I have been a Bruce Campbell fan from the very beginning. Having seen it on VHS Home Video when it was first released in that format in 1983 at 10 years old!
I was instantly a fan of the Renaissance Pictures gang and, in the days before the Internet, I would have to obsessively pore over each of my oldest sister's Fangoria magazines to pick up any information on the production of the Evil Dead. It was here, in the pages of this magazine, where I first learned about Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell. the three men who would remain at the top of my list of cinematic genius to this day.
It was a bit frustrating in those days because I had to wait month after month to get even the slightest info about anything they had going on. So, what did I do? I rented "The Evil Dead" every few months until it was burned into my brain. And then, about four years later in 1987, I was walking through the Horror Aisle of the local Mom & Pop video store in my, then, town of Nutley, NJ and what do I see. . . a grinning skull looking back at me from the rack with the title of Evil Dead 2. O.M.G.
I snagged it and BEGGED my mother to rent it. "Mom, remember the Evil Dead? That movie where those kids go to that cabin and the evil book turns them all into demons?! And the main guy, Ashley, sticks his thumbs through his friend's eyes and there's all that blood!" My mom sighed and agreed to rent it for me.
That night, I could hardly sit through dinner waiting to watch that movie. And when it finally went on, what followed was probably the best 84 cinematic minutes I have ever experienced. This movie was funny, scary, exciting, creepy and sad. The lead actor went from a little wimp to a tragic hero, outlived his new companions, cut off his own hand and was lost in time. It was genuinely the best roller coaster ride of a film I have ever witnessed.
Nothing I have ever seen since comes close.
After that, Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell quickly became Household words. I told every one of my friends about it, I told everyone at school about it. My High School Senior Thesis subject was "The Modern Horror Film: Independents vs Hollywood".
After watching this low budget masterpiece, I suffered in torment, waiting for "Evil Dead 3". Surely, it had to be made. There was no way they could leave this poor bastard, Ash, stranded in medieval times, could they? What else could I do to find out but follow Bruce's career? And I have been doing it ever since!
This podcast will highlight that journey.
I was instantly a fan of the Renaissance Pictures gang and, in the days before the Internet, I would have to obsessively pore over each of my oldest sister's Fangoria magazines to pick up any information on the production of the Evil Dead. It was here, in the pages of this magazine, where I first learned about Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell. the three men who would remain at the top of my list of cinematic genius to this day.
It was a bit frustrating in those days because I had to wait month after month to get even the slightest info about anything they had going on. So, what did I do? I rented "The Evil Dead" every few months until it was burned into my brain. And then, about four years later in 1987, I was walking through the Horror Aisle of the local Mom & Pop video store in my, then, town of Nutley, NJ and what do I see. . . a grinning skull looking back at me from the rack with the title of Evil Dead 2. O.M.G.
I snagged it and BEGGED my mother to rent it. "Mom, remember the Evil Dead? That movie where those kids go to that cabin and the evil book turns them all into demons?! And the main guy, Ashley, sticks his thumbs through his friend's eyes and there's all that blood!" My mom sighed and agreed to rent it for me.
That night, I could hardly sit through dinner waiting to watch that movie. And when it finally went on, what followed was probably the best 84 cinematic minutes I have ever experienced. This movie was funny, scary, exciting, creepy and sad. The lead actor went from a little wimp to a tragic hero, outlived his new companions, cut off his own hand and was lost in time. It was genuinely the best roller coaster ride of a film I have ever witnessed.
Nothing I have ever seen since comes close.
After that, Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell quickly became Household words. I told every one of my friends about it, I told everyone at school about it. My High School Senior Thesis subject was "The Modern Horror Film: Independents vs Hollywood".
After watching this low budget masterpiece, I suffered in torment, waiting for "Evil Dead 3". Surely, it had to be made. There was no way they could leave this poor bastard, Ash, stranded in medieval times, could they? What else could I do to find out but follow Bruce's career? And I have been doing it ever since!
This podcast will highlight that journey.
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