A skeleton army worthy of Harryhausen

by Erik J. Martin

Looking for a fun flick to rent or queue up in your Netflix library? Check out Army of Darkness.

Though it was certainly the campiest outing in his three-part “Evil Dead” series, Sam Raimi’s “Army of Darkness” was also the most fun.

Bruce Campbell reprises his cult-hero role as Ash, the lone survivor of the first two flicks who can take a lickin’ from the undead and keep on tickin’ (case in point: he replaced his severed forearm with a chainsaw). For no apparent reason, Ash is transported to the 14th century, where he must lead a band of medieval warriors against—you guessed it—the army of darkness.

Raimi the horror historian throws a bone to classic Ray Harryhausen animation via his sword-wielding skeleton minions, who manage to steal the show. Gore and guffaws collide in this wicked widescreen romp.