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Bruce Campbell and the Evil Dead Trilogy Festival review by Harry
Friends... Some nights are just perfect.
Tonight was a perfect night.
As a matter of fact, it was just one of them.... God,
this is soooo cool, how can I be this lucky.. sorta
nights.
Tonight was the EVIL DEAD TRILOGY hosted by
BRUCE CAMPBELL.
According to Bruce, this is the first time, that he is
aware of, that all three EVIL DEAD movies (EVIL
DEAD, EVIL DEAD II, ARMY OF DARKNESS)
have all been screened in a theatrical 35 mm triple
bill.
But... I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s do the
doodily doo bit and start at the beginning.
For about a year now, Tim (aka Mr Alamo) has been
working on getting Bruce Campbell to come to the
Alamo Drafthouse for an Evil Dead triple feature.
But, ya know... what with all the hussle and bustle of
his career, it’s been a fruit of love that brought Bruce
and these films to Austin. And Tim is the guy with
the green thumb.
There have been more false starts and almost got it
togethers than I can remember, but when Tim finally
nailed Bruce down.... There was pure glee in his
voice.
His theater... His palace was going to play host to
one of the most absolute badass kings of cool this
side of the grave.
So about two weeks ago... out of the blue.... I get this
e-mail from Bruce Campbell asking if he could
interview me for this documentary he’s shooting
called FANalysis.
You know... From time to time I get an email, that
asks me to do something... or is simply from a certain
person... and my brain freezes up. Two emails above
that was an email from a man who (for heaven only
knows why) found me attractive and wanted to know
if I swung that way. That email threw me for a loop.
But Bruce’s threw me for a double loop-de-loop.
I mean... He’s BRUCE CAMPBELL... I’m
supposed to cower in the shadows and behold his
awesomness from afar. What if I get possessed by
some sort of Candarian Demon Spirit? What if he
pulls out his boom stick and lets me have it?
Sounds cool. So I wrote him back agreeing.
So, today comes along and the whole theory is that
Bruce is going to swing by here, Geek Headquarters,
and do the interview here. I’m supposed to get a call
round 1830 hours to get a confirmation one way or
another. So I sit and wait.
And wait.
And wait. Mind you, it’s nowhere near the annointed
time for the phone call, but my brain is in the freeze
mode. The thought.... Bruce Campbell, might be
coming to my house.... Is stuck on an endless loop.
Just him walking into the house blesses my humble
abode with some sort of cool virus which will breed
superduper forms of uberly cool things to just happen
here constantly.
To get my mind off of it, I call up a friend and he,
Dad and I go out to eat and talk about LORD OF
THE RINGS and HELLBOY. The two film projects
that I seem to most blabber about right now. As we
talk and eat and eat and talk I’m continually looking
at my watch.... Checking the time. Feeling like
Alice’s pesky white rabbit.
Soon, I tell my eating partner, “I have to get home...
Waiting on a Bruce to come over! Come on! We
have to go!”
Said friend begins making JACK OFF hand signs,
when suddenly he stops and says... “Ya know... Bruce
should be HELLBOY!” Hmmm... Ya know... I
thought... He’s right! I’ll have to tell Guillermo that.
Then I get home. Tick Tock Tick Tock....
Rrrrrrrringggg... It’s Time! Uh huh.... Yeah. Oh.
Ummm.. Yeah... Sure... naaah, that’s no prob.
Right... See ya later.
FUCK! My house will not be annoited with Bruce
coolness! There goes my scheme to sell my tap water
with red food coloring over the site! Shit!
So... It is suddenly off for the Alamo. I grab my
digital Sony Mavica camera and a fresh disk. Dad
grabs one of the most gnarly grotesque slimy looking
decayed pieces of human flesh molded into a hand we
have for Bruce to sign, and we’re off!
Once in the Alamo I head up the stairs just as Tim
told me. When I get to the top, I’m told Tim and
Bruce are not there yet... butterflies in stomach
flapping about... Ugh... He’s gonna embarrass me on
camera, I just know it. He’ll hit me with trees and
railroad irons... He’ll then draw and quarter me.
As I stand atop the Alamo’s upper floor, I look down
at the doors at the bottom of the stairs. Looking at
the people down there... slightly over-exposed by the
bright light of day. Each of them awaiting the Bruce
and the Films. Each one of them... eager. However,
the ones on the right had tickets... while those on the
left are praying that scalpers will arrive with high
priced... nay.... nearly over-priced tickets (though for
this event... there is no such thing!) I keep looking
down there... awaiting Bruce to come through those
doors.
Meanwhile the merchandise table opens up. The
poster that is atop this page is procured for a mere
$10 autographed by the man the legend. Not to
mention the ultra GROOVY... EVIL DEAD HOLY
WATER, Offered for sale at many fine
establishments including S-Mart for a mere $3... By
the way... it is real Holy Water... blessed twice...
Once by the Catholic church... the second time by an
ordained priest as TIM brought the box in the Alamo.
This Priest was in line to see the Evil Dead trilogy!
How cool is that?
Then, Bruce arrives in a swinging Hawaiian shirt with
olives, martinis, and what I beleive may be pretzels or
finger sandwiches or potato chips. I’m not real sure.
And as is often the case with icons that you build up
from film, when looking at him... The first thought
that comes to mind is....
I could take him.
Then the second thought comes in....
Hmmm... He’s a normal guy. Sure he’s got that...
Bruce voice. And he’s got that Bruce face... But
other than that... He’s just a normal fella. He seems
to have had no long term ill effects due to.... all that
has happened in that cabin and a thousand years
ago.... And his new fake hand seems seemingly real.
I don’t bother him as he comes up the stairs, he’s
more or less just getting a feel for the place.
