Army of Darkness Halloween Special (2018)

Cult classic The Evil Dead was resurrected yet again for the 2018 Dynamite Halloween special, Ash vs. The Army of Darkness: Scared Shipless.

Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell embody the horror franchise. Raimi envisioned the original, a low-budget thriller costing an estimated $375,000 that eventually grossed $29.4 million worldwide.

The film was released in 1981 to generally critical praise. Stephen King lauded the film as one of his favorite movies.

It earned a continued life on video cassette, especially in the UK. During its first week of release the film raked in over 100,000 pounds. By year’s end, it was the best-selling VHS outgrossing heavy weight films such as The Shining.

Army of Darkness Halloween Special (2018)

Evil Dead 2 was released in 1987 with Raimi co-writing and directing and Campbell back as the lead, Ash.

The sequel continued to operate in the black and garner respect from critics. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the movie three out of four stars.

The pair reunited again in 1992 for Army of Darkness. The third installment earned $21.5 million on an $11-million investment.

It, also, received high marks from most critics and continued the cult classic status as with the original two films.

Since then, the franchise has expanded to other media such as video games, comic books, a musical and a television series.

In Scared Shipless, Ash is lured to Charles Town, South Carolina, to fulfill of prophesy written in blood three centuries before.

As the “chosen one,” Ash’s life force awakens the spirit of Blackbeard the Pirate. The titular hero’s impromptu date ruins the would-be revolt of ghostly pirates and current day Charles Town, SC, is safe for another tourist season.

Cemetery Man is a short follow up allowing Ash to play over-the-hill hero to a group of partying millennials.

To paraphrase Ash, “Happy Halloween, Boneheads.”