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Army of Darkness (1992)
Army of Darkness (1992) poster

Army of Darkness (1992)

Fantasy, Horror, Comedy • 1h 21m

Director: Sam Raimi

Best English-friendly & video release

Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray

Video notes:

(only the US Theatrical is in 4K)

Updated 8 months ago


Best audio release

US Theatrical: 1993 MCA/Universal Home Video LaserDisc [41603]

UHD tiers

Excellent
Scream Factory:

note: only the theatrical is in 4k


About the film

Ash, a handsome, shotgun-toting, chainsaw-armed department store clerk, is time warped backwards into England's Dark Ages, where he romances a beauty and faces legions of the undead.

Featured Lists
Alternative Titles
Bruce Campbell vs. Army of Darkness, Army of Darkness: The Ultimate Experience in Medieval Horror, The Army of Darkness, Evil Dead III, Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness, The Medieval Dead

Part of Evil Dead

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Director: Sam Raimi

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Sony 4K Blu-ray steelbook

Unaltered version: 2007 Ultimate Edition DVD? Or 35mm scan

Sources: movie-censorship.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray steelbook

Video Notes:

Sony 4K Blu-ray steelbook, correct audio pitch and more bonus features

Confirmed to be a port of Sony's international 4K, encode different to Lionsgate's. Audio in the correct pitch and a cross-selection of archive extras where the Lionsgate had only one audio commentary. High Def reviewer thought the 2.0 was a mixdown of the 5.1 track.

Unaltered version: 2007 Ultimate Edition DVD? Or 35mm scan

Best Audio:

LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

LaserDisc has the original Mono

Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray audio is in the wrong pitch while the Sony release is in the right pitch

Additional Info:

All releases after 2010 have digital alterations to some scenes. https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=999332

Director: Sam Raimi

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Italy Eagle Pictures 4K Blu-ray

Director: Fede Álvarez

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Director: Lee Cronin

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray > French Metropolitan 4K Blu-Ray > WB 4K Blu-Ray

Additional Info:

Britain StudioCanal/French Metropolitan 4K Blu-Ray has a exclusive director's solo commentary.

More from Sam Raimi

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Director: Sam Raimi

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical: Sony 4K Blu-ray

2.1 Cut: Sony Blu-ray

Additional Info:

2.1 Cut received a 4K remaster for a cinema release. No announced home video release yet.

Director: Sam Raimi

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Director: Sam Raimi

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2D version: Disney Blu-ray

3D version: Disney 3D Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Disney Blu-ray or 3D Blu-ray

Additional Info:

US Disney Blu-ray has additional Second View extra missing on international releases

International Disney 3D Blu-rays come with the regular Blu-rays

Director: Sam Raimi

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Universal LaserDisc [40978]

Director: Sam Raimi

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical: Sony 4K Blu-ray
Editor's Cut: Sony Blu-Ray

Director: Sam Raimi

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

IMAX Version: Disney+ Streaming

Director: Sam Raimi

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray > Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray: the old master looks problematic and the new scan from the interpositive looks marvelous, just like Existenz from Vinegar Syndrome. Encoding by Engine House is excellent.

Director: Sam Raimi

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

US Cut: Sony 2025 Steelbook 4K Blu-ray

International Cut: France 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Cut: Sony 2025 Steelbook 4K Blu-ray (2025 Steelbook has Dolby Vision)

International Cut: France 4K Blu-ray

Director: Sam Raimi

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Director: Sam Raimi

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray

More Fantasy on Blu-ray

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Best English-Friendly & Video:

MGM Blu-ray

Director: George Pal

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack & Merian C. Cooper

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Directors: David Hand & Ben Sharpsteen & William Cottrell & Larry Morey & Perce Pearce & Wilfred Jackson

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Disney 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Mono track is on the included Blu-ray; 4K Blu-ray missing original mono. LaserDisc probably better

Director: Gary Ross

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray, but a shot was cut from the film

Warner Bros Blu-ray for the uncut version, but it's an older master.

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray, but a shot was cut from the film. See comparison

Warner Bros Blu-ray for the uncut version, but it's an older master.

Directors: Chris Appelhans & Maggie Kang

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

"Sing-Along Edition" not included on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray, only available on Netflix Streaming

Director: Guillermo del Toro

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray also includes exclusive "Reborn Cut"

Director: Lam Nai-choi

Best English-Friendly & Video:

88 Films UK or Vinegar Syndrome US Blu-ray (preference)

Video Notes:

Different color gradings, 88 Films disc is encoded by FiM but Vinegar Syndrome encode (by Marcus Johnson) is more than robust

Audio Notes:

Vinegar Syndrome potentially has better audio than 88 Films, due to VinSyn possibly having EQ'd the audio mix after Fortune Star scanned the track in a way that makes it sound too hot, whereas 88 left it alone without addressing that issue. However, no direct comparisons exist

Director: Masaaki Yuasa

Best English-Friendly & Video:

US GKIDS Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Japan Aniplex Blu-ray is severely lowpassed, which is not an issue on the US release

Director: Guillermo del Toro

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Cineverse 4K Blu-ray announced with a new 4K restoration from the original negatives

Video Notes:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray and 2011/2013 Optimum Blu-ray both have issues, up to preference. UK Optimum/Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better, Criterion is worse

Japan Amuse Soft Blu-ray is better encoded than the Optimum, is in the original 1.85 ratio, and has the original colors

Best Audio:

2011 Optimum Blu-ray has audio in wrong pitch, fixed in 2013 reissue in the Zavvi exclusive Steelbook. Criterion has correct 5.1 and a 7.1 mix.

Additional Info:

Criterion and Optimum Blu-rays have exclusive extras

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Researched and maintained by

tyyuxvanshady

· last reviewed 8 months ago

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