There’s a period in acclaimed director Sam Raimi’s filmography that just doesn’t get love today. After he redefined horror with The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2, but long before he made Marvel huge with his Spider-Man trilogy, Raimi was quietly chugging along in Hollywood. Films like The Quick and the Dead, For Love of The Game, and A Simple Plan stand out amongst his other projects, but they’re the films that defined his Hollywood career prior to Spider-Man.
However, he did sneak in one superhero film during that period. 1990’s Darkman is everything you love about Raimi: moody, violent, horrifying, and yet still campy and hopeful. These films, which pay homage to pulp heroes and horror films simultaneously, are long rumored for a reboot, so if you want to know why they’re so popular, here’s where you can watch the Darkman movies in order.
Darkman (1990)
Once upon a time, Sam Raimi wanted to make a film based on classic pulp comic character The Shadow. While a film eventually manifested in the form of The Shadow in 1994, Raimi’s version was stalled pretty quick due to rights issues. Instead, Raimi made his own tribute to pulp comics with Darkman, the story of scientist Petyton Westlake (played by Liam Neeson), who is disfigured and left for dead after a mob attack. With his body horribly scarred and losing the ability to feel pain, Peyton uses his experimental synthetic skin to make a series of masks and exact revenge while trying to reclaim his life. The pulp roots are as evident as the classic horror films in this all-time classic. Unfortunately, Darkman winds up being the peak for the franchise.
Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1995)
The finale of Darkman sees Peyton’s nemesis, Robert G. Durant, very definitively die in a helicopter crash, so it was a little surprising that the immediate sequel brought him back. Darkman II: The Return of Durant sees the mobster survive the incident and awaken from a coma, while Peyton (now played by Arnold Vosloo a few years before he became known for The Mummy) allies with a scientist to perfect his synthetic skin and return to a normal life. Raimi would only serve as an executive producer for the franchise from this point on, with Darkman II coming after an attempt at developing a TV pilot failed to impress.
Darkman III: Die Darkman Die (1996)
While the final direct-to-video sequel finally ditches the Robert Durant character, Darkman III: Die Darkman Die is nonetheless incredibly weird. This time around, Peyton is working to keep one step ahead of crime boss Peter Rooker, played by Lost star Jeff Fahey. To do so, Peyton inserts himself into the life of Rooker’s wife and daughter. What follows is a bizarre plot where Peyton uses his synthetic skin to assume Rooker’s identity, eventually becoming attached to his family and seemingly wanting them for himself. There wasn’t a lot here for fans of the original to latch onto, and Darkman III remains largely forgotten about today.
Where To Watch 'Darkman' Movies Online
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