[A to Z Bonus Post] A = Army of Darkness

I am Charlie and I am NOT a fan of Army of Darkness.  I admit it.

I am sure some other horror fans will think this is a bad take on my part but it is my honest take on the film.  I enjoyed the original EVIL DEAD for the straight up horror and EVIL DEAD 2 had the perfect mix of horror and comedy elements.  I have been a big fan of B films and these two were numerous rentals from the video stores back in my youth.  I was really looking forward to a third EVIL DEAD film after the ending of the second film.

I rented ARMY OF DARKNESS upon release at the video store and I watched it.  Something has always felt "off" about this film ever since my first viewing.  It might be the more polished look of the film compared to the previous two entries.  It might be that the comedy in this film feels different to me.  I can not really quite put my finger on it except to say that ARMY OF DARKNESS feels like a "safe" entry in this series when I expected a little more risks in the film-making.  Maybe that is an unfair expectation on my part but the film just does not do it for me.  I would buy it as part of a boxed set but I would never buy this film by itself.

On a related note, what about the stuff that came next?  I think the EVIL DEAD remake is a great film.  It is probably my favorite remake and I would definitely give a sequel a fair shake.  ASH vs. EVIL DEAD is a brilliant series.  I own all three seasons on DVD and I have watched the series several times.  The mix of comedy and horror elements works much better in this series than in ARMY OF DARKNESS.