As technology advances, Campbell has tried his best to move right along with it and keep on top of things, particularly in the computer world. Its ability to spread (among other things) knowledge and information also seems ideal for a guy who would have been a schoolteacher had he not gone into acting. After having his likeness being ripped off for years with games like Duke Nukem, Campbell has been helping to develop and will be lending his voice to an official video game based on the Evil Dead films called Evil Dead: Ashes to Ashes.

He is also very involved with the World Wide Web. The internet, according to Campbell, seems like a logical extension to fandom. He maintains an official website, Bruce Campbell Online which is updated almost daily. The site includes latest news, personal rantings and even some advice to young directors on independent filmmaking which is very interesting indeed: "Don't get all wrapped up in storyboards, cool shots, lenses, etc. any more than your story demands."

This is interesting advice in a sense that Campbell himself has made his own share of intensely technical, style-packed movies. A few films spring to mind -- the first is his starring role in Josh Becker's Running Time, a film comprised entirely of long continuous shots, giving the illusion of watching a single, seamless movie in real time. The second and third are Raimi films. The recent Anchor Bay DVD releases of The Evil Dead and Army of Darkness contain informative audio commentary tracks which reveal miscellaneous problems that Campbell faced on set, such as Evil Dead's wacky 45 degree slant shots. Equally complicated takes are contained in Army of Darkness, where Campbell would often have to do some of his scenes in reverse.

"It's important for new filmmakers to realize that there's more to movies than bitchin' cool effects. I hope that a backlash will emerge of simple, effects free, storytelling."

When asked how he managed to focus on performance while forced, among other things, to act backwards, Campbell clarifies his words of wisdom: "I'm glad to have been involved in complicated projects, but it's important for new filmmakers to realize that there's more to movies than bitchin' cool effects. I hope that a backlash will emerge of simple, effects free, storytelling."

This distaste for the over-technicalization of the filmmaking process seems to be echoed today by a more subdued Sam Raimi. The director has always been known for his crazy, kinetic style of filmmaking but has consciously toned down in last two films, A Simple Plan and For the Love of the Game, the only two movies in Raimi's filmography that Bruce Campbell hasn't been a part of. "I think it's great that Sam has matured as a director," praises Campbell of his partner in crime through the 80s. "He has learned to adapt his style to the story he's telling and that takes some real thought and effort." Unlike some of Raimi's zealous followers, Campbell does not miss his friend's gonzo camera work. "Anybody can slap the camera on a crane and swoop around," the actor points out. "But can they tell a story? If Sam can do it, anybody can!"

Now that Campbell has become a filmmaker himself, inquiring minds want to know when we should expect to see him directing Raimi. "Ha!" exclaims Campbell. What? No payback for ankle injuries suffered from being cornered in a room and poked with sticks, or for when Raimi accidentally rammed right into his star with a motorcycle whilst driving it through a house, to get a shot for his Evil Dead films? Actually, that's precisely the reason why Campbell is laughing. "I'd punish him more than he ever punished me," he jokes. "So he's smart enough to make sure that never happens!"

Then how about a signature in his own work that he hopes to be known for? "I hope that there is always some form of energy associated with what I do," admits Campbell. "I may not be Lawrence Olivier, but I show up to work ready to entertain -- that would be a good enough legacy for me. I also hope that folks find my work more accessible than some of the brand name actors out there."

Bruce Campbell is more than accessible, as we've discovered -- as movie icon from a popular horror trilogy, as star of his own TV series, as a director, producer, novelist, sound editor, magazine columnist, and video game developer. Is there anything left for this man to do? "I like the whole mixed bag of make-believe, so it's been fun to dabble in various areas," concludes Campbell, adding wryly, "I will not be putting out a musical album of any sort, however."

The 11th Hour would like to extend special thanks to Bruce Campbell for his participation in this interview.

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