Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way, by Bruce Campbell

This is one of the funniest damn books I’ve read in a long time. I opened it last night and couldn’