Movies - TV
Army Of Darkness Nearly Featured Charles Napier As Ash's S-Mart Manager
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
Sam Raimi’s horror comedy “Army of Darkness” follows the “Evil Dead” hero, Ash, as he’s left stranded in the early 14th century and must contend with an army of Deadites to recover the Necronomicon to return to his time. While the film has a somewhat abrupt ending with Ash back in his proper time working at S-Mart, Raimi had a more extended conclusion in mind.
The director’s original idea featured an ending that included an interaction between Ash and his manager, whom the legendary Charles Napier would have played. According to Bill Warren’s book “The Evil Dead Companion,” Napier’s character would have been something of a jerk, but he was one of the many cuts that never made it past the workprint phase of production.
Over the years, four “complete” cuts of “Army of Darkness” eventually emerged: the original 96-minute director’s cut that was rated NC-17, the international version with an apocalyptic ending, the TV edit, and the theatrical cut. Although Napier and other ideas never made it into the movie, “Army of Darkness” is a cult classic that will leave horror fans saying, “Hail to the king, baby.”