February 5, 2008
When directors make sequels to hit movies they're often more than happy to repeat themselves. The follow-ups often keep the same characters, tone and story structure, and simply dress everything up in fancier packaging. While this sometimes leads to box office success, it can also result in sequels that feel creatively bankrupt.
Director Sam Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy makes it evident that he isn't a man who likes to repeat himself. The first film in the series, The Evil Dead, is pure horror, while Evil Dead 2 is more like a slapstick comedy with tons of gore. When it came time to make the final film in the trilogy, Army of Darkness, Raimi decided to craft a movie that mixes comedy, horror, action and fantasy into one amazing package.