Thinking of how he’s going to be shooting his Docu
in here. The filming equipment and pair of tech guys
follow him on in.
Once he get’s everything set up, he heads down to the
base of the stairs to film all the fans coming in and to
greet them. Ya know... that’s pretty cool. I decide to
head into the theater area myself.
But before I get in, Bruce asks me... “Let me ask you
bit of trivia...” oh shit... I’m sooo fucking
doomed...”...you know in the first Evil Dead, when...”
FUCK, I haven’t seen the first Evil Dead.... I was
saving the experience for the Screen! “...Just
kidding... Hey... we have to do this Interview thing
with you, but we need to know at which part in this
thing you want to do it. Basically... Do ya wanna
miss part of the first film or the second film?”
FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!! I don’t wanna miss
part of either. But Ash wants to torture me, and
given that is a cool thing, I figure why the hell not.
“Well, I haven’t seen the first film...” I say meekly.
“WHAT?!?!?!?” Bruce exclaims, I feel like a wart on
the ass of a she-bitch. I explain to him about my
desire to see it first on the big screen, and he thought
that was cool. So I tell him, that I’ll do it during
EVIL DEAD II. Man... I really don’t want to miss
any of that... But... Goddamit... At the same time....
It means hanging around Bruce while bright lights are
shoved in my face and a man with a fuzzy club over
my head is listening and a camera dude is filming and
Bruce is grilling me. I can feel like I’m in some sort
of cheesy Film Noir and I just got caught selling
crack to three year olds! Cool!
I head into the theater and get my regular seat....
1109... Should be renamed “Big Ass’s seat” cause...
I’ve just about never seen anybody else sit there.
As Dad and I sit down we pour our water, and watch
as Tom Joad arrives... followed by Quint, Ginger
Snatch and Super Slut. Then... Johnny Wad... and a
few minutes later... Peter Blood.
This was the hardest event to get into at the Alamo
ever... Even for me. Tickets sold out instantly when
they went on sale... and they wound up over-booking.
So there were extra seats all alongside the walls and
one extra on either side of each row. Some people
were just standing and sitting on the floor. The power
of Bruce compelled them.
The energy in the room was that of a shitload of
excited geeks. The predominant thought had to have
been... “Oh gosh... Oh golly... Ash is here... Ash is
here... Ash is here...” Yes, Ash is here.
Meanwhile on the Alamo’s screen an onslaught of
horror trailers were playing out. Trailers like...
“COLOR ME BLOOD RED, I DISMEMBER
MAMA, PUSH STEPHANIE IN THE
INCINERATOR and of course the classic...
CANNIBAL FEROX (aka MAKE THEM DIE
SLOWLY)”
Suddenly a spotlight hits the stage, and the crowd
roars, bellows and shrieks. Suddenly from out of the
shadows appears the ma....
Oh... it’s Tim... Mr. Alamo. The crowd calms... you
can feel their neurons racing back and forth. For a
while it seems as if Tim is speaking in the Charlie
Brown... Adult “wanna wa waaa wa waaaaaaa” sorta
voice, but as the adrenal gland stops pumping so
damn hard it begins... “waa wadda upcoming events
like the first annual Cannibal film festival in
August/September... we’ll be serving real human
flesh those nights” The crowd begin hootin’ and
hollerin’. An electricity is moving through the crowd.
Then Tim says, “The man I’m sure you are all waiting
to see and hear, the man of the hour.... Mr Bruce
Campbellllllllllll” his voice trailed off as the audience
screamed and yelled and clapped and whistled and
stood and stomped their feet and clamored and
exclaimed.
Bruce came out and started conducting the audience.
Lowering the applause, but then raising it up again.
He reminded me of an insane Stokowski awaiting a
rabid Mickey to interrupt him.
He’s being very ‘Bruce Campbell-y’. And I know
that sounds retarded... But... I just got this feeling that
he doesn’t go around all the time doing the
TERRIBLE PUNS he was doing. But ya know...
each one of those bricks knocked us all silly. Hee hee
heeeee...
Then he said, “I want to make an announcement.
There will be an Evil Dead 4!”
The crowd roars and screams and shouts and stands
on the feet cheering and cheering. Bruce just looks at
them all smiling, then adds... “When Monkeys fly out
of my ass! Do you think I want to do another of these
crazy films?” The audience screams “YES!” And
Bruce smiles..
The audience was up for this. He decides to begin
interacting with the audience... asking them questions,
like “How did the Evil Dead films change your life?”
And then mulling over their answers....
“Well man, it was like the first bit of High Art that
didn’t like bore the shit out of me!” exclaimed one
particularly odd looking fella in a perfect click of odd
lookers. Though if that ain’t a case of the pot calling
the kettle black, I don’t know what is.
Bruce was being pure classic up there. Talking about
how evil Sam Raimi is. How Sam loved the fact that
Bruce was his video game. Like the time he was
strapped to spinning X and Sam was given the
controls. Bruce would do this high erratic nervous
voice (aka his Sam voice) and start miming messing
with the controls... Talking about how fast he (Sam)
could get him (Bruce) to turn and then reverse
direction, etc... The audience was in stitches...
He started taking polls on who in the audience was a
‘gore hound’.... And my hand, along with everyone
on my row’s hand shot up, and sporadic hands around
the theater as well. Seems the AICN crew has an
abnormal lust for comedic gore.
Then he asked, “How many of you people think that
Army of Darkness represented me and Sam selling
out?”
The audience reaction to this was almost unified,
“Nooooo.... Y’all rule....” types of responses... But
there was a “YES! YOU DID!” in there.
That’s when Bruce stopped the audience with a,
“Who said that?” The audience hushed. He began
pointing out into the crowd... ‘Did you say that?’ The
funniest damn panic seemed to sweep the room.
