Rarely do I step out of my cinematic comfort zone.  When you have seen as many movies as I have, then you know what to look for in terms of content before you start something.  Other films have a reputation that will tell you all you need to know.  The latter was the case for Army of Darkness (1992).  What I did not realize is that it is that it is the third installment in an Evil Dead franchise, nor was I aware that there was an Evil Dead II (1987).  If you know that I am a Catholic reviewer that typically avoids horror flicks, you can understand why I might not be keen on such films.  Yet, with it being the Halloween season, as I scrolled through the streaming services, I came across Army of Darkness and it seemed to meet one of my criteria with such material: good must triumph.  I went into it hoping that this assessment would be proved correct and got . . . something else. . . .

Ashley “Ash” J. Williams (Bruce Campbell) is actually some time else at the beginning of Army of Darkness.  In a voiceover, he claims that he is a slave.  How he got to be in chains is the subject of a montage he narrates, which I guess are a summary of the previous film’s events.  After defeating the forces of evil, which involved replacing one of his hands with a chainsaw, he is sucked back to the year 1300 . . . for some reason.  The film is not big on exposition, but on the plus side, it is roughly an hour and fifteen minutes long.  At any rate, he is forced to march along with captured soldiers of Duke Henry the Red (Richard Grove), their leader included among their number.  As they are brought into the castle belonging to Lord Arthur (Marcus Gilbert), they are observed by Sheila (Embeth Davidtz), whose husband had died in the unseen battle.  Because she assumes Ash is part of the contending army, she is as abusive as the rest, eager to see the prisoners thrown into a pit in the middle of the courtyard.  The Wise Man (Ian Abercrombie) explains that at the bottom are the evils that have been oppressing the land of late.  He is also the one who throws down Ash’s weapons that are used to defeat the monsters lurking below.  Upon re-emerging, Ash is hailed as a hero and they expect him to stay and help them fight.  His primary concern is returning to his own time, and he believes the Wise Man can help.  It turns out that the Wise Man does possess the knowledge of how this can be done, but it involves a quest, of course.  In order to effect the time jump, the Wise Man needs the “Necronomicon Ex-Mortis.”  If you are an old school Catholic, or maybe know Latin, you will know that roughly translates to “The Book of the Dead.”  Apparently, this had been the tome that caused all the problems in the previous movie, which is part of the reason Ash is hesitant to go after it.  With some persuasion, not the least from Sheila, he agrees to go.  Before setting off on his own, the Wise Man tells Ash that before picking it up, he must recite the following words: “klaatu barada nikto.”  This is hilarious if you have seen The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).  Also, if you think that is hard to pronounce, you are not alone.  At the appointed moment, his butchering of the phrase is what summons the Army of Darkness, but I am getting ahead of myself.  For now, Ash is told to make his way to a cemetery where the Necronomicon can be found.  Along the way, he is attacked by a presence that chases him through the woods.  Taking refuge in a windmill, he tries to hold it back before it eventually gains entry.  He seems to notice it taking shape in the mirror, causing him to break the mirror.  Unfortunately, this leads to a half dozen, inches tall, evil versions of himself.  One of them manages to dive into his mouth, eventually working its way out into an “Evil Ash” (Bruce Campbell).  Ash manages to subdue his doppelgänger, burying it before moving on to the graveyard.  Upon botching the previously mentioned incantation, the ground begins to quake and skeletons shoot forth from the ground and grasp at him.  Still, he is able to escape back to the castle, but the Wise Man knows something has gone wrong.  Believing it to not be his problem, Ash demands to be returned to his time immediately despite Sheila’s pleadings.  What changes his mind is seeing her scooped up by a flying demon and carried away to Evil Ash.  There, she is attacked by Evil Ash and turned into Evil Sheila.  Meanwhile, Lord Arthur and Ash prepare the castle’s defenses.  This involves using the chemistry book found in the back of Ash’s Oldsmobile Delta 88, which had been transported with him earlier, in order to make gunpowder.  He also convinces Lord Arthur to put aside the differences with Duke Henry in order to enlist their help in the fight.  With their preparations complete, it is time for battle.  There are re-animated skeletons with swords, explosions, and various antics from Evil Sheila.  Inevitably, it comes down to Ash and Evil Ash, with the former triumphing.  Evil Ash’s death(?) breaks the spell on Sheila, who returns to normal.  She is downcast to see Ash go.  The final scene is of him back at his job at S-Mart, apparently telling his co-workers about his adventures.  They do not believe him until he is forced once more to fight when one of the customers turns evil, the result of him once again screwing up “klaatu barada nikto” upon returning to his own time.

What the end of Army of Darkness suggests is that Ash will be combatting the forces of evil for the rest of his time.  The impression is also given that this is at least partially his fault.  While I have not seen the previous film, the flashback at the beginning discusses the Necronomicon and how he had found it in a cabin in the woods.  Here is a piece of advice from a practicing Catholic: if you find a book apparently made of human skin, with a menacing face on the front, whose letters are written in blood, and is the work of ancient Sumerian sorcerers, do not mess with it!  Evil exists, and the more you tempt it, the stronger it can become.  This seems to be an underlying theme of the trilogy, and the third one is no different.  One can relate this to the Catholic Church’s stance on exorcisms.  It is arguably the most visible way in which the Church acts as a bulwark against darkness, but it is also the least understood.  What the Church does make known is that only a trained priest with the Church’s blessing can perform the ritual.  In other words, they do not take these matters lightly, a contrast to the tone of the film.  Even though there are comedic elements, it does underscore the need to be vigilant against the forces of evil.  It would be nice if they could be defeated in one climactic battle.  The Book of Revelation tells us that this will, indeed, happen at some point in the future.  However, that future has not yet arrived.  Until then, like Ash, know that they are out there lurking and they are coming for your soul.

That last sentence makes Army of Darkness sound much more serious than it is.  Truthfully, it is a serious topic, but it is treated in a lighthearted manner.  There are also some brief moments of nudity in it, which, like the majority of such scenes, are completely unnecessary.  Between those and other content, I would call this one skippable.  At the same time, I have seen worse.