# Army of Darkness: Original Ending or Theatrical Release? (SPOILERS, obviously) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 24, 2003, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082 "2003-02-24T03:37:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Grasshopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f19dbf/32.png) [@Grasshopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grasshopper)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/21 "2003-02-24T17:06:26Z")
I love the S-Mart ending, but the first time I saw the original ending, I was absolutely in awe of it. The terrible scenery or special effects or whatever it was, Ash’s frustration, how hokey the whole thing was… wonderful! I thought it was hilarious when Ash couldn’t even count to five. BUT I do think the S-Mart ending is much better. ---
**Author:** ![Keith\_Berry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@Keith\_Berry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith_Berry)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/22 "2003-02-24T21:08:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Menocchio \* > \*\*Btw, is it just my copy, or do many (but not all) of the scenes on the Official Bootleg Version DVD have absolutely shitty video quality? \*\* Anchor Bay was reportedly able to get some of the deleted scenes from a good qualitity Japanese video master (from which they took the original holocaust ending, the alternate line “I’m not that good”, and various other bits and pieces) but had to pull the extended “Little Ashes” sequence, as well as extra scenes from the climax, from a old videotape that Bruce Campbell had. This pissed a lot of fans off, as there are TV versions and foreign laserdiscs that reportedly had this same extra footage in much better condition. AB did the same thing with their “Manhunter” director’s cut (the entire thing taken from a old 1-inch video master that had been rotting someplace for years and looks awful) but are evidently re-releasing a brand new remastered version with a director’s commentary…one hopes that sooner or later they’ll revisit the AOD Director’s Cut and produce a better version. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/23 "2003-02-25T05:36:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorgon Heap \* > \*\* > He’s a bloody bonehead. I think y’all are looking too deeply into it. This is absolute slapstick. Character is secondary to his getting beat up in the most extreme ways, so they have few qualms about changing him to fit what they need. > > IMHO, of course. \*\* Actually, Bruce Campbell’s career, that I’ve seen, is pretty much based off him getting beaten up to one degree or another in movies. Not that’s that’s nesseciarly a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/24 "2003-02-25T05:39:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Meatros \* > \*\*I agree that the original was more in line with the other two movies. However I still think the S-mart version was 100 times better. Can’t get better than Ash back in S-mart. Ash the working class hero!😃 \*\* My question is: If he can attach a chainsaw to his hand, make a power guanlet 700 years in the past, fix his car with only 2 textbooks, and teach the army how to fight… Why is he working at S-mart? ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/25 "2003-02-25T05:42:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Keith Berry \* > \*\*Anchor Bay was reportedly able to get some of the deleted scenes from a good qualitity Japanese video master (from which they took the original holocaust ending, the alternate line “I’m not that good”, and various other bits and pieces) but had to pull the extended “Little Ashes” sequence, as well as extra scenes from the climax, from a old videotape that Bruce Campbell had. > This pissed a lot of fans off, as there are TV versions and foreign laserdiscs that reportedly had this same extra footage in much better condition. > \*\* I was also extremely disappointed by the fact that while it had the original ending, the S-mart ending was no-where to be found on the DVD. Is there some kind of law where you can’t have two army of Darkness endings on the same disk? ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/26 "2003-02-25T05:44:20Z")
Because very few employers require those skills or will put up with the mindset that comes with them. Then there’s the attention span: “Yeah, yeah, I get it, I post the credits here and the debits there, leave me alone.” Later… “Debits, credits, what’s the difference, I’ll do half in each column and it should all work out.” Ash requires a moment to live in. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/27 "2003-02-25T05:55:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 2trew \* > \*\*Because very few employers require those skills or will put up with the mindset that comes with them. Then there’s the attention span: > > “Yeah, yeah, I get it, I post the credits here and the debits there, leave me alone.” > > Later… “Debits, credits, what’s the difference, I’ll do half in each column and it should all work out.” > > Ash requires a moment to live in. \*\* Very true. Damn, I nearly cracked up reading that. Makes me wonder if Ash ever bothers to balance his checkbook. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/28 "2003-02-25T15:08:53Z")
One of these days I will see Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2. **ONE OF THESE DAYS!** ---
**Author:** ![Keith\_Berry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@Keith\_Berry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith_Berry)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/29 "2003-02-26T05:50:49Z")
\*\*NEWS FLASH \*\* Just did a bit of online prowling and accidentally came across some info… Apparently MGM has the rights for AOD in some markets of the world and have restored a AOD Director’s Cut that is reportedly in MUCH better condition that the Anchor Bay DVD. (It also allegedly includes newly found footage that’s not in the AB) It’ll be a Region 3 release. So, if you’ve got a multi-region player (and you should, no excuse for not having one) then prowl on over to **[yesasia.com](http://yesasia.com)** and order it. ---
**Author:** ![Keith\_Berry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@Keith\_Berry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith_Berry)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/30 "2003-02-26T06:04:53Z")
MORE INFO (sorry, I’m excited! Always thought the AB Director’s Cut DVD was a pile of crap) The Region 3 MGM DVD is not only superior quality, but has a brief clip of Evil Ash tearing Sheila’s top off that’s not in the AB DVD. All of the extras from the AB (commentary, deleted scenes, trailer) have been included, and the S-Mart ending is featured as a bonus as well. Well, I already ordered it, of course… ---
**Author:** ![RawkStah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@RawkStah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RawkStah)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/31 "2003-02-26T06:27:26Z")
Wait, wait, wait… The S-Mart ending CLEARLY has an “in” for a sequel – look at Ash’s shirt! Straight out of some sort of gunslinging old west era! I’ve heard rumors that the next movie that Raimi is making after Spider-Man 2 will be a “low-budget horror film”… Of course, given the course of the series, the next one will take like one detail from the previous film and then go somewhere else entirely. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/32 "2003-02-26T17:03:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Keith Berry \* > \*\*MORE INFO (sorry, I’m excited! Always thought the AB Director’s Cut DVD was a pile of crap) > > The Region 3 MGM DVD is not only superior quality, but has a brief clip of Evil Ash tearing Sheila’s top off that’s not in the AB DVD. \*\* Ummmm…would you mind posting a link to this source, because I find this highly unlikely. Not only does it not have anywhere to fit into the shots (the only place would be where he kisses her, and that’s a pretty solid scene as it is, anything else added to it would look bad), it would be completely grituitous, and Embeth was a bit higher class actor than they were used to dealing with. I don’t think they’d ever get up the nerve to ask her to remove her top for a scene. This just doesn’t sound like solid info to me. ---
**Author:** ![Keith\_Berry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/22d042/32.png) [@Keith\_Berry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith_Berry)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082/33 "2003-02-26T18:54:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Elvis Rojo \* > \*\*Ummmm…would you mind posting a link to this source, because I find this highly unlikely. Not only does it not have anywhere to fit into the shots (the only place would be where he kisses her, and that’s a pretty solid scene as it is, anything else added to it would look bad), it would be completely grituitous, and Embeth was a bit higher class actor than they were used to dealing with. I don’t think they’d ever get up the nerve to ask her to remove her top for a scene. This just doesn’t sound like solid info to me. \*\* UMMM…okay…here’s your solid info, along with a screenshot of the scene in question… Go to [Deadites.net](http://Deadites.net) and look in the general discussion forums. There are also many threads in various horror DVD boards. BY THE WAY…the shot in question as posted does not feature any nudity. It’s filmed from Embeth’s back. No mention anywhere if you actually see her breasts, merely that she got her top torn off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/army-of-darkness-original-ending-or-theatrical-release-spoilers-obviously/157082.md?page=1)