Everyone terrified of being labeled as being the guy
or gal that said Bruce sold out. “We’re not gonna kill
ya, I’m just curious.” And the weasal answered.
“Oh, so you’re the little bastard. Ok Mr Smarty
Pants, why do you think that?”
And Mr Smarty Pants says, “Because man.... There
wasn’t enough gore. It was too cute!” This is when
Ginger Snatch sitting next to me exclaims.... “He’s
Right!”
I look at her horrified. Bitch, I think.
Bruce has obviously heard this before. And begins to
get into it. “Ya know... The MPAA is a strange
animal. The same year GOODFELLAS gets an R,
with that little Joe Pesci stabbing that guy in the trunk
50 times...” Bruce then does a Pesci imitation, “die
you fucking bastard die, you like this, take this...”the
whole time he’s doing stabbing motions.
“Meanwhile, Sam and I have moving skeletons and...
BAM NC-17!”
He then does brief little intros for each film, and says
he’ll be back for a Q&A after the movie.
THE EVIL DEAD....
You know what? I really had a strange reaction to
this film with this audience. To me, it felt more
earnest than the previous films. There were a few
comedic moments, but really... I felt it was more of a
straight horror film.
The audience though... seemed a bit programmed by
the other two movies to simply laugh because well...
Aren’t they supposed to laugh?
I didn’t particularly feel that this was like the other
films other than some of the stylistic camera moves
and abundance of various liquids spewing. I really
liked this film, and was a bit pissed that I hadn’t seen
it before.
You see.... doodily doo....doodily doo... Back in
1990 when I got my first dose of EVIL DEAD 2, the
person who brought it by on tape told me to be ready
for a surprise. Well... I loved the film, and instantly
knew to ask.... “How’s the first one?” He told me
that he thought it sucked. He hated it. That it would
be a waste of my time to see it. So... because I often
agreed with this guy that instead of seeing the first
one.... I would simply rewatch the second film over
and over and over and over again.
Right now, I’m currently thinking about reconsidering
seeing numerous films he warned me against... simply
to check and be sure. (A practice that I should have
been practicing all along.)
That end sequence where he is trying to... well... do
what it is he’s trying to do (just in case you haven’t
seen it) Well.... I thought it was tense as all hell. I
mean. Jesus. The guy just doesn’t look like he can
win. He’s a complete pansy ass in this film. There’s
two of them... and his ass is grass.
Wonderful sequence.
In all... I think I have a new ranking in terms of the
EVIL DEAD movies...
Evil Dead is the best Horror film of the lot.
Evil Dead II is the best film of the lot.
ARMY OF DARKNESS has the best BRUCE of the
lot.
As the film begins to end, I start thinking about the
movie and how it fits in. But quickly.... Bruce hops
back up on stage.
He asks, “Is there any questions about that film?”
A guy along the wall asks Bruce, “Well is it true that
Raimi feels this film leads into the next film as a
sequel, but you need to edit the second film up to
where Bruce gets knocked through the forest. And
from there on it’s a sequel?”
Bruce kinda looked a bit pained, but acknowledges
that Sam has... “all kind of theories...” spoken with
the height of sarcasm. He then went into confirming
that for the guy.
Next a guy asked, “Is it true... I mean, I’ve heard this,
But I just want to like know if it is true. But that
anyways... I heard that Sam is passing on the mantle
of the Evil Dead films to a younger filmmaker and I
was just wondering if you were like involved and are
you going to be Ash in that?”
Bruce stares at the guy as if he’s on some sort of
candy stick product with an excessive amount of
sugar. Then says, “Well.... That’d be Bullshit, so I
don’t have to answer any of that.”
Bruce went on for an hour. Telling stories of how
Sam likes to torture him. And fling fruit really hard
at him. And how in the Evil Dead films he lights to
really knock the shit out of the actors... and then
giggle and act all, “I won’t do that again.... Can we go
again...” and then he’d hit em twice as hard.
Bruce was loaded with stories about Dino
DeHorrendous and Bob Shaye-dy, and numerous
other... unsavories. He was asked what he thought of
the state of horror films, and he said that there really
weren’t horror films today. That these teen movies,
with their pop-soundtracks and knife wielders...
Well... they’re just not horror films. He then asked
the audience to go out and make real live fucking
horror movies. It may suck, but at least you tried!
The funniest bits were when Bruce began reading
e-mail that he had been sent. And folks... I swear to
God I wish I could remember, but I was laughing so
hard that my brain was bouncing against the interior
of my skull and I damaged those cells’ ability to
retain the humor.
But... the letters were just dead on... And the way
Bruce read them... Man... this should be a movie
(and it is... coming from Bruce Campbell.) We were
dying!
Next Bruce gave us a chance to take a piss, and I
realized this is when I needed to go out and meet up
with him to do the interview.
Bruce had to pose for a million pictures and sign a
bajillion autographs, but... He smiled through it all.
Being the trooper. He reminded me of what I
imagine Betty Grable must’ve felt like during those
USO tours of by gone ages.
Finally, we end up in the secret room beneath the
projection room. Bruce, me and his crew of two.
First off.... To explain how cool this setting was. Let
me go...
Imagine you are me. You are in a room, about twelve
feet long by six feet wide, by eight feet tall.
Alongside all the walls, from floor to cieling is liquor
and beer. More beer than is possibly imaginable.
Surrounded by Guinness and Heiniken and vodka and
rum and all sorts of flavored alcoholic additives.
Bags of unpopped popcorn surrounds me. Above me,
I can hear through the cieling, the footsteps of Tim, as
he’s readying up EVIL DEAD 2. The sound man,
Wayne Bell, was the guy who composed the score for
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. And the video
guy? Well he was Kurt Raut... He’s from Vegas,
home of neon and other coolities.
