Release Date Available Now Running Time 108 minutes Genre Cult

If you don’t already own Army of Darkness, you need to buy this DVD set. If you already own Army of Darkness on VHS, you need to buy this DVD set. If you don’t even own a DVD player, you need to buy this DVD set. Everyone simply must go out and buy this dual DVD set. So what if it costs 45 bucks? Buy it now-- and you'd better hurry, it’s a limited run.

The Movie

Ash is having a crappy weekend. A trip to the woods with his girlfriend has resulted in a pile of dead bodies, him chopping off his own hand, and getting sucked into the middle ages. Not a good weekend at all.

For the uninitiated, Army of Darkness is the third movie in the Evil Dead series, the brainchild of Sam Raimi. The first two Evil Dead movies are horror classics, but this one’s a comedy. It’s no less entertaining, and fits into the series rather nicely. Full of crazy camera angles, blatant inconsistencies, good action, bad blue screening, and abundant gore, this is cheesy cinema at its best.
9 out of 10

The Video

The Army of Darkness Limited Edition DVD actually contains two versions of the movie: the theatrical release and the director’s cut. The director’s cut features additional footage, but it isn’t of the best quality-- it will jarringly switch from usually clean footage to the washed-out, muddy coloring of the added material.

The director’s cut also boasts superior editing, but the theatrical release weighs in with tighter scenes and consistent film quality. (I prefer the ending of the director's cut to the original.) Both offer widescreen display.
7 out of 10

The Audio

The audio is definitely above average. The sound effects are generally well done, with plenty of nice explosions and rattling bones aplenty, although I will forever be mystified why the breaking of a skeleton's back over Ash's knee sounds like breaking a plate.

The soundtrack is well orchestrated, but not overly catchy or memorable with the exception of a few tracks, like Danny Elfman’s "March of the Dead." Like the video, the audio aspect takes a slight dip when it hits the added footage. It's less pronounced than the difference in the picture quality, but it's still there.

The theatrical release features 5.1 Dolby surround, but the director's cut only features 2 channel. Go figure.
8 out of 10

The Extras This set has got extras up the wazoo, and it’s all good stuff. From the deleted scenes to the additional footage, to the "making of" documentary, it’s all worth your time. All these goodies make up for the fact that the initial release on DVD was extremely lacking.
10 out of 10

-- reviewed by Mike Miksch