Army of Darkness

Sam Raimi / Bruce Campbell/ Evil Dead FAQ

This information has been compiled from various sources. Feel free to point out any mistakes or valid changes you feel should be made. Any help in developing this FAQ would be most appreciated. Miscellaneous contributions welcome, as long as they're relevant. Please feel free to re-use any information from this FAQ as long as questions and answers are accompanied by my e-mail address.


What is a "fake shemp"?

A fake shemp is basically a person who is an extra in any of Sam Raimi's films. Sometimes the "shemp" may be just a hand or a stand-in. The term "fake shemp" originates from Shemp Howard, who often worked in Three Stooges films (who Raimi is a huge fan of). Shemp died whilst the Stooges were in the middle of making a number of shorts so he was replaced by "fake Shemps", meaning stand-ins were used to finish the these incomplete films.


What's with all the different Army Of Darkness endings?

There are, in fact, only two different endings for Army Of Darkness.
  1. Ash returns to S-Mart and tells his tale of adventure to his colleagues. They don't believe him until he battles a she-demon in the store. Happy ending, no loose ends, just what joe-public likes.

  2. Alternate (original) end drop of a magic potion for each century he needs to sleep through to make it back to his own time. In typical Ash style, he takes one drop too many and falls into a deep slumber for 100 years too long. When he awakens, the world has been devastated by nuclear holocaust. Ash has slept too long. Not such a happy ending!

Why two different endings for Army Of Darkness?

The futuristic holocaust ending was Raimi's original intended ending. Because of trouble with studios and production, the ending was changed to be more "audience friendly". The powers- that-be decided that the general public would not be happy with an ending that showed destruction and left things unfinished. Therefore, the happier ending was used for most cinematic releases.


Where can I get a hold of these different endings?

  1. The S-Mart ending is available on the North American and Australian video releases.

  2. The alternate ending is available on the Japanese laserdisc titled Captain Supermarket and on the Australian video released as Army of Darkness: Special Edition. The Japanese laserdisc contains the S-Mart ending but shows the alternate ending as well. Also, the UK release has the Holocaust ending.

  3. There is also a director's cut which has been described by most as "grainy." This is a bootleg which was never released to the general public. It is almost identical to the Japanese laserdisc version.

  4. Also, the alternate ending is at http://members.aol.com/Jbullister/evildead.htm
    in .mov format.

Is it true that there have been dialogue and scene changes in the different versions?


Yes! Some examples of these changes are:
  1. Dialogue changed in the scene where Ash goes to retrieve the Necronomicon.

  2. Dialogue changed when Good Ash and Bad Ash meet.

  3. Various changes in the windmill scene where the little Ashes are torturing regular Ash. Extra torture scenes have been included in the director's cut.

The words Ash utters in 'Army Of Darkness' when he takes the Necronomicon sound familiar. Where have I heard them before?

In the film THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, the words Klaatu Barada Nikto are spoken by a character named Klaatu, an alien. In Army Of Darkness, when the Wise Man and Ash speak the words, the pronunciation has been slightly changed to Klaatu Varata Niktu, although in the Army Of Darkness shooting script the words are written as Klaatu Barada Nikto.


Who is Sam Raimi?

Sam was born in Michigan in 1959. He made a number of 8mm films in his youth, a hobby which turned into a career. Sam attended Michigan State University where he founded a film making society with his brother Ivan and friend Robert Tapert (who now produces Raimi's films). After leaving M.S.U. (prior to graduating), Sam and Robert formed Renaissance Pictures. Sam Raimi is a huge fan of The Three Stooges and often uses Stooge-like sequences in his films. Sam has two brothers, Ivan--who is a doctor and writer-- and Theodore (Ted)--an actor. Sam currently resides in Silverlake, California.

Sam also has a connection with the Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan) that goes back a long way. Joel was assistant editor on Evil Dead, and Ethan, Joel and Sam co-wrote Crimewave. Sam was also a second unit director for The Hudsucker Proxy (one of the Coens' films).


Where can I get Evil Dead-related merchandise from?

Some time back, Hollywood Merchandising sold Army Of Darkness posters, photos, T-shirts and sweatshirts. It is unknown at this present time if they still have these items available. You can write to them at:

PO Box 2727
Dept. F
Hollywood, CA 90078
U.S.A.

There is also an Ash vinyl model available. It is approximately 18" tall, and features Ash holding the shotgun and either the chainsaw or his 'glove'. The figure comes with a miniature Book of the Dead. It is manufactured by a company in the USA called Screamin'. Their phone number is 1-518-432-4582.

Also available were a set of three Army of Darkness comics. They were published in November 1992 (Issue #1), December 1992 (Issue #2) and October 1993 (Issue #3) by Dark Horse Comics. Their mailing address is:

Dark Horse Comics, Inc.
10956 S.E. Main Street
Milwaukie, OR 97222
U.S.A.