They have me lean up against the wall of beer and
begin the interview. They’re going for natural
flourescent lighting, so inevitably I’ll have a
jaundiced look...
Bruce then begins asking questions about fandom.
My experiences with them. Where it began. Where
it is headed. What has happened with the internet.
The types of fans. Who am I. Psycho fan stories. Is
fan-fantasies healthy. Why are fans never satisfied.
Good questions, and I think I did a good job of
answering them. Wow. So I guess now, I’ve been
directed by Robert Rodriguez, Simon Callow, Robert
Bella and Bruce Campbell. Cool. Two actors and
two directors. Strange.
Afterwards, Bruce and I talked for a bit. I could tell
he didn’t want to be asked about the whole Evil Dead
thing. He’s exhausted that subject for the evening.
So instead I ask him what’s next. Well... he’s off to
New Zealand to film the last filmed episode of
Hercules, and he had just finished directing the last
episode of Hercules that’ll air. He’s not sure how
much longer Xena will air. Beyond that, he’s not too
sure. He’s got a book coming out from St Martin’s
Press, and he’s working on this documentary.
Ya know. Bruce is a real nice guy. He’s charismatic
as hell. Of course that audience was in his corner, but
you know... That audience sees everything he’s in.
Whether it be 3 minutes of CONGO or some cheesy
straight to video flick.
Ya know... It’s kinda sad though. I just get the
feeling that if Hollywood could wake up this guy is a
star waiting to happen. And I don’t mean a cult star.
I mean a for real star. But at the same time, I get the
sense that Bruce revels in his cult status, for real.
As he said, “What do I want... a thousand fans that
see my movie 10 times or 10 fans that see the movie a
thousand times.” He would like the 10. He’s able to
walk the earth without being pushed into a wall to
sign autographs out of the blue, and he cherishes that
freedom.
But ya know. I get the sense that he and Sam have
something planned. I don’t know. Call it the fanboy
in me, but... Right now, Sam is in the midst of
carving out an ‘established director’ role in
Hollywood. He’s got this Costner film, A SIMPLE
PLAN before that... and he’s ‘playing ball’ a bit. But
at the same time I know that Sam is an evil bastard.
Bruce said as much on stage. And while he’s
directing this Hollywood film and that Hollywood
film. I get the sense that he’s pulling a Steven
Soderbergh... Where he uses the Hollywood films to
end up financing his own films. Or at least that’s my
belief.
We’ll see. After saying adieu to Bruce, I headed back
in to catch the last 30 minutes of EVIL DEAD 2.
What a joy. A film that is just fiercely original. I
love this film completely. Ya know... I missed the
first of the film, and I hate missing it... but the entire
time that interview was going on... the sound of the
projector cranking came through the cieling. The
cheers of the crowd and the sound of the film through
the walls and through the cans of intoxicants. And
there.... unharmed, unbloody and completely sane
was Bruce Campbell.
It’s soooo utterly bizarre. God, I love the Alamo
Drafthouse. In a few weeks Tim’s bringing two
munchkins from THE WIZARD OF OZ to the
Alamo... and ya know. I’m happy as can be.
An amazing world ya know. Simply amazing.
As I watched EVIL DEAD 3... ARMY OF
DARKNESS... I just smiled. My eyes were a bit
glazed over, and I was happy. Beside me laid conked
out and exhausted the sleepy bodies of Super Slut and
her concubine Tom Joad. Leaning into one another
with sweet little smiles as they dreamed of Candarian
demons and devilish books. Of chainsaws and
shotguns, and of Remingtons and flying eyeballs.
On the table in front of Dad laid our hand, with the
silver signature of Bruce Campbell... “ASH” and
beside me was Ginger Snatch.... Wide eyed with a
shit eating grin. Johnny Wad was laughing in
hysterics (He’d never seen an Evil Dead film) and
Quint had his head upon his hands as he was
transformed.
What an evening. I had to take you guys with me.
Sleep well. Good night.
To read the review on ARMY OF DARKNESS click here
All Photographs Taken Digitally With Harry's New Cybernetic WetWare Sony Mavica operated by... Harry
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Jun 05, 1999 5:35:07 PM CDT
IM FIRST!!! and I just want to say, HARRY YOU LUCKY BASTARD!!!!
by clavius
I would sell both my left and right nut for the opportunity you had. Bruce is one of my all-time heros!!! In fact, about three years ago he was scheduled to do the same thing here in Michigan at a theater in Ann Arbor. I even had tickets in hand and was only about 2 days from said event when THE FREAKIN THEATER LOST ITS FUNDING, CLOSED IT'S DOORS AND CANCELLED THE EVENT!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! Pissed didn't even begin to describe the gamut of emotions I felt. Oh well, at least they gave me a refund. But I pray that some day Mr. Campbell will come back to his native Michigan, to another venue which is more economically viable.
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I mean, really. Not even your friends care.
Anyway, Bruce sounds like a neat guy, Harry is pretty lucky. -
Subject isn't really Goonies but, I read somewhere that Bruce Campbell was in a terroist/ski-lodge movie with Goonies alumni Sean Astin and I was wandering if it ever came out.
Also good article, I envey you guys. Bruce sounds cooler than I thought in real life.
