248 greatest films of all time: #213 Army of Darkness

Back before Sam Raimi was the director of the Spider-man flicks, he was best known for his "Evil Dead" trilogy, capped off by this epic.

Granted, the production values aren't the best, I think the skeleton budget was about $600 -- which works out to about 30 cents per skeleton.

Some may call it corny, but it's also one of the most eminently watchable movies ever, evidenced by the 400 times it was watched on the ghetto VCR in college.

Here's a clip from fairly early in the film, watch for the the chainsaw and Ash's Indiana Jones-like ability to use his belt as a whip.

Tagline: Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas.

Plot Spoilers: Evil follows Ash to the past, where he awakens it by taking the Necronomicon or something. He leads a bunch of middle ages dudes in battle using the assortment of future technology he has in the trunk of his oldsmobile (including chemistry tesxtbooks for some reason) eventually fighting off the evil menace. Also there is an evil version of Ash leading the "deadites" who suffers death by catapult.

Best Character: Ummm, is there really a question? It's everyone's favorite S-Mart employee, Ash. Shit he is arguably one of the biggest badasses ever. The ridiculous number of one-liners he delivers would make 1980s-era Arnold Schwarzenegger blush.

Notable Quotes:
Ash: Gimme some sugar, baby.

[after shooting King Arthur's sword in half]
Ash: Ok you Primitive Screwheads, listen up! You see this? This ... is my boomstick! The 12-gauge double-barreled Remington. S-Mart's top of the line. You can find this in the sporting goods department. That's right, this sweet baby was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Retails for about $109.95. It's got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger. That's right. Shop smart. Shop S-Mart. You got that?

Sheila: But what of all those sweet words you spoke in private?
Ash: Oh that's just what we call pillow talk, baby, that's all.

Duke Henry: You're not one of my vassals... who are you?
Ash: Who wants to know?
Duke Henry: I am Henry the Red. Duke of Shale, Lord of the Northlands and leader of its peoples.
Ash: Well hello Mister Fancypants. Well, I've got news for you pal, you ain't leadin' but two things: Jack and shit... and Jack just left town.

Evil Ash: You'll never retrieve the Necronomicon! You'll die before ya get it!
Ash: Hey! What's that you got on your face?
Evil Ash: Huh?
[Ash throws dirt on Evil Ash's face]

Ash: [fires shotgun] Go ahead and run. Run home and cry to momma! I'm going to stay here and fight it out! Who's with me!
Arthur: Are all men from the future loud-mouthed braggarts?
Ash: Nope. Just me baby... Just me.

Skeleton: Let's get the hell out of here!

Another reason to see it: At one point the undead army is marching into battle and the skeletons are playing musical intruments made out of, get this, other skeletons! Plus, the members of the undead army die in increasingly ridiculous ways. If you have never seen a skeleton turn to the camera and scream effeminately after being lit on fire, this is your chance.