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Bruce Campbell, the enduring horror icon of “The Evil Dead”, is back with the horror comedy “Black Friday”.
Campbell, 63, is Jonathan, the mean-spirited manager of a big-box toy store overrun not only with Black Friday shoppers but also devouring aliens.
“What I liked about it,†Campbell explained in a phone interview, “was that there was humor. There is even social commentary, which is quite rare in n ‘ any type of film.
“It was a great element! That a bunch of disgruntled workers with a lousy boss (who is also a little disgruntled) are just as concerned about overtime and good working conditions as they survive that night.
“It’s not normally what you get with a horror movie.”
Campbell seems to have done it all in his 42 year career – an autobiography, a TV series (“Burn Notice”), films ranging from Disney to unrated. As the most knowledgeable guy of all the sets, how does he work with the directors?
“I just do things organically. I don’t want to hear about any fancy shots or fancy special effects, I mean the genre, how did we get to this? How is this supposed to work? You need someone to explain what is behind these action sequences.
Basic human safety on a set has been a priority for Campbell from the start. “I’m always hyper-hyper alert. You know, we were shooting a sequence with fire on a TV show called “Ash vs Evil Dead”.
“Before I fired I walked over to the security guy and said, ‘Dude, this place is on fire, what’s my route out of here? “
“He showed me the course, which was not very well marked. So I had huge big yellow ribbons put all along this exit lane. Then I could say, ‘Okay, now I’m comfortable.’ “
Regarding the film industry’s current gun safety concerns, on its three seasons of “Ash vs. Evil Dead,†“I sent a memo saying I won’t be using live ammunition in the film industry. ‘of any kind – regardless of the ballistics! – for the duration of the show.
“I did this before I shot the very first episode. Because I know what it takes to handle gunfire. Even if you do it right, it takes an awfully long time if you’re dealing with a projectile.
“I said, we don’t want safety issues and we don’t want time issues. Let’s do none of that.
“As a result, you can make it cooler than if it was real.”
“Black Friday” is available on streaming platforms.
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