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After reading this review, I am still not sure if Mr. Aint-it-cool-news has seen it. I saw the film, didn't like it that much. Sure, there was enough blood, but there was barely any humor. That sucked. Evil Dead 2 was the best. Visit my page on movies, htt2.com//futuremovies.com
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Hey, Harry...I really envy you. You should have asked me first which was the best Evil Dead movie. Alot of people disagree with me, but i have always and always will beleive that EVIL DEAD 1 was and is still the BEST HORROR movie EVER made!! Evil Dead 2 was also great, with some comedy elements. I love all 3 movies but that is why i love Evil Dead 1 the most. I am a big-horror fan, and ED1 was HORROR!! non of that comedy shit! just plain, in-your-face, get-ready-to-get-the-shit-scared-out-of-you-every-2-minutes, horror movie. Isn't that what a REAL horror movie should be? Yes, the only funny thing in the movie is the way Ash gets stuck under those wooden shelves and showered in blood all the time, but No other movie ever made gives you as many scares per minute as Evil Dead!! NONE! Now, i want the HORROR that was ED1 to start all over again!! Not a remake (although it would be nice), but a new ED...Evil Dead 4!! I want back to the Evil Dead 1 horror, none of that Evil Dead 2 or Army of Darkness dark humor!! I want an R rated or above Evil Dead! And yes, Bruce "the man" Campell is the coolest and humblest actor around! He deserves to be more recognised!!
So how about it Bruce? One more time back with the Deadites ?? for your fans sakes??!!!
Later. Good. Bad. He's the guy with the gun!!! -
Who wants army of darkness with the original ending,you can buy it here in the uk very cheap ,but remember its pal format.if whoever is realy interested i could get it and send it over let me know.cheers exelent site by the way ,
mike -
Damnit man we DO need Evil Dead 4... almost as much as we need... GREMLINS 3
GREMLINS 3 -
Harry, Isn't that mvoie STUFF Stephanie in the in Incinerator, not PUSH? If it is the same movie I'm thinking of everyone needs to see it. It will mess with your head.
Evil Dead is a great movie because it shows how you don't need money or famous actors or expensive sets to make a good movie. All you need is creativity.
Don't forget Bruce has his own web site www.bruce-campbell.com (don't forget that hyphen or you'll get some car dealership!) -
Hey big brother Harry....*lol*. I think that the Evil Dead is the best horror film ever made. So good....so original..and that tree scene just takes the cake. I wish that they could make and Evil Dead 4 on a budget like the first one, when they had bubkis and it showed, but it was still an artistic achievement. I do not wnat them to make an Evil Dead for ona high budget, because it would be another face in a a crowd. Harry...you are one lucky son of a gun. You have gotten to meet some of the people who have touched my life on one or more occasion. I do not consider these people to be different from me, in fact, i would love to know some famous people, just to let them know that there are some of us who understand that they are doing a job, just like I am. They are getting paid, just like I am. And they need friends and privacy, just like I get.
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As I watch Elite's excellent Evil Dead DVD, I can't help but feel that feeling you get when you watch and feel "that perfect film." Throughout all three movies I feel removed from the world and thrust into the film alongside Ash as he does battle and shoots off classic one-liners. It's a shame that these films aren't accepted in the mainstream as classics like The Exorcist, Jaws, and Night of The Living Dead. I guess it's just bad timing. The films did come out at bad times. So much so that they didn't get noticed, except by the rabid genre fans. There's really not too much to say about the trilogy that already hasn't been said. As a final note to Anchor Bay and Elite: Get off your asses and halt all projects to focus squarely on Special Edition DVD's for Evil Dead 2 and MidEvil Dead(Army of Darkness)!!!
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I really envy you guys in Austin. I just got off the phone with my good friend Gordon, who was in town interviewing for a teaching job ( which he got! ), and he hooked up with our old buddy PETER BLOOD to beg/ borrow/ steal their way into the "Evil Dead Trilogy" showing at the Alamo Drafthouse. Apparently even Harry couldn't help them get into the sold out show, so they split the cost of a scalped ticket to add to the one PETER BLOOD already had. I was stuck here in Louisville, so I had to satisfy myself with a trip to Wonderfest, our annual toy & model festival, which is always really cool, I might add. Gordon raved about the show, and said Bruce Campbell was a terrific host. Of course he was. I have been fortunate enough to meet Bruce a couple of times in the past, and he has always been very, very cool. Once a friend, his wife and I drove from Louisville to Chicago just to meet Bruce at a Fangoria convention. None of us were regular convention-type people, and we didn't know what to expect. This was before "Army of Darkness" had been released, and we had rotted our brains in college watching the first two films over and over. Bruce, Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert felt like kindred spirits to us, and after years of following their careers, they had begun to seem like old friends. It was Halloween that day, so the mood was set. We saw Bruce as a BIG star, not just some joe in a cheese-ball horror film, so we were both a bit nervous. He didn't let anyone down. He talked with us, asked us questions about ourselves and had us come over the counter and take some really cool photos with him. I was surprised at how much time he spent with his fans just hanging out, signing stuff and shooting the breeze. He's a very down-to-earth guy who seems to really appreciate his fans. I meet Bruce again a few years back at Christmas time here in Louisville. He came to a local mall to promote Briscoe County Jr. ( a terrific show that should have been a big hit!!!), dressed up in the full cowbay outfit. There was a line of kids a mile long waiting to see a man that they knew only as Briscoe, their hero! Fox marketing should have been there to see that! He was great with the kids! The kid next to me couldn't have been more than 10 years old, but he had seen all of Bruce's films and was really nervous. I told the kid as we approached Bruce to tell him he was really in line to see Santa Claus. Bruce came back with a classic one liner, "Kid, if you see him, tell him to wish me for another season!" Too bad Santa didn't come through!!! I ended up meeting Bruce's wife, who was very kind and charming, and had a wonderful conversation with her about Bruce's personality at home and away from the camera. I still think Bruce Campbell is a really underappreciated actor that should be on more director's A list. He has the comic timing of Jim Carrey with the strong features of a leading man, and he plays well against other actors. "Congo" may have even been watchable if he were cast in the lead instead of the bit part he received. Well, it's late in Louisville, and I'm rambling. Everyone go out and pick up "The Evil Dead Special Edition" on DVD!!! I'm talking to you too, Harry! I can't believe you had never seen it! Any friend that told you it "sucked," isn't a friend at all. All three Evil Dead movies are terrific in their own, different way. The first is a serious, grass-roots horror film. The second is a slightly bigger budget black comedy, and the third is an all out comedic adventure film. By the way, "Army of Darkness" is a much better film than another HUGE budget film in the same vein that is currently playing: "The Mummy." In conclusion, I'd just like to say to Harry, PETER BLOOD and Gordon, who all got to see the show--Screw you, you rat bastards!!! I'm comin' to Austin!!!