There is also an Army Of Darkness board game made by Leading Edge games. The game consists of a board, with pictures of many Deadites taken during the "storming the castle" scene. The players assume the roles of Henry the Red, or Arthur, or Ash and try to defend the castle walls while the Deadites try to get in. There are spots on the board for the pit, and Evil Sheila roams about.

There are also gaming miniatures that Leading Edge put out for the game. There's an Ash, Evil Ash, Good/Bad Ash, Every featured Deadite including the band, the Oldsmobile, the Pit, the Books of the Dead and their cradle, Arthur, Henry, Sheila, Evil Sheila, and a ton of others.

They also produced sculpted pins with the film's logo, chainsaw and Shotgun earrings, and a large pewter Ash.


Are there soundtracks available for the Evil Dead films?

Yes, there are! Evil Dead 1 & 2 (composed by Joseph LoDuca) are available on one CD (total running time: 70m38s) as a Japanese import (CD order number is: SLCS-7198). The track listing is as follows:

    EVIL DEAD

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. EYE GAMES/ CHARM
  3. BRIDGE OUT
  4. RAPE OF THE VINES
  5. ASCENT/ INFLECTION
  6. AUTOMATIC WRITING
  7. GIVE ME SOME SKIN
  8. MORE SKIN
  9. LOVE NEVER DIES
  10. KANDARIAN DAGGER/ BOOK BURNING
  11. PANIC
  12. NOT THE SHOWER CURTAIN
  13. CHECK ON YOU
  14. PENCIL IT IN
  15. GET THE LANTERN/ BOOK OF THE DEAD
  16. DAWN/ INCANTATION
  17. SHOTGUN
  18. GAMES
  19. THE CABIN PART 1/ WOUNDED MELODY

    EVIL DEAD II

  20. BEHEMOTH
  21. HUSH LIL' BABY/ PEE WEE HEAD
  22. THE BOOK OF EVIL
  23. ASH'S DREAM/ DANCING GAME /DANCE OF THE DEAD
  24. FRESH PANIC/ THE OTHER SIDE OF YOUR DREAM
  25. THE PUTRIFIED FOREST/ UNDER HER SKIN
  26. THE EVIL BEGINS ANEW /SUNRISE/ ASH ATTACKS
  27. HAND AND MOUSE/ LOVE TRANSFORMS/ MIRROR, MIRROR/ BAD FINGERS
  28. HAIL HE/ END TITLES

There is also an Army Of Darkness soundtrack with music by Joseph LoDuca & Danny Elfman. It contains 21 tracks total, 20 tracks by LoDuca and 1 track by Elfman. The track listing is:

    ARMY OF DARKNESS

  1. PROLOGUE
  2. BUILDING THE DEATHCOASTER
  3. GIVE ME SOME SUGAR/BONE'ANZA
  4. TIME TRAVELLER
  5. ASH SPLITS
  6. LITTLE ASHES
  7. ASH IN CHAINS
  8. NIGHT COURT
  9. THE FOREST OF THE DEAD/GRAVEYARD
  10. THE PIT
  11. GOD SAVE US
  12. FOUL THING
  13. MARCH OF THE DEAD (composed by Danny Elfman)
  14. WHITES OF THEIR SKULLS
  15. THE DEATHCOASTER
  16. ON THE PARAPET
  17. ASH BUCKLERS
  18. SKELETOR
  19. SOUL SWALLOWER
  20. MANLY MEN
  21. END TITLES
Total running time is 50m38s. The USA CD Order Number is: VSD-5411.


Is the Necronomicon real or is it something Sam Raimi made up for the Evil Dead films?

The Necronomicon was the creation of the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, who has been a major influence on writers and filmmakers in the genre since. In Lovecraft's work, the Necronomicon served as a collection of supernatural wonders, a collection of myths of pre-human species on Earth, or a book of spells, depending on where he used it. It is the latter interpretation that has caught the popular imagination the most.

During the 1970s, a major resurgence of interest in Lovecraft occurred, with the result that several different books with the title Necronomicon appeared. None of these, it should be noted, could be confirmed as existing before Lovecraft wrote of the Necronomicon, and most of their authors have admitted that they are fakes. The most popular one, written by "Simon" and published first by Schlangekraft and later in paperback by Avon, links Lovecraft's mythology to Sumerian religion. Though the connections shown within are not borne out through examination of either Lovecraft or Sumerian religion, the book has gained popularity among many would-be spellcasters.

The "Necronomicon Ex Mortus" that appears in Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness bears many differences from the book Lovecraft presented. Diehard fans of the movies will know that the Necronomicon was written three thousand years ago and vanished around 1300 AD. Lovecraft, however, never uses the suffix "Ex Mortuus" and has an entirely different timeline for the book. Ash refers to the Necronomicon as a Sumerian book, which shows the influence of the Simon Necronomicon. Why the book in the movies differs so much from the one Lovecraft wrote about is uncertain.

To find out more about the Necronomicon, check out
The "Necronomicon Anti-FAQ".

First posted on the 24th September, 1995
This edition: 23rd December, 1996.

© 1997 Tania Taylor

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