"Alright, who's next? Who wants some?"
Some movies mellow with age. Army of Darkness has somehow become even more gloriously insane.
Watching Sam Raimi's medieval monster mash again in 2026, it's remarkable how confidently it refuses to play by anyone else's rules. It's horror. It's fantasy. It's slapstick. It's a Ray Harryhausen love letter fueled by Three Stooges violence, comic-book swagger, and Bruce Campbell's impossibly committed performance as cinema's greatest loudmouth hero. Somehow, all of those ingredients still work thirty-plus years later.
Shout! Factory has once again given fans an excuse to revisit Ash Williams' trip to the Dark Ages, this time packaging its outstanding restoration inside a gorgeous new SteelBook featuring brand-new artwork. The transfer remains sourced from the acclaimed 4K scan of the original camera negative approved by Sam Raimi, cinematographer Bill Pope, and editor Bob Murawski, but the refreshed SteelBook presentation gives collectors another worthy excuse to make room on the shelf.
Poor Ash can't catch a break. Fresh off the nightmare of Evil Dead II, he's stranded in medieval England with nothing but his boomstick, chainsaw, and an ego that somehow grows larger every time another Deadite loses its head. Standing between him and the comfort of the S-Mart housewares aisle is an army of undead monsters protecting the Necronomicon—a book that seems determined to make every possible bad decision before Ash does.
Revisiting the film today, it's easier to appreciate just how fearless Raimi was. Rather than trying to outdo the brutality of the first two films, he swerves into full-blown fantasy adventure. The horror takes a back seat while Campbell's charisma takes the wheel, delivering one endlessly quotable line after another. His Ash isn't simply surviving anymore—he's performing. Every entrance is bigger, every insult sharper, every victory somehow louder than the last.
Sure, the miniature Ash sequence still stretches the joke a little longer than it probably should, but the film recovers almost instantly because Raimi understands momentum better than almost anyone. Before you can question one gag, skeleton armies are marching, windmills are exploding, and Ash is barking, "Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the gun."
Time has also made the movie's influence impossible to ignore. Its DNA can be found in fantasy adventures, superhero films, swashbucklers, horror comedies, and practically every filmmaker who's tried blending practical effects with manic camera work. Raimi's kinetic style still feels alive, while the stop-motion creatures remain a charming reminder that imagination will always outlast photorealistic CGI.
Joseph LoDuca's sweeping score deserves another round of applause as well. It's bombastic, melodramatic, occasionally ridiculous—and exactly what this movie needs. Every cue embraces the same oversized personality as the film itself, transforming Ash's impossible quest into something that feels legitimately epic despite its gleeful absurdity.
More than three decades later, Army of Darkness remains one of the strangest studio movies ever made. It's weird, loud, chaotic, endlessly quotable, and completely comfortable being exactly what it is. After this 2026 revisit, it honestly feels less like the oddball sequel of the trilogy and more like Raimi's declaration that cinema should be fun first and ask forgiveness later.
Hail to the king, baby.
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - October 4, 2022
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Video: Native 4K; Dolby Vision; HDR10
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Four-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A
Unspeakable evil is unleashed upon mankind in director Sam Raimi's (Darkman, Drag Me To Hell ) outrageously hilarious third chapter in his Evil Dead Trilogy. Bruce Campbell returns as Ash, the handsome, shotgun-toting, chainsaw-armed department store clerk who is time-warped backwards into England's Dark Ages, where he romances a beauty and faces legions of the undead. Can Ash save the living, rescue his girlfriend, and get back to his own time?
VIDEO
The new 4K scan is a thing of beauty. The new scan looks great, with crisp details and bright colors, while the blacks and dimly lit scenes hold up very nicely. There are some problematic aspects, with some shots being a bit out of focus and a tad messy thanks to the crisp transfer.
The rich palette of the production design amped the nines with the HDR-10 magic; finer details of the costumes leap off the screen. The film grain is intact; however, on a 4K screen, the grain layers on optical effects are more prominent than in other scenes. Blacks are sumptuous and detailed.
This is the best example one can give for an A-level upgrade.
AUDIO
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 shreds away at all the bloody skulls with solid intensity.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- See below
Special Features:
This boomstick is loaded and ready to kill all sorts of foul beasts! Just check it out!
DISC ONE (THEATRICAL CUT – 4K UHD):
- NEW 2022 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative Approved By Director Sam Raimi, Director Of Photography Bill Pope, And Editor Bob Murawski
- In Dolby Vision (HDR 10 Compatible)
- DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
DISC TWO (THEATRICAL CUT – BLU-RAY):
- NEW 2022 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative approved by director Sam Raimi, director of photography Bill Pope, and editor Bob Murawski
- DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
- Medieval Times: The Making of “Army Of Darkness” – A Feature-length Documentary With Over 20 people Interviewed Including Star & Co-Producer Bruce Campbell, Actors Ted Raimi, Bill Moseley, And Patricia Tallman, And Many More…
- Original Ending
- Alternate Opening With Optional Commentary By Sam Raimi And Bruce Campbell
- Deleted Scenes With Optional Commentary By Sam Raimi And Bruce Campbell
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- U.S. Video Promo
DISC THREE – (DIRECTOR’S CUT – BLU-RAY):
- DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
- Audio Commentary With Director Sam Raimi, Actor Bruce Campbell, And Co-Writer Ivan Raimi
- Additional Behind-The-Scenes Footage From KNB Effects
- Creating the Deadites – Vintage Featurette
- Vintage "Making Of" Featurette
- Extended Interview Clips With Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, And Robert Tapert
DISC FOUR – (INTERNATIONAL CUT – BLU-RAY):
- DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0 (International Cut)
- Television Version With Additional Footage (Standard Definition)
- International Theatrical Trailer
- Still Galleries With Rare Behind-The-Scenes Photos From Production Designer Anthony Tremblay, Visual Effects Supervisor William Mesa And Special Make-Up Effects Artists Tony Gardner And KNB EFX, Inc. (Over 200 Stills)
- Still Gallery Of Props And Rare Photos From The Collection Of Super Fan Dennis Carter Jr.
- Storyboards For Deleted Or Alternate Scenes
- The Men Behind The Army – Vintage Featurette
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