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PRETTY PLEASE.........
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That is just a sequel that needs to be. That is one of the two sequels I would lose a body part to see happen. The other, of course, being Big Trouble in Little China 2.
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Ah Well, If you don't make an Evil Dead 4 , I'll still be okay. >HELL, I WILL!< Get off your ass, Raimi, if lameo Mummy can make some money with crap acting, crap story, and crap CGI than WHAT excuse do you have for not poking another finger in the pie. Hercules is dead, Xena's on auto-pilot to oblivion, and Bruce ain't gonna be young forever, neither am I for that matter. Get it in gear. I've seen Star Wars five times, and I'd see Evil Dead 4, just as many if I had the chance. Hell, do a straight to video, cause that's how I HAD to see them anyway before. By the way, EVIL DEAD 2 was more of a remake of EVIL DEAD 1 than a sequel.
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Okay, yes Campbell is incredible in the Evil Dead films, but I wish to God that he would get the credit he deserves for his role as Morris in Bram Stoker's Dracula. He was too perfect there!
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...for this review was great. And I've read a few people bitch and moan on how you go on with a lot of chatter about your personal shit instead of review the film...well, I'll just be polite and explain to these people that THEY ARE IN THE WRONG PLACE! This is what Harry does and we loved and if you don't, why waste your time - there is a lot on the Net so do waste your time here and above, do waste our time bitching about that which we love to read.
T.z. -
:P How upsetting, Bruce hosted a screening of Army of Darkness about 2 years ago at a hole-in-the-wall theater above L.A. and he left right after the Q & A (the theater owner specifically told us before he came out that he would not be signing anything =( And I'll tell you what, he pulled that same mind-numbing Evil Dead 4 joke then too, and it wasn't funny then either :) He never really answered the question I asked him too, I asked him if he'd be in any more Coen bros movies after being in Hudsucker Proxy, and he reminded me that he'd been in Fargo for 5 seconds but didnt really answer it apart from that. ::sigh:: I hope he comes back soon. p.s. Bruce for Wolverine '99!!!!!
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I will die happily after having read this..........
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I have obtained several sketches for the new ED video game. They are very cool, the game will be for the sony playstation 2 and will eventually come out on CD Rom
and DVD the guy had said. This game should kick ass by the looks of it. -
Thank you Harry for yet another great story you shared with us. Let me tell you somethink...don't stop telling us the little details that happen to you in your stories...i have seen a few people complain on talk backs about you going into too much detail....but fuck em....i wanna know what you ate that day..wether or not you got the shits after lunch...etc....it makes it all the more vivid and a joy to read...oh...and to one of the above talk backers.....Bruce Campbell was not in dracula...that was Bill Campbell aka The Rocketeer...just wanted to let you know. bruce campbell is the shit....he is right for so many hollywood parts its not even funny.
p.s. Harry...what happened about finding out wether or not Bruce was involved with that priest/demon film? just curious -
Someone here mentioned that there was an Evil Dead game coming soon to the Playstation 2 etc. I beleive that this is just rumors...so hold your horses. Evil Dead is an old movie, so why would a game company make a game out of Evil Dead for the PSX 2??
Besides i am a gamefan, and i am following the gaming scene closely, but i have not heard about an Evil Dead game coming soon. Just hupe IMHO!!
Now, for those of you out there who want to play an Evil Dead game that REALLY exists, try the "Army of Darkness" DOOM/DOOM2 Addon (or WADs as they call them). It changes totally DOOM/DOOM2 and makes a new game out of it. You will have new Sprites and graphix, new music from Evil Dead and AOD, and new sound samples. It's great! You also need to get "DeHackEd" from the Utilities section of the website i will give you, since AOD Doom needs it. Have fun!!
go to: http://www.wessman.com/~mortlgrn/themes.html#aod
Later, SCORPION
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...you are one lucky bastard. :)
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As i mentioned before, the Evil Dead game that was mentioned here is a rumor still. However, while i was surfing i found out that Robert (from Robert's Evil Dead Fan page) mentioned someone sending him an email about his interest in making an Evil Dead game. This person gave his email address (dbdawn@ix.netcom.com) and a few questions regarding the making of an Evil Dead game. So i thought, ok, i'll send him an email with what i think should be included in an Evil Dead game (if it was to be made). So here is what i wrote in my email to this Evil Dead coder. ---->
"Hi, i read your email about an interest in making an Evil Dead game on Robert's Evil Dead Fan page. I wish you all the best if you do make the game. Here is the info you requested.
"Platform you'd prefer: (PC/Console):" Console (then a port to PC)
"What type of game (action,first-person,adventure, etc.):" Adventure (aka Survival Horror).
