Movies - TV
The Theatrical Ending Of Army Of Darkness Is The Superior Conclusion
By MATTHEW BILODEAU
Three decades have passed since “Army of Darkness” — Sam Raimi’s third chapter in the “Evil Dead” series — first made its theatrical debut in 1992, with the film releasing at least four different versions over the years. The movie has remained a fan-favorite, but there is still some debate about whether Raimi’s original ending was a better idea than the one seen in the theatrical cut.
Ash travels back to his own timeline in the theatrical cut and returns to work at S-Mart, sharing the wild stories of his adventures before a deadite attacks. After saving his co-worker, Jenny, the hero eventually defeats the monster. With the store coming to a standstill, Ash grabs Jenny in his arms and kisses her, giving the film a perfect ending for an almost-perfect movie.
However, Raimi’s original cut featured a much bleaker ending, as the audience sees Ash preparing for his centuries-long sleep in the Delta 88, only to mess up the instructions and wake up in an apocalyptic future. Although this defeated ending is more in line with other “Evil Dead” entries, test audiences hated Ash losing at the end, so Universal requested a more upbeat ending.
The theatrical cut carries the same idea as Raimi’s original vision but brings it to a more natural conclusion, with Ash fully embracing the flawed hero he was always meant to be. The S-Mart ending also paved the way for 2015’s “Ash vs. Evil Dead,” which picks up 30 years after “Army of Darkness” and sees the hero being sent to an apocalyptic future in the series finale.