Whew, Roomies! Bhad Bhabie wasted no time clapping back after trolls accused her of changing her appearance over the years to look Black. She dropped a series of messages on social media after resurfaced photos compared her teenage looks to her current appearance.

RELATED: Bhad Bhabie Shares Message Setting The Record STRAIGHT On Her Recent Surgeries & Weight Gain Amid Her Cancer Treatment 

Bhad Bhabie Addresses Criticism About Changing Her Appearance

In a series of now-deleted posts, Bhad Bhabie addressed criticism about her looks after photos started circulating comparing her teenage appearance to how she looks now in her 20s. The rapper said she was tired of people expecting her to still look the same as she did back then, now that she’s grown. She said she matured and explained that her red ponytail era came from her management at the time. Still, she kept it real and said she only got a little lip filler over the years and went outside to get some vitamin D.

“Y’all weird. All I did was grow up, change my hair color, sit in the sun instead of spending all day inside and get a syringe of lip filler like who the f**k else didn’t???” Bhabie wrote.

Bhad Bhabie Shuts Down Claims About Wanting To Look Different

Bhabie’s clap back didn’t stop there. She made it clear that she never altered her appearance to try to look like another race.  She admitted that she’s tired of folks accusing her of trying to look Black when that was never the case. Bhabie said she thinks people constantly categorize things by race and assume certain looks or styles belong to one culture.

“I never a day in my life said I wanted to be any other race but the race that I am. She continued, “It is a mental illness to think you can magically know what someone else wants for themselves especially when they’ve never said that and they have denied it but you keep forcing it on them and that is sick.”

Here’s What Bhad Bhabie Previously Said About Her Surgeries & New Look

As TSR previously reported, Bhabie addressed changes in her appearance after an Instagram user said they were confused about why folks think she got a BBL. Bhabie peeped the comment and set the record straight about her recent procedures. She told the IG user she actually gained weight and had doctors fill her hips dips. She also made it clear she didn’t go into surgery without a derriere, she already had the same body type she has now, she just made a few adjustments.

“@sgt1stclassgrover this is false. I’ve been rich since 13. I had to get a** shots bc I didn’t have enough weight for a bbl. I got my a** shots removed then I had medication to gain weight and got lipo and fat transfer . I grew my a** myself I only had my hip dips filled and some added to the side profile area for side projection. I already posted the pictures of me before surgery. I didn’t go into surgery with a flat a**. My abdominal muscle detached from the rapid weight gain and since I had a baby I gained more around my midsection then i usually do when I gain weight naturally. The muscle issue was causing me to look pregnant so I had to get that fixed as well as the hernia on my belly button that had been there since I had Kali. I didn’t go into surgery with a muffin top and a flat a**. I already had the same body type that I do now that explains why my legs match my a**. I just made a few adjustments to please myself. That’s all,” she wrote.

RELATED: Hol’ Up! Social Media Continues To Speculate Whether Bhad Bhabie Underwent Surgery Amid Her Apparent Weight Gain (PHOTOS)

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 2 minutes ago

John Hughes redefined the teen comedy from the sex romps of Porky’s to the more grounded and realistic Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and The Breakfast Club. In 1985, during the middle of this run, he also wrote and directed Weird Science, a film that was pure wish fulfillment.

There’s still a high school, and a pair of social outcasts, but there’s also an absolute smokeshow of a computer program with the ability to alter reality, designed from the smallest piece of code to be the perfect woman. Not only was it a hit, but a decade later, the USA Network took the premise and ran with it to make Weird Science, the series, which ran for a mind-boggling 5 seasons and 88 episodes. 

She Blinded Me With Science

Both the film and the series center on high school slackers Gary (Brat Packer Anthony Michael Hall in the original and John Mallory Asher in the series) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith in the film, Michael Manasseri in the series), trying to cut every corner possible thanks to Lisa, the artificial woman who, for all intents and purposes, operates like a Genie. The basic episode has one of the two making a wish, turning the school into a party school complete with pizza in class, becoming rock stars, time-traveling to deal with a bully, or turning Wyatt’s brother into an infant. 