"Suggestions:" This game has to similar to Resident Evil and Silent Hill (both on the PSX). Imagine all the horror...the survival horror with different camera angles and the mystery and terror that lies behind evey corner of the cabin and in the woods. The plot is to get the "Book of the Dead" and use it to fight the Evil. Ofcourse, finding shotguns, a chainsaw, axes, knives (especially that skull knife used in Evil Dead 1), and that magnifying-glass necklace from Evil Dead 1 is necessary. A terrifying CG Intro, with alot of inbetween CG cinemas is a must. Using surround sound for the growls of the Deadites will add to the atmosphere. Also, playing as Ash, the walking/running animation of Ash changes as he gets injured more by the deadites. Lots of sudden attacks and gore for the shock factor. If the game has these elements in them and the coding and graphics are great ...this game will rule all other games of this survival horror genre. If you would like more suggestions please email me and let me know.
"Would you like to be part of a potential beta-testing program?:" Yeah, definately. I would be honored.
If you have any information about the progress of this game, please let me know. Thank you.
Best Regards,
SCORPION"
So all you fans out there, send this guy your comments, ideas and support for an Evil Dead game. It..may JUST happen. His email is : dbdawn@ix.netcom.com
As for the Evil Dead Concept Art that was mentioned in one of the posts above, i would like to take alook at that if it can be scanned.
Later, SCORPION -
The EVIL DEAD films are the best comedy/horror mixes I've ever seen. I agree that the first EVIL DEAD is heavier on the horror, but EVIL DEAD II must surely rank among one of the greatest slapstick comedies ever committed to celluloid. EVIL DEAD III (a.k.a. ARMY OF DARKNESS) is as good as the first two, but this one seems to be the most comedic of the three. Bruce Campbell is an acting GOD in these movies. It's a shame that more mainstream film directors still don't know what to do with him (kudos to the Coen brothers for giving him a small, but dead-on 1930s screwball comedy role as a newspaper reporter in THE HUDSUCKER PROXY). I still think Bruce would make an excellent Robert Neville in I AM LEGEND.
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Hey guys, did any of you catch Siskel and Ebert this weekend ? They had a clip from Dogma but the critics kept talking over it. If any of you have the equipment, could you please erase the voice over and put the clip over the net. Thanks.
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What? Is Bill Campbell his brother or something?? They look and sound exactly alike! I always thought Bruce also went by Bill, just like the William/Bill, Jack/John, Robert/Bob same difference thing.
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Harry, you were kidding right there, please tell me so! You did not see ED1 before? Did it never come up except when you talked to the guy that gave you the ED2 video? I can't believe it. Right now you're the #1 geek, but you missed THE EVIL DEAD! strange...
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For all you Oklahoma fanboys, Bruce Campbell will be in Tulsa speaking and signing autographs alongside Leonard Nimoy and John DeLancie June 26 and 27th. Reserved seats get guaranteed autographs. Go to http://www.starbase21ok.com for more details.
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Harry, I just read your article on Your Adventures with Bruce Campbell. A masterfully written story to be sure. I enjoyed it immensely. I sure wish I could have been there. I'm in Vancouver, BC Canada, and we've got a theatre like the Alamo here. It's called "The Ridge" We get Spike & Mike here as well as a variety of cult classics and the occasional Bugs Bunny animation festival.
I can tell you that if there were to be an Evil Dead event like the one at the Alamo...people would be running over each other to be there. Myself included!!! Bruce Campbell is a brilliant actor and I absolutely love those movies. They're bold, original and one of the most entertaining series of films I've ever seen. I have to be honest, I'm envious. I wish I had been there. Had I known about it in advance, I just might have jumped on a plane and rushed down there for it. Makes me wonder if it would be possible to entice Bruce into comming up here for something like that. Hmmmm.
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I had the pleasure of meeting Bruce Campbell at the oddest time...the day after "Brisco County Jr." was canceled. I had done a phone interview with him earlier in the year to help promote the show. The local channel that aired the series held a little party in honor for him. Nobody knew it would end up being a farewell to a wonderful show. He took it all in stride, a real classy person. That cute blonde co-star was there with him too. Can't think of her name off hand but I must say she's even cuter in person!!! I asked Campbell what Raimi was like...he said he was a pig! He has quite a wit.
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I'm not a fan of Horror, so don't crucify me for saying I haven't seen ANY of the Evil Dead movies. But I do watch, no WORSHIP, the Hercules and Xena Warrior Princess shows and I think Brucey is THE BEST!!!!! He is fantastic as The King of Thieves and does a wonderful job directing as well. I'm sure that the Evil Dead movies are excellent. My husband has seen them and loves them. I say, "Keep up the good work and good luck with your future projects!" I also think (although Autolycus wasn't in the 1st) that they should do another Herc and Xena animated movie. This one could include Autolycus in some way, I'm sure. And please don't trod on my heart by mentioning the demise of the Hercules show! Thank The Gods I have my tapes!
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For my money seeing as Duke Nukem is so obviously based on Ash and steals nearly all his catch lines from the character I think Bruce Cambell should definately get the lead role if the rumoured film goes through. I realised this when I watched the Medieval Dead on sat night strangely enough and the copy I just bought has the alternetive ending which I've never seen before.When Ash actually says "Hail to King Baby" I nearly shat my pants.
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The first EVIL DEAD is the best. easily.!!
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Harry....how do you spell ceiling again? Come on, buy a dictionary! Good article anyway. And you are a lucky bastard, no matter how poor your spelling is.
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Which Coen brothers film is Clooney in?? This comes as a great shock to me.
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Santa - Bruce Campbell and George Clooney do not have the same initials of BC & BC as you said.....George begins with a G. can you say G?? is his name Beorge?? I DONT THINK SO!!! Oh jeez..I'm sad for even saying all this...I suck pee pee's....but your stoopid! he he
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Fer Christ sake! Can you inform people about these film fest ahead of time? I'm always looking for some neat event, and I always hear bout'em after the fact! Are there any more thing in the future besides the Munchkens? Are there any new Rodrigez flick in the works, or anybody else?
