchise, and a sequel to Evil Dead II, and follows Ash Williams (Campbell) as he is trapped in the Middle Ages and battles the undead in his quest to return to the present.

The film was produced as part of a production deal with Universal Pictures after the financial success of Darkman. Filming took place in California in 1991. The makeup and creature effects for the film were handled by two different companies: Tony Gardner and his company Alterian, Inc. were responsible for the makeup effects for Ash and Sheila, while Kurtzman, Nicotero & Berger EFX Group was credited for the remaining special makeup effects characters. Tom Sullivan, who had previously worked on Within the Woods, The Evil Dead, and Evil Dead II, also contributed to the visual effects.

The film premiered at the Sitges Film Festival on October 9, 1992, and was released in the United States on February 19, 1993. It grossed $21.5 million total over its $11 million budget, and received positive reviews, though notably less than the first two films. Since its video release, it has acquired a cult following, along with the other two films in the trilogy. The film was dedicated to Irvin Shapiro, who died during the film’s production in 1989.

Cast

• Bruce Campbell as Ashley “Ash” J. Williams and Evil Ash
• Embeth Davidtz as Sheila
• Marcus Gilbert as Lord Arthur
• Ian Abercrombie as Wise Man
• Richard Grove as Duke Henry the Red
• Timothy Patrick Quill as Blacksmith
• Michael Earl Reid as Gold Tooth
• Bridget Fonda as Linda
• Bill Moseley as Deadite captain
• Patricia Tallman as Possessed witch
• Ted Raimi as Cowardly warrior/Second supportive villager/Anthony, the S-Mart clerk/Skeleton voices
• Angela Featherstone as S-Mart store girl (uncredited)