Army of Darkness

ARTHUR

Turns to Ash for the signal.

ASH

Holds up a finger. He waits.

TWELVE ARCHERS

Strain, their bows taut with the explosive arrows. The sound of the FUSE BURNING is loud.

THE BURNING FUSES

About to disappear into the powder charges.

ASH

Waits one more beat. The turns to Arthur.

ASH

Fire!

ARTHUR

Fire!

TWELVE ARCHERS

Fire a volley of smoking arrows.

SMOKING AND SPUTTERING ARROWS

Rain down from the castle wall.

TWO WOODEN BARRICADES

Are hit with the explosive arrows. They explode.

THREE DEADITES

Are pierced by the explosive arrows. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! They burst apart in flames.

FLAMING DEADITES

Roll on the ground unable to extinguish themselves.

A BURNING SKELETON

Continues to advance only to collapse into a smoldering heap.

THE WARRIORS

CHEER Ash in sensurround.

A SCOUT

Races up to Ash.

SCOUT

M'Lord! A second division approaching from the South.

ASH

Turns to the South.

A SECOND WAVE A DEADITES

Approach.

ASH

CATAPULTS... SOUTH!

INT. COURTYARD

THREE WOODEN CATAPULTS are wheeled into position.

ARTHUR

Powder!

GOLD TOOTH AND OTHER WARRIORS

Hoist large sacks of black powder onto spoons of the catapults. Their fuses are lit.

ASH

Gestures. Swords slice through lines which send giant sacks of black powder catapulting.

LONG SHOT – CASTLE

Three flaming projectiles whine as they hurl over the castle walls.

THREE FALLING SATCHELS POV

CAMERA CRANING DOWN toward the skeletons as they look upward in horror.

BOOM! The first blast takes out a skeleton horse and rider. Bones fly.

BOOM! FOUR DEADITES are obliterated.

EVIL ASH

Turns to the Skeleton Captain #1 who rides alongside him.

SKELETON CAPTAIN #1

Permission to regroup, m'Lord.

EVIL ASH

You needn't bother.

EVIL ASH

Slices off the head of Skeleton Captain #1. He turns to the MOUNTED DEADITE next to him.

EVIL ASH

You are now my captain. I will now allow anything to stop me from possessing the Necronomicon. Get me into that castle.

THE NEW DEADITE CAPTAIN

Gulps and races forward into the ranks shouting:

NEW DEADITE CAPTAIN

RAM THE GATES!

TWO GROUPS OF FOUR SKELETONS

Use trees as battering rams and batter the large wooden doors of the castle.

BOOM-BOOM!

INT. CASTLE – THE CASTLE DOORS

Begin to buckle beneath the hammering blows.

TWO VILLAGE WOMEN

Scream!

TEN WARRIORS

Wedge logs to buttress the buckling castle doors.

EXT. CASTLE

EVIL ASH

Arrows!

A ROW OF SIX SKELETAL ARCHERS

Fire a volley of arrows. As they reload. Behind them...

A SECOND LINE OF SIX SKELETAL ARCHERS

Fire their arrows.

A VOLLEY OF DEADITES' ARROWS

Pierce five Warriors atop the castle wall. They fall.

INT. CASTLE

TWO DEAD WARRIORS fall to the courtyard. Villagers lift them away on stretchers.

ARTHUR

Shouts to Ash:

ARTHUR

Where is Henry? !

ASH

He'll be here.

ARTHUR

I think he will not. But know this. No matter how this battle fares, I was wrong to think you a coward.

EXT. CASTLE

The battering rams rips through the doors and the army of darkness pours into the courtyard.

A LEGLESS SKELETON

Crawls in with a knife in its teeth.

ARTHUR

They're coming in. What now?!

ASH

Looks terrified. He turns and runs from the castle entrance, dropping his sword, and hides in the blacksmith's shop, pulling the door closed behind him.

ARTHUR

Shocked at Ash's cowardly desertion, turns to his men and shouts:

ARTHUR

Fall back! Man the Parapet! Protect the book or God save us all!

THE WARRIORS

Retreat across the courtyard to rope ladders that scale the parapet.

ARTHUR'S MEN CLIMB ATOP THE PARAPET

The rope ladders are hastily pulled up, leaving no access.

INT. COURTYARD – SIX OF ARTHUR'S WARRIORS