Dying in Dallas!!!!!!
Austin is kwel -
Harry, I love your enthusiasm. I love your essays disguised as reviews. You're doing a great job. BUT. Please, for the love of God, quit using so many pauses and elipses! Because...well...I guess...it reads...like you're...well...stuttering. You've gotten in the habit of writing everyday but you're soft. You can get away with murder (grammatically speaking) on a website, but if you're ever going to play with the big boys (or be taken seriously) clean it up a bit. Don't post the first draft of everything you write. Lose the schoolboy chops, but not the fanboy charm. I just had to tell you. I read your website daily and all those dots finally got to me. By the way I'm not an English teacher, or anything. Oh, and I hated the Mummy, Phantom Menace, and Army of Darkness. Dead By Dawn, on the other hand, is genius. Bye.
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The movie in question is Oh Brother where art thou, and it's not out yet
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Come on...you know it'd work.
jz -
Back in my old college days, I was in charge of the Film Series. I mostly showed recent films, but scheduled Army of Darkness, hoping that if I wrote Mr. Campbell maybe he'd come speak. So, I wrote to him c/o his agent, and soon after, the man himself called me personally and said he'd be able to make it to the screening. I must've played that answering machine message a hundred times to my friends.
He did this the 2 years I was in charge of the film series. He was super cool. As the movie began and his name came up, the audience went wild. He sat in the back row and yelled, "That's right, you better clap." They all loved it. After the film, he did the Q and A thing and was a super good sport. After that he did a signing, posed for photos, etc... called everyone knuckleheads. He is truly the most genuinely nice celebrity there is, very appreciative of his fans. He even gave out his e-mail address to those who requested it.
Keep it real Bruce. -
I just brought the evil Dead dvd and it rocks homies.
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Well, I was too late to get a ticket to the DeadFest at the Drafthouse but I did have the opportunity to interview Bruce Campbell by phone and it was a hell of a lot of fun. We talked EvilDead, community theater, acting, directing, basketball.
If you would like to read the
interview, drop me a line!
Joey Berner
joey@houstonsother.com
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oh man. you are such a lucky guy, but i guess you know that. ROCK ON !
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On a side note...ya know that little banner at the top of the main page on Harry's website? Ya know where ya move your mouse onto it and a penny appears and floats around...? That thing is fuckin' with me hardcore. Am I the only person that thing is playing mindgames with?
Now, regarding Bruce. I'd take a bullet for Bruce. Maybe not a lethal one...maybe I could get winged and knock the bullet off course or something. It is a shame that the one actor in filmdom who should have nothing but roles laid at his feet
doesn't know what his next project is. Why couldn't Bruce have been in the Matrix? Then I could have tolerated it and would probably have seen it. Why couldn't Bruce have played Jack Dawson in TITANIC instead of Pretty Boy DiCraprio?? Then I'd have seen it 1000 times just to hear him say "Gimme some sugar baby" to Kate Winslet. I long for a Utopian society...not unlike Latveria in Marvel Comics where Dr. Doom is KING...But a world where Bruce is Supreme High Emperor and he forces his will on everyone. Why can't life be like that? Bruce arranging marriages? Bruce dictating foreign policy? Bruce with his finger on the button (the ULTIMATE boomstick!) *sigh* Why are we doing Wild Wild West when we need to be doing Briscoe County Jr. movies...or even better...oh man I may wet myself...BRISCOE MEETS ASH AND THEY HAVE TO KILL A WHOLE LOTTA PEOPLE. I may cry from hapiness...I'll always have it in my dreams. End Transmission. -
first off Harry, I cant believe you're running a site about movies and have NEVER seen EVIL DEAD!!! Wait for the theater experience? Ok well thats plausable but it STILL doesnt hold up in my necrenomicon Book of the dead. If you loved the second film so much, why did you trust your friends opinion on EVIL DEAD? Who is this other friend Harry...I'll (and others) will feed him to the demons for that review!! i wish I wsh that they would make EVIL DEAD 4 and possibly harry is right about Sam bankrolling the next installment with his "honerable" movies such as "for the love of the Game". I'm hoping that Bruce and Sam will get together with Peter Jackson and make DEAD ALIVE 2 after Peter finishes Lord of the Rings Trilogy!...hey is anybody reading my talkback posts way down here? ---Mck!!
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Harry you lucky SOB! I'm just glad it seems like you made the most of this glorious opportunity. And the pictures are a great touch, thanks for including them!
I've never dealt with anyone in show business as alternately cool and down to earth as Bruce Campbell. The man is a real talent. What other established actor would return his fans' emails?! (www.bruce-campbell.com)
The Evil Dead Trilogy films are a benchmark in both independent and horror film and I love the fact that people know it, although it's taken a bit. Bruce has done some bad movies, but they're not bad because of him, and often even in major films his character pays homage to his 'humble' roots. I also like how you can differentiate between posts for things Harry likes enthusiastically, and those he seems to like for some inscrutable purpose. There is a certain glee, a certain extra attention to detail in his descriptions, much like the Evil dead films themselves. -
Evil Dead is the best of all three. If you like II & III, how can you appreciate I. Or vise versa. I think I & III are good examples of what happens when you don't know what to do with a concept and really don't care. I & II were sell out films. Evil Dead was creative and original, scary, and layered with a bit of charm. (The charm born of a passionate filmmaker, with no money, forced to be resourceful) Darkman was cool, screw the sequels. I met the man, Raimi, he's a nice guy, kind of sad though, he's a low budget filmmaker now given command of big budget films and stupid ass television shows.
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