Army of Darkness

If Evil Dead II is horror canon, Army of Darkness is what happens when you give Ash Williams a chainsaw, a boomstick and a one-way ticket to the Middle Ages. Sam Raimi’s 1992 cult classic sends Bruce Campbell’s Ash back to 1300 AD, where he finds himself stuck in a medieval kingdom, surrounded by deadites and tasked with retrieving the Necronomicon before an army of the undead takes over.

There are skeletons, bad decisions, medieval warfare, one very memorable chainsaw and Bruce Campbell at the absolute centre of it all.It’s bigger, sillier and more adventure-driven than Evil Dead II, but it has the same unmistakable Raimi energy: wild camera work, practical effects, physical comedy and a hero who is never quite as prepared as he thinks he is.

Army of Darkness has become a Halloween favourite for a reason. It’s weird, quotable, endlessly rewatchable and a whole lot of fun with a crowd.