Alright You Primitive Screwheads, Listen Up !

Rating: 7/10 (22 April 2010)

Ash gets caught up in a space-time vortex which hurls him back to the Middle Ages. Captured by a band of knights, he is taken to their castle but secures his freedom by defeating an undead monster. The Wise Man tells him he must quest for a sacred book, The Necronomicon, which contains magical incantations that can send him home. Ash finds the book, but the plan does not quite work out Â…
The third Evil Dead movie (or The Medieval Dead, as I like to think of it) is fabulous fun from start to finish. It's that rare sequel which goes for a completely different story and feel (see also The Curse Of The Cat People or Halloween III: Season Of The Witch); in this case the all-out horror and gory mayhem of the previous movies are replaced with more old-fashioned adventure, funny lingo, a romantic subplot and a sensational action set piece as hordes of skeletal warriors descend upon our besieged band of heroes. It's beautifully anachronistic and silly, playing like an old Errol Flynn flick, but with a fifties comic book superhero and the cast of A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court, all of whom seem to have wandered into a George Romero zombie epic. Campbell's square-jawed antics are simply sensational, and both he and Davidtz have a whale of a time playing both star-crossed heroes and their evil alter egos. If I had to pick a funniest moment, it's when Ash fluffs the ritual to retrieve the book (which is filched from The Day The Earth Stood Still) and confidently asserts, "Okay then. That's it.". I just can't get enough of Raimi and Campbell's Three Stooges why-you-little slapstick; these people are born entertainers, and their movie is just crammed full of amazing sights - a man pulling himself out of a book, a windmill infested with crazed imps, an amazing shot from the ramparts of the army of darkness marching through the misty night towards the castle like a scene out of Macbeth. The visual effects, by William Mesa, the KNB team and Tony Gardner are outstanding, as is the photography by Bill Pope, and there are fantastic stunts throughout. Joseph LoDuca's gorgeous music captures the playful adventurer spirit of the movie perfectly, and is bolstered by a great pounding march theme by Danny Elfman. Written by Raimi and his older brother Ivan (his younger brother Ted also has a small role), the movie exists in two versions; the 81-minute original US release, and a longer European/video version, which extends several scenes (notably the windmill and the final battle) and has a completely different (and just as good/funny) ending. If possible, catch the rather nifty Anchor Bay DVD release, which contains both. This movie also has several titles (Evil Dead 3 and variants), but I like the on-screen title, Bruce Campbell Vs Army Of Darkness, a nod to the goofy good-natured Mexican wrestling and Japanese monster movies of the sixties, with which it shares many sensibilities. Don't miss funny little roles by stuntwoman / actress Tallman (as the witch) and the always sublime Fonda. If you're looking for a nice crazy movie to sit back, chuckle and gasp through, this is a guaranteed crowd pleaser every time, featuring arguably the finest B-movie performance in all cinema. Hail to the King, baby !