Now 54, and handsome in the fashion of a 1940s cigarette commercial, the great Bruce Campbell enjoys an odd class of fame. The world, sadly, throngs with too many people who couldn\u2019t distinguish him from any random chisel-jawed supporting player. But, as the star of Sam Raimi\u2019s first three Evil Dead movies, Campbell is safely installed as a horror demigod. In the 30 years since The Evil Dead was released to acclaim and disgust, he has worked steadily in high-end pulp and classy television. (You can currently see him in spy romp Burn Notice .) Currently promoting a remake of The Evil Dead \u2013 the definite article has been dropped for Fede Alvarez\u2019s decent retread \u2013 Campbell expresses no regret about the path his life has taken. Indeed, the first of his excellent memoirs is titled If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor .
\n\u201cYes, I am a B-movie actor,\u201d he says. \u201cI am on cable television now. That\u2019s the B-movie of our time. Burn Notice is good. But it\u2019s still a genre thing. It\u2019s a dumb spy show. I am okay with low budgets. You have to work harder. But often the stories are more interesting.\u201d
\nShould we be surprised that he and Raimi \u2013 both credited as producers \u2013 have put their imprimatur on the new Evil Dead ? The original project must be very close to their hearts. Schoolmates from Detroit, they knocked together the comic horror \u2013 which found five foolish students being assaulted by demons in a remote cabin \u2013 for a few nickels in 1981 and saw it go on to conquer the world. It launched Campbell into cult celebrity. It ultimately propelled Raimi towards Spider-Man and Oz the Great and Powerful .
\n\u201cWell, we wanted to be careful for sure,\u201d he says. \u201cThe fans were dubious. The Evil Dead fans are very loyal and opinionated, which we love. They are like a very tough girlfriend who you have to treat very well. This is something that fell into our lap. We weren\u2019t sitting around thinking: how can we make some more money out of this?\u201d
\nThe new film has already been a hit in the US and, thus, will almost certainly spawn further sequels. This could create a very confusing situation. A month or so ago, Sam Raimi told this writer that he was open to the notion of a developing a fourth episode in the original series. So, we\u2019re going to have two parallel franchises?
\n\u201cOh, they will be confused either way,\u201d Bruce laughs. \u201cThey thought Evil Dead 2 was a remake of the first.\u201d
\nThe tale behind those groundbreaking films is worthy of a movie in itself. This was the era before affordable video cameras offered sufficient resolution for even semi-respectable amateur film-makers. Raimi and his pals were forced to hustle just to secure enough money for stock and processing. Kids today don\u2019t know they are born.
\n\u201cOh, we were pretty industrious in high school,\u201d Campbell confirms. \u201cWe were in different grades, but Sam and I had a few classes together. He was off making these silent films, mostly comedies. It was all, \u2018this guy\u2019s got a great projector, this guy\u2019s got a cool splicer, this guy\u2019s got a camera\u2019. We worked hard. If there was a party, we were the ones filming it.\u201d
\nThe Evil Dead emerged to little acclaim. What really kicked it into the spotlight was the absurd furore in the UK concerning \u201cvideo nasties\u201d. True, the film does feature a class of sexual assault by possessed vegetation. But Raimi\u2019s description of The Evil Dead as a Three Stooges film with gore still makes sense. It is difficult today to understand how it ended up on a list of shame complied by the British Home Office. (It was, of course, banned outright in Ireland. But you\u2019d expect that.)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt did take off in the UK,\u201d Campbell agrees. \u201cPalace Pictures handled it there and they did an interesting thing. They launched it like a proper Hollywood movie. They had these two enormous posters outside the Prince Charles theatre for the premiere. It was like it was The Poseidon Adventure or something. Being banned also helped. People were saying: what is this god-awful movie?\u201d
\nIt went on to triumph on this new-fangled home video thingummy.
\n\u201cYeah, I remember seeing the video charts for 1983 and we were at number one. The Shining was at number seven. We kicked Stanley Kubrick\u2019s ass. Ha ha!\u201d
\nRaimi and Campbell have managed to remain close friends through the decades. The director has made sure to cast Campbell in most of his mainstream films. He\u2019s the ring announcer in Spider-Man . He\u2019s the Gate Keeper in Oz the Great and Powerful . It\u2019s a touchingly durable relationship. Thirty years ago they were bussing tables and driving taxis to support their film-making habit. Now Raimi and Campbell strut about grand soundstages in genuine blockbusters. Their old schoolmate Bob Tapert, now a hugely successful producer, completes the Michigan Three.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve never had a falling out, but life gets between you at times,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, when we three are on the phone we always say we must get together. It\u2019s funny. Sam\u2019s this big Hollywood director, but when we are on set we\u2019ll still crack jokes. I\u2019ll talk back to him. He\u2019ll talk back to me. Other people on set will look at me and think: who\u2019s this day-player insulting the director? What\u2019s up with this guy?\u201d
\nWell, those fellows need to bone up on their Hollywood iconography. Campbell\u2019s performance as the constantly inconvenienced Ash in The Evil Dead , The Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness is enough to guarantee him immortality. In the intervening years, he has also excelled as Elvis in the weird Bubba Ho-Tep and in supporting roles for the Coen brothers. All decent film fans perk up when they see his face.
\nHe has clearly thought deeply about the art of being Bruce Campbell. His two books \u2013 the second is titled, hilariously, Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way \u2013 take sideways looks at cult fame. Among his films as director, we find a twisty postmodern piece from 2007 entitled My Name is Bruce . Campbell clearly enjoys deconstructing his strange renown.
\n\u201cIt is strange,\u201d he ponders. \u201cThere are a lot of tattoos out there of me. I have started collecting photos of them. I\u2019m up to about 140 photographs.\u201d
\nWell, that sounds nice. But it also sounds a bit scary. One wonders if Bruce ever worries about attracting the wrong kind of attention.
\n\u201cFans are more obsessed with guys they think they\u2019ll never, ever get to meet \u2013 like Tom Cruise,\u201d he says. \u201c They\u2019re in that tricky position. My whole schedule is on the internet. If you want to meet me you know where to go.\u201d
\nSo he\u2019s not worth stalking.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s exactly it. I am just a guy who\u2019s lucky enough to be an actor. I am not worth stalking.\u201d