Army of Darkness

HIGH SHOT AS THE TWO ASHES

Circle one another like wolves.

GOOD ASH
What... are you? Are you me?

BAD ASH

WHAT... ARE GOO? ARE GOO ME? !! You sound like a jerk!

GOOD ASH

Why are you doing this? !

BADASH

Wanna know? 'cause the answers easy. It's cause I'm the bad Ash, and yer...

EVIL ASH

Dances a funny jig around Ash. He SMACKS Ash across the face as he sings:

EVIL ASH

... Little goody two –

SMACK!

EVIL ASH
... shoes, little goody two –

SMACK!

EVIL ASH

... shoes, little good –

EVIL ASH

The shotgun barrel is suddenly shoved into his frame, pointing at his nose.

BLAMMITY-BLAM!

The blast blows Evil Ash off his feet.

WIDE SHOT – EVIL ASH – STUNTMAN

Blown backwards into a double backflip.

EVIL ASH'S BODY

Slams against a tree, upside-down. Then slides to the ground, quite dead.

GOOD ASH

Clutching the smoldering shotgun.

GOOD ASH

Good... Bad... I'm the Ash with the gun.

LONG SHOT – ASH

Staring down at the body of his evil self.

ASH

I know better than to bury you whole.

EXT. MILL WHEEL – LONG SHOT – NIGHT

The giant blades of the Mill are illuminated with bright flashes of lightning. The wind kicks up leaves as Ash throws the body of his Evil Twin onto a workbench at the base of the windmill. The giant blades of the mill arc down into frame with a WHOOSH-WHOOSSH-WHOOSH!

MONTAGE SEQUENCE

Ash's hand light a torch.

FRIGHTENED BATS FLY

From the base of the windmill.

CHAINS ARE PULLED TIGHT

Across the body of Evil Ash to secure it.

CLICK. SNAP. CLINK.

THE CHAINSAW

Is switched on. It spews a plume of blue exhaust.

ASH

Falters for a moment as he stares down at the form of his Evil twin. He grits his teeth... and lowers the saw to the grisly task.

EXT. NIGHT SKY – BLOOD RED CLOUDS

Float past the moon. We hear the distant WHINE of the chainsaw.

EXT. GRAVEYARD – NIGHT

ASH with shovel in hand, drags a bloody burlap bag from the Mill. Grunting, he pulls the remains of his Evil twin to the base of an old Oak Tree in the graveyard.

Ash mumbles nervously to the bloodies burlap bag at his feet as he digs a grave.

ASH

Now you see what's what. Man's body is his own personal property. Don't anybody try to take that away from him.

ASH

Finishes digging and lifts the bloody burlap sack. As he heaves the bag into the grave, the Evil Ash head spills out.

INT. GRAVE – THE EVIL ASH'S HEAD

It's eyes pop open! It peers up at Ash from the grave. It croaks:

EVIL ASH'S HEAD

You'll never get that Book. I will come back for you.

ASH

Hey, what's that you got on your face?

EVIL ASH'S HEAD

Huh?

CLOSE SHOT – THE EVIL DEAD

It's eyes dart, looking for something on it's face when a shovelful of dirt is heaped atop it.

EVIL ASH'S HEAD – POV – EYEMO

As a shovelful of dirt is heaped atop the CAMERA.

ASH

Buries it deep. He raises a crude burial marker high above his head.

ASH

(muttering under his breath)

Rest in pieces.

ASH

Backlit by the moon, brings the burial maker swiftly into the grave. A flash of lightning reveals...

THE GRAVEYARD

In the distance. A burial place of evil. The old mill wheel GROANS in the gale.

ASH

This must be it. The cemetery.

ASH

Moves toward the cemetery.

ASH'S POV – THE CEMETERY

In the center, lies a massive slab of black stone.

ASH

Draws closer, his teeth chattering as the wind blasts at him. He glances down to...

ASH'S POV – TRACKING SHOT – SKULL

Sitting atop the ground, leering up at CAMERA with empty eye sockets. The wind whistles through the empty skull. The jaw bone drops open with a squeak.

CLOSE ON ASH

His hair is whipped up by the wind. He looks to...

THE MASSIVE BLACK STONE IN THE CEMETERY'S CENTER

Backlit by the rising moon, creates eerie beams of light and shadow.

