We caught up with Bruce Campbell, the living legend, at Wondercon, and he told us the secret of making an awesome movie, in any genre. He also explained why he thinks horror comedy is making a comeback.
Campbell tells us:
I think horror movies are better if people give a shit, and make a decent movie. I feel like there's lazy film-makers in general out there. I [would like] a little more industrious film-making, please. I just think they need to work a little harder, pay attention, and don't treat audiences like they're stupid.
We asked Campbell what he feels he, as an actor, can contribute to making movies smarter, and he responded with characteristic modesty that he's just there to entertain the masses, and he doesn't write the scripts or point the cameras. "It's just one interpretation in a much larger wheel."
Meanwhile, Campbell tells us it's "awesome" to see someone else starring in an Evil Dead movie. "I encourage everyone being in Evil Dead movies except me. It's more fun to watch someone else get tormented." And he's thankful that there are no Bruce Campbell-isms in the movie, and nobody tries to imitate him in their performances. "We didn't want that." He was involved in casting the movie, and then came back for post-production after he was done shooting Burn Notice.
Campbell told us he believes that horror movies go in waves, and maybe horror-comedy is having another wave.
Horror films get serious, horror films get not serious, horror films get into torture porn, and they get out of it... there's just different phases that they go in and out of... I think that most people are afraid to do [horror comedy]. [Horror are comedy] are both tricky genres.
Evil Dead is in theaters this Friday.