Editorials
Bruce Campbell’s 6 Most Memorable Horror Movie Roles
The ratio of heroes and protagonists in horror tends to favor women by a wide margin. We celebrate final girls like Laurie Strode, Nancy Thompson, Ellen Ripley, and more on the regular, but not nearly as many men reach the end credits of a horror film; even less often are they the ones who save the day. Beloved actor Bruce Campbell is a pioneer in that respect.
The definitive scream king, Bruce Campbell has played so many characters that have been put through the ringer in horror, saving the world time and time again from demonic armies, ancient mummies, vengeful dead, witches, and various other creatures. It’s difficult to think of any other actor working in horror who has been consistently dealt such physically demanding roles, and Campbell manages to make it all look effortless every time. His talent for physical comedy surely helps.
Campbell has reached a major milestone, turning 60 today, so in honor of his birthday we look back at 6 of his greatest contributions to the genre.
Joe Fasulo – The Woods
Lucky McKee’s 2006 supernatural film isn’t as celebrated as it should be. Starring Agnes Bruckner, Patricia Clarkson, and Rachel Nichols, this is primarily a female driven horror film set in an isolated all-girls boarding school in 1965. Agnes Bruckner plays lead Heather, a rebellious teen sent to Falburn Academy when her parents no longer can deal with her destructive ways. Falburn Academy, however, is a front for a coven of witches that intend to use the students for their nefarious plans. Campbell plays Heather’s father, Joe. Truthfully, he isn’t in it very much, but his role is crucial to Heather’s story and his scenes important. It’s also a different side to Campbell than what we’ve seen from the actor’s work before; his portrayal of a devoted but broken dad is great.
John Loftmore – Waxwork II: Lost in Time
This underappreciated sequel once again finds protagonists Mark Loftmore (Zach Galligan) and Sarah Brightman travelling through alternate worlds, each a self-contained horror film inspired segment. Campbell appears in a black and white segment that’s an homage to The Haunting. Or rather, if The Haunting was a comedy thanks to the comedic chops of Campbell. His character, John Loftmore, is the lead of the investigation team sent into the haunted house, and to say that the poltergeist activity gets dangerous would be an understatement. Especially for poor John Loftmore. Fans of Campbell’s humor should not miss this one.
Elvis Presley – Bubba Ho-Tep
I’m not sure really anything else needs to be said other than Campbell plays an elderly man living in a retirement home in Texas, claiming to be Elvis Presley. If you need more than that, then just know that it was written and directed by Don Coscarelli (Phantasm series), and that Elvis Presley teams up with President John F. Kennedy to save the residents of the retirement home from an ancient Egyptian mummy. Their battle is far tougher than it sounds considering they need motorized wheelchairs to get around. It’s also as hilarious as it sounds.
Himself – My Name is Bruce
A horror comedy that stars Campbell and directed by Campbell, My Name is Bruce features the actor playing himself. While “Bruce Campbell” is on set filming a B-horror movie, he’s mistaken for the character Ash and forced to fight a real monster invasion. In other words, this is a movie made specifically for Bruce Campbell fans by Bruce Campbell himself, filmed in his hometown. There’s an added level of humor to an already goofy horror comedy with in jokes aimed squarely at Campbell fans. Example: Ellen Sandweiss plays a character named Cheryl, a wink to the Evil Dead.
Jack Forrest – Maniac Cop
This action horror film written by Larry Cohen and directed by William Lustig is fun for a lot of reasons, but foremost for bringing horror’s two best scream kings together in one film: Tom Atkins and Bruce Campbell. When a killer dressed as a cop begins slaying people in New York City, Officer Jack Forrest (Campbell) becomes the number one suspect. By his own wife, no less. Granted, his suspicious behavior is because he’s having an affair with another officer. Campbell gets to play both the suspect seeking to clear his name and one of the lead protagonists going toe to toe with the real killer.
Ashley J. Williams – The Evil Dead series
One of horror’s most beloved characters, and one that fans have refused to let go of since the release of the 1981 film that started the journey, Ashley J. Williams is a true horror icon. From the DIY spook fest of The Evil Dead to the third season’s conclusion of Ash vs Evil Dead, Campbell has evolved Ash from a quiet university student with romance in mind on that fateful weekend away in the woods to a wise-cracking screw up discovering he’s a dad. He also happens to be the prophesied hero that falls from the sky to save the world from the deadites, time and time again. From barely surviving his youth to an older, wiser(ish) antihero, Campbell made every step of Ash’s journey memorable. More importantly, he made it a blast to watch. After three films and three seasons of a television series, Campbell has officially retired from the role. Considering all that Ash has been through over the decades, Campbell has earned his rest.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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