ASH

Arrives at the foot of the massive stone.

UNDERCRANKED – THE STONE

Atop it sits... THE BOOK OF THE DEAD.

CAMERA PANS REVEALING...

A SECOND BOOK OF THE DEAD!

CAMERA PANS AGAIN REVEALING...

A THIRD!

CAMERA RACES BACK AT SUPER SPEED TO REVEAL...

THREE BOOKS OF THE DEAD!!!

A BAFFLED ASH

Steps close.

ASH

Wait. Three books? Nobody said anything about that. Ha! That Wiseman was so busy fillin' me fulla his secret words and phrases and, and, his... bullshit, he forgot to mention anything about that. Like do I take all of 'em of one or 'em, or what? Well...

He reaches for the first book and opens it.

ANGLE ON

WHOOOOOOSH!!!

To reveal a black hole. SCREAMS ERUPT from the dark abyss of the Book. It begins to suck things into it.

CLOSE ON BOOK OF THE DEAD – BACKWARDS MOTION

Dead leaves and mist are sucked into the book.

ASH – MAKE-UP APPLIANCE

Wind hits Ash's face as he feels the suction of the book growing stronger.

ASH'S HAND – PUPPET

Is stretched as it's pulled down into the book.

LONG SHOT – ASH PUPPET

Ash's arms stretch down into the book's black page.

ASH'S PUPPET HEAD

Stretched and screaming, is also pulled on by the book.

ASH PUPPET

A taffy stretched version of Ash struggles against the pull of the black hole. He pulls free and snaps the book shut.

INTERVOLOMETER SHOT – ASH

His face vibrates like jello until it finally snaps back to normal.

ASH

Woah. Wrong book.

He turns to study...

THE TWO REMAINING BOOKS

ASH tries to decide between them. At first he's sure which one it is. Then, chiding himself for being so easily duped, chooses the other.

THE BOOK

Moves ever so slightly as he reaches for it.

ASH

Huh.

Ash reaches for it again and the book bites him!

THE BOOK OF THE DEAD – PUPPET

Rodent teeth have appeared on the surface of the Book. The Book flaps it's pages and becomes airborne, flying right at CAMERA like a bat!

BAT-BOOK POV – CAMERA RIG – UNDERCRANKED

Swooping erratically around Ash's head.

THE BAT-BOOK

Shrieking, chases Ash around, pecking at his neck.

ASH

Dear God, help me... ahhh!!!

The Bat-Book is pecking at his eyes!

ASH

Pulls it from his face and throws it. It lands back on it's pedestal.

ASH

Faces the remaining book. He slowly reaches for it as the wind kicks up. Ash gently lifts it and turns it over.

CLOSE ON BOOK

It's cover is bound in the dried skin of a man's face! Two empty eye sockets stare out from it. This is the Book of the Dead...

ASH

Bristles in fear.

ASH

Okay. The words. Say the words. KLATOO... VERATA... uh... uh... Necta... uh... Nectar... Necktie... uh...

He hesitates, then calls out boldly.

ASH

KLATOO... VERATA... NECTtphhhhhhhhhh...

He deliberately muffles the last word that he can't remember. The wind stops. It seems to have worked. He looks about with growing confidence.

ASH

Okay then.

But he loses his smile as... a LOW RUMBLE is heard on the soundtrack.

LONG SHOT – CEMETARY

A tiny figure among the gravestones which tremble and one by one are thrust from the earth.

ASH

Hey, wait a minute. Everything's cool! I said the words! I did!

EXT. CASTLE – NIGHT

A violent storm in the distance. Lightning flashes.

INT. CASTLE COURTYARD – NIGHT

A DOOR blows open revealing Wiseman John. He looks at the gathering storm with foreboding.

WISEMAN JOHN

Something is amiss.

HORSES IN THE CASTLE GROUNDS

WHINNIE in hear. Sheila steps into frame and stare fearfully out at the storm.

EXT. CEMETARY – NIGHT

ASH runs for his horse, clutching the Necronomicon.

A BONEY HAND

Rips up from a grave and grabs his leg!

ASH

Falls.

THE BOOK OF THE DEAD

Is knocked from Ash's hand.

ASH

Reaches for it when a SECOND skeleton hand rips from the ground and clutches his face.