There’s nothing deep about Weird Science. It’s lighthearted, campy fun, and if you’re wondering why this managed to stay on the air for five seasons, it’s because they somehow found the perfect replacement for the movie’s Kelly LeBrock: Vanessa Angel. No one cares about Wyatt and Gary. Weird Science is all about the stacked brunette front and center in every piece of promotional material, every commercial, and every episode. Angel’s take on Lisa was a little goofier than LeBrock’s, but at the end of the day, she was usually the one who ended up solving the problem. 

From Runner-Up To The Reason Everyone Watched

Vanessa Angel found the most success in her career on Weird Science bringing Lisa to life. Taking over for Kelly LeBrock’s iconic portrayal should have been a recipe for disaster, but it worked. Angel’s career in Hollywood was filled with missed opportunities for major roles, first as the original Xena to Lucy Lawless, losing out due to a horribly timed illness, then as the second choice for Seven of Nine behind Jeri Ryan, and finally, as Anise/Freya on Stargate SG-1 when the producers wanted a sexy new female cast member to catch the Seven of Nine wave. Turns out, they already had Amanda Tapping, and her role was cut after only three appearances. 

Weird Science was obviously aimed at a young audience with plotlines that would feel at home a decade later on a Disney Channel original. You can only imagine the fun that the writer’s room had trying to come up with the most insane plotlines possible. The combination of a hot woman and two (or more) inept guys has been the foundation for countless comedies over the decades. Turning the woman into a wish-granting computer program didn’t alter the formula in the slightest. It worked for I Dream Of Jeannie in the 60s, it worked for Weird Science in the 90s, and if Hollywood ever makes another sitcom, it’ll work again. 

Weird Science is streaming for free on The Roku Channel. 

What could make a stacked cast list including Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, and Guy Pearce sound even more attractive? The inclusion of the master of epics, of course. This is exactly what audiences will soon receive as the nearly-90-year-old Hollywood icon Ridley Scott’s next big project, The Dog Stars. However, audiences were once meant to have already indulged in the great man’s next sci-fi adventure, with the film officially moving from its original March 27, 2026, release date to August 28, 2026. Thankfully, this gives the movie a greater chance at big blockbuster success, as well as a more Academy-friendly release schedule.

With this next project being a return to sci-fi, Scott will be hoping to shake off a difficult recent run of underwhelming projects. From House of Gucci to the disappointing historical epic Napoleon, it’s fair to suggest that Scott is out of form. This is no better illustrated than in his long-awaited legacy sequel Gladiator II, as audiences were invited back into the Colosseum for another blockbuster battle, 24 years after the Best Picture-winning original. However, despite an early glowing response from screenings, Gladiator II was met with a mixed response upon full debut, leading many to quickly drop the film from their Oscars predictions.

This is despite the movie having an impressive central cast, albeit one that lacked original star Russell Crowe, who won Best Actor at the Oscars for his performance. This cast included the likes of Paul Mescal as Lucius, Pedro Pascal as General Marcus Acacius, Denzel Washington in a scene-stealing performance as Macrinus, Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, Joseph Quinn as Emperor Geta, and Fred Hechinger as Emperor Caracalla. At the time of writing, Gladiator II has bounced back from its disappointing critical performance in 2024 by becoming one of the ten most-streamed movies on Netflix in the world.

Was ‘Gladiator II’ a Box Office Hit?

Just like its performance with critics, Gladiator II also underwhelmed at the box office, despite pushes for the film to be paired with Wicked for a Barbenheimer-esque double-bill. Against a frankly eye-watering $250 million production budget, this swords-and-sandals legacy sequel could only return a $460 million haul, split between $172 million in domestic revenue and a further $288 million from overseas markets.

Gladiator II is a global streaming hit on Netflix. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for the latest streaming stories.

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Release Date

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November 22, 2024

Runtime

148 minutes

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Writers

David Scarpa, Peter Craig, David Franzoni

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Every movie has stories and fun facts about their makings, but none has a community as devoted and engaged as The Lord of the Rings. Fans of Peter Jackson‘s film trilogy often go to incredible lengths to learn new things about them and tell everyone about it, resulting in some of those facts and trivia often becoming fandom jokes and memes, or even going viral.

Considering how all three installments were filmed back-to-back over several years, there is no shortage of great behind-the-scenes factoids about The Lord of the Rings trilogy, from the most inconsequential ones to actual injuries and even life-or-death situations. Here’s a list of the most incredible of such facts for next time you’re watching the movies and want to flex some Middle-earth knowledge — I mean, who wouldn’t, right?

10

Ian McKellen Bumps His Head on the Ceiling in Bag End

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’

Image via New Line Cinema

Starting off small, when Gandalf (Ian McKellen) first visits Bilbo (Ian Holm) in Bag End in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the wizard bumps his head on the chandelier and the ceiling. According to legend, that bump was unscripted, and McKellen really knocked his head on the wood by accident, as the Bad End set was made to proportion for Hobbit characters, and he was bigger than everything around him.

There is some controversy about this, however. Peter Jackson confirmed it as an accident in The Fellowship of the Ring DVD extras, saying that McKellen hit his head and stayed in character. Later, McKellen claimed he actually planned the bump before shooting, believing it would add an element of fun to the scene. Regardless of who you believe, that bump must’ve hurt.

9

Hugo Weaving Dubs Isildur’s Only Line in the Trilogy

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’

Image via New Line

Played by Harry Sinclair, Isildur has only one line in the trilogy: “No.” That’s in a flashback scene, when Elrond (Hugo Weaving) is telling him to destroy the One Ring and “cast it into the fire.” Unfortunately, Peter Jackson didn’t like how Sinclair’s own voice sounded, and had Weaving dub over it later. So, in that scene, Weaving is voicing two characters: himself as Elrond and Isildur.

Funnily enough, Jackson cast Sinclair as Isildur because Sinclair was the most “corrupt-looking” person he knew, but later claimed Sinclair’s voice didn’t sound “corrupt enough” for that scene. Indeed, Sinclair’s voice isn’t as deep as Weaving’s and anyone barely even notices, so, in the end, it was for the best.

8

A Background Elf Became an Actual Character Thanks to the Fans

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’

Image via New Line Cinema

During the Council of Elrond scene in The Fellowship of the Ring, there’s an unnamed Elf played by Bret McKenzie sitting beside Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen). When Frodo (Elijah Wood) stands up to say he will take the One Ring to Mordor, everyone stares at him, including this Elf, who’s at the far right of the frame. Thanks to his good looks, he quickly became a meme among the fans, and even got his own name: Figwit.

Everything about Figwit is funny and unexpected because of his behind-the-scenes story. His name is the acronym for “Frodo is great… Who is THAT?”, the reaction of the fan who first spotted him. She even made him a website, and the buzz grew enough to draw Peter Jackson’s own attention, who then called McKenzie back for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and then for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, only, this time, with actual lines.

7

Viggo Mortensen Deflects a Real Knife Filming a Fight Scene

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’

Image via New Line Cinema

At the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn fights the Uruk-hai Lurtz (Lawrence Makoare). When he stabs the monster to no effect, Lurtz simply grabs the dagger and throws it back at Aragorn, who deflects it with his sword just in time. That was a real throw, and Viggo Mortensen really deflected it himself. Aragorn later finds it within himself to defeat Lurtz, despite the monster’s overwhelming strength and resistance.

Legend has it that the stuntman playing Lurtz at that moment couldn’t see properly and threw the knife at full force, with Mortensen deflecting it out of sheer reflex. In the DVD commentary, Peter Jackson praised Mortensen, who “did it first take.” Years later, however, other accounts surfaced, claiming that the moment was actually rehearsed. Be that as it may, it was a real knife and a real throw, making Mortensen a real badass.

6

Viggo Mortensen Broke His Toe by Kicking an Orc’s Head

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’

Image via New Line Cinema

This one has been shared so much, it’s arguably among the most famous behind-the-scenes facts ever. In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Aragorn, Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) track Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) to an Orc camp at the border of Fangorn Forest. Frustrated, Aragorn kicks an Orc’s decapitated head and lets out a scream. That scream was real, as Viggo Mortensen actually broke two toes kicking the prop.

That wasn’t the only injury on set, though. Bloom and Brett Beattie, Gimli’s scale stunt, had a cracked rib and a dislocated rib, respectively, after falling from a horse. All three actors were injured when filming the epic running scenes, with Peter Jackson calling them “real troopers” in the DVD extras. They’d power through the shoot and then go back to limping and groaning as soon as Jackson yelled “cut.”

5

The Massive Uruk-Hai Chant Was Recorded Live at a Stadium

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’

Image via New Line Cinema

When Saruman (Christopher Lee) riles up his Uruk-hai army to send them to battle at Helm’s Deep, the response is loud, as the thousands-strong force chants back to him in Black Speech. In reality, that chant was recorded live at a cricket stadium with Peter Jackson himself directing the crowd. The sounds were then adjusted in the studio to properly fit into the scene, as they didn’t want to use a single chant and simply multiply it.

The whole thing was recorded during halftime of a New Zealand-England match in Wellington in February 2002. The home team was winning by halftime, so, when Jackson showed up to direct the crowd, they were already in pretty good spirits, and he didn’t have much trouble. He got them to chant, stomp their feet, and beat their chests, and all those sounds were used.

4

The Riders of Rohan Are Mostly Played by Women

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’

Image via New Line Cinema

Éowyn (Miranda Otto) is among the best characters in the trilogy, but she isn’t the only woman fighting for Rohan — at least not behind the scenes. Whenever the Riders of Rohan appear, there are more women than men among them. That’s because production required many expert riders who could bring their own horses, and most of them were women. “There are some very good woman riders in New Zealand, and it’d be silly not to take advantage of them,” said Viggo Mortensen.

During filming, each of these women had to wear fake beards and messy long hair matching J.R.R. Tolkien‘s description of the Riders. You simply cannot tell that most of the Rohirrim are women, and the horse-charging scenes in The Two Towers and The Return of the King are so iconic, it actually elevates Éowyn’s own story when you learn about it.

3

Aragorn Trained in Sword Fighting With Darth Vader

All trilogy

Image via Warner Bros. 

By the end of production, Viggo Mortensen had become a competent swordsman, given all his work as Aragorn. That’s all because Mortensen trained for the role with Bob Anderson, a British Olympic fencer and sword master in many Hollywood productions, including playing Darth Vader in the fighting scenes of the original Star Wars. So, you could say that, in a way, Aragorn actually trained with Darth Vader.

Their training quickly paid off. Mortensen was cast after filming had already begun, and his very first scene was the fight against the Nazgûl at the Weathertop in The Fellowship of the Ring. While Anderson didn’t do the fighting choreography, his training did allow Mortensen to translate it into actual combat movements, making it feel much more realistic.

2

The Last Movie Wrapped Filming After Winning the Oscar

‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’

Image via New Line Cinema 

On February 29, 2004, The Return of the King made its legendary clean sweep of the Oscars, winning all 11 of the categories it was nominated for. Days later, Peter Jackson was back filming more footage for the extended edition, comprising skull and tunnel shots for the Paths of the Dead sequence, as he still wasn’t satisfied. In the DVD commentary, he joked about it, saying: “It’s nice to win an Oscar before you’ve even finished the film.”

The third movie wasn’t the only one to be properly finished like that, however. Principal photography for the whole trilogy took place between October 1999 and December 2000, but Jackson went back to shoot more footage for each film after its release. Boromir’s (Sean Bean) flashback scenes in The Two Towers, for example, were shot after production had wrapped on that movie’s theatrical version. A true labor of love.

1

Peter Jackson Has Cameos in All Three Movies

All trilogy

Image via New Line Cinema

One of the most treasured traditions in The Lord of the Rings is to spot director Peter Jackson’s cameos in the films. He shows up as background characters or minor ones in every movie of the franchise. In The Fellowship of the Ring, he plays Albert Dreary, a carrot-munching individual in Bree. In The Two Towers, he plays a soldier of Rohan who throws a spear at the Uruk-hai in the battle of Helm’s Deep. Finally, in The Return of the King, he plays a Corsair of the Umbar who gets shot by Legolas as a warning.

It’s such a fun tradition, Jackson repeated the dose in The Hobbit, where he plays a Dwarf fleeing Erebor in An Unexpected Journey, Albert Dreary Sr. munching a carrot in Bree in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and appears as Bilbo’s (Martin Freeman) father, Bungo Baggins, on a portrait in Bag End in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Here’s hoping he’ll even have a cameo in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, too.

We love boutiques, too, but nothing says ‘luxe’ like Parisian-style clothing. The dresses are a different level of chic, featuring billowy fabrics, delicate prints and loose yet tailored silhouettes. We found 17 Parisian-looking summer dresses that deliver French girl ease with an elevated finish, so you can skip the boutique and look like you stepped off Rue Saint-Honoré.

These mini, midi and maxi wonders make you appear effortlessly put together, whether you’re grabbing coffee or attending your niece’s wedding. And unlike boutique pieces, these classy dresses on Amazon (yes, you read that right) lean mega sophisticated, meaning you’ll look rich while you stun. Scroll on!

17 Parisian-Style Summer Dresses Secretly on Amazon

1. Our Favorite: Flutter cap sleeves and a defined belted waist make this button-front midi feel like a custom-made piece. The midi length skims past the knee for a polished silhouette.

2. Zimmermann Style: Designer-looking dresses usually require a designer budget, but this printed midi delivers an elevated Zimmermann vibe for $37. It reads expensive from across the room.

3. Secretly Smoothing: Clingy minis show every line, but this textured dress uses multi-dimensional fabric to camouflage your entire midsection.

4. Crisp Shirtdress: A structured collar, thick waistband and clean button placket give this burgundy shirtdress a genuinely tailored appeal. The deep red is even classier than black.

5. Linen-Blend: With cotton and linen blend fabric, this striped midi breathes like pure linen but wrinkles far less. The stripes channel that quintessential French Riviera energy.

Related: These English Countryside-Style Dresses Are Taking Over the Hamptons

The Upper East Side is looking more and more like a scene from Bridgerton. Rich women who used to live in linen are swapping their go-tos for clothes with puffy sleeves, ditsy florals and breezy cotton. And if you ask Us, the English countryside dress look is everywhere from school pickup lines to lunch spots […]

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6. Drama Queen: Short puff sleeves and oversized floral blooms turn this button-front shift dress into a statement piece. The exaggerated florals do all the styling work for you.

7. Wedding Guest: Slip into this pink floral dress for a garden wedding ceremony with nude heels and a sparkly clutch. The delicate print photographs well from every angle.

8. Classy Act: A babydoll design and flowy silhouette leave room to move without sacrificing shape. As a bonus, this solid-color number even has pockets.

9. Elevated Tee: This striped T-shirt dress feels like pajamas, but looks like you tried. Honestly, you’ll wear it for school pickups, errands and casual lunches with friends.

10. Farmers’ Market: Maxi dresses can drown a frame, but this tie-waist striped option creates definition right where you want it.

11. Simple Stunner: A stand collar elevates this red mini dress from basic to luxe. Elbow-length sleeves and an A-line shape keep things flattering.

12. Wardrobe MVP: Wear it open to the pool, belted to brunch or buttoned up for dinner. This ruffle-sleeve maxi earns its place in any summer rotation.

13. Picnic Party: Gingham print gives this flouncy maxi dress a vintage feel. We love that it can be worn as an off-the-shoulder dress, too!

14. Pretty Patchwork: When solid feels boring, this patchwork-style dress makes you the center of attention. The tiers create movement with every step.

15. Country Club: Loose summer dresses can look frumpy, but this sleek collared mini reads sporty and polished. It’s the dress equivalent of a tucked-in polo.

16. Butter Yellow: Yellow is the color of the season, and this butter-hued midi flatters instead of overwhelms. The square neck highlights the collarbone beautifully.

17. Vacation Mode: Some vacation dresses look out of place back home, however this belted shirtdress works in a real city, too. The 100% cotton fabric keeps it breathable.

Related: Stripes Are In! These Rich Mom Pieces Make You Appear *So Much* Taller

Striped clothing pieces are everywhere in the Hamptons, and for good reason. Not only are these items nautical and luxe, but they’re also incredibly flattering, making you appear longer and leaner without even trying. Rich moms wear stripes nonstop while picking up the kids from school, meeting the girls for brunch and beyond — and […]

The Evil Dead franchise is one of the strangest mainstream film series to exist, going from independent guerrilla filmmaking to a well-established brand name with distinct iconography. Even the poster font has become recognizable. It’s not surprising, considering all the Evil Dead movies from the original 1981 film to Evil Dead Rise have all been entertaining to various degrees. (Word isn’t out yet on Evil Dead Burn, but the teaser looked promising).

However, with the teaser for Evil Dead Burn offering hints to the vibe of the movie, it seems pretty clear that Evil Dead has officially gone in a different stylistic direction from its Three Stooges-inspired roots and gross-out carnage. Which, in turn, forces us to admit that the last great Evil Dead movie also happens to be the black sheep of the original trilogy — and that’s Army of Darkness.

What Makes an ‘Evil Dead’ Movie an ‘Evil Dead’ Movie?

It’s hard to nail down what a true Evil Dead movie is, considering the original three movies were all so tonally different from one another. They span from a low-budget haunted house movie to a medieval comedy-adventure film over the span of a single trilogy. The canon doesn’t line up, we’ve got three different Lindas (one of which has short hair), and franchise hero Ash’s personality changes from movie to movie. The first Evil Dead movie was practically a proof-of-concept by Sam Raimi that he could make a movie, the second was his creative hail mary after the failure of Crimewave, and the third is borderline a blank check movie after the success of Darkman.

If we’re trying to define what makes an Evil Dead movie, it’s probably best to say they are movies that blend dark humor with violent gross-out gags and legitimate horror threats in the form of the Deadites, who enjoy tormenting their victims just for the love of the game. The Deadites are out for blood, and they enjoy manipulating their victims. But they also don’t have any gravitas. When the possessed Henrietta gets her head cut off in Evil Dead 2, she yells in vain at Ash by saying, “Hey! I’ll swallow your soul, I’ll swallow your soul!” There’s no hubris in them, they’re just bullies. The gore of the movies is also important. While the original film had disturbing moments, most famously the pencil in the achilles tendon and “that” scene with the trees, the violence would later become so over-the-top that it inadvertently turns comical. Think Raimi’s predilection for blood fountains and the Evil Dead 2 gag of one of Henrietta’s eyes popping out and landing in Bobby Joe’s (Kassie DePaiva) mouth. It’s excessive in a goofy way, rather than leaning towards torture porn. To quote Bane in The Dark Knight Rises: “That comes later.”

Bruce Campbell’s Ash Leads the Charge

Arguably the most important aspect of the movies that make them true Evil Dead movies is Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams. Even though Ash’s personality changes between movies, his involvement still has that authoritative seal that gives them that added layer of entertainment, and Army of Darkness is where the character became a legend. Ash is the Scream King, and, interestingly, he’s one of the only protagonists in the horror genre who’s the star of the movie rather than the monster, which is often the case for franchises. Similar to the Ghostbusters franchise, while the premise itself is what gets carried on in the series, it’s the performance and writing of the lead character (or characters) that made the originals memorable. This is where the lines diverge between Evil Dead movies and movies branded with the title.

Army of Darkness is the last film in the series that had the union of Campbell’s charisma and Raimi’s creativity. Sure, the horror pretext is almost entirely omitted, but stylistically, the movie still has that connecting tissue of Raimi’s direction and sense of humor to make it feel like it’s the natural next chapter in the story after Evil Dead 2‘s cliffhanger ending. If he made a goofy sequel to A Simple Plan, that would be a drastic shift. Making a goofy sequel to Evil Dead 2 isn’t the most outlandish thing in the world, considering that the film’s second-best character is a hand with a mind of its own.

When you watch the post-Army of Darkness entries in the series, from 2013’s Evil Dead, through Evil Dead Rise, and up to the footage of Evil Dead Burn, they all have a similar aesthetic and there’s a consistency in tone and style that wasn’t present in the originals. They’re seedy and atmospheric, and the violence is genuinely disturbing. It’s a stark contrast from Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, which are stylistically made to be cartoon-like and colorful. It’s ironic how the originals were all made by the same filmmaker and are all so tonally different, while the new movies were made by different directors to give their own takes on the material but feel more stylistically connected.

While the post-Raimi Evil Dead movies are entertaining in their own right, they feel more like standalone possession films with a few loose connections and references to keep them tied to the source material. Without that connecting tissue of Bruce Campbell as Ash, or the direction and writing of Sam Raimi, the movies just don’t feel ingrained in the franchise the same way the original films were. Army of Darkness was the last time that the series took a major creative risk, and in doing so, it made it the most distinct entry in the Evil Dead franchise and a favorite for die-hard fans.

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Release Date

February 19, 1993

Runtime

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81 minutes

Prequel(s)

The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II

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