The ending thing!

The movie was made with two separate endings each with differing intentions. These endings are:

1. The "Rip-van Winkle/Apocalypse" ending
2. The "Captain Supermarket/Sequel" ending

We'll look at both endings in turn and in which countries each version is available.

Rip-Wan Winkle / Apocalypse
Ash is told by the Wisemen that he has to take six drops of a magic potion in order to awaken in his own time. After dynamiting himself shut into a cave, along with the remains of his car or "Deathcoaster", Ash takes five drops of the liquid then becomes distracted by the movement of some of the settling rocks, takes the fifth drop again and then what he thinks is the sixth. In truth he has swallowed seven, and awakens 100 years after he should have and after a massive apocalyptic war that has left the world in ruins. A manic laugh is heard as the final credits begin to roll - Ash is trapped in the future with no future. Could Bruce's movie 'Mindwarp' be 'Evil Dead 4'?

This ending was intended as the original ending but was not favoured by Universal Pictures. They believed that the pessimism and downright nastiness suggested by this ending was too depressing and ordered a lighter more "audience friendly" climax.

This ending was favoured on the UK video rental release in late 1993 and the early sell-through in 1994. The video was promoted with "Featuring new ending, not seen by cinema audiences". When the film debuted on satellite TV in 1994, the version shown was that of the UK cinema print featuring the "Captain Supermarket" S-Mart battle scenes. In 1997, a video version was released that featured both endings. Personally I prefer the S-Mart ending because it's more fun.

Captain Supermarket
So named after the Japanese release of the film which featured the S-Mart ending. The Japanese are a strange people.

This ending sees Ash return to his time having swallowed the same potion as before but also reciting the words "Klaatu, Barada, Nikto". Campbell is seen recounting his story to an unenthusiastic S-Mart colleague, played by Ted Raimi, who asks if he says the words right this time, "Maybe I didn't say every tiny little syllable but basically I said 'em, yeah.", replies Ash. "Basically." What follows is a confrontaion between Ash and a 'She-demon' inside the store, where we see him transform from a dorky clerk into a demon-slaying hero. The scene, and thus this version, ends with Ash holding a frightened women in his arms and the line "Hail to the King, baby."

This ending is now available in the US on a Special Edition DVD version click here for details. This version already exists in Australia, Japan and the UK on laserdisc and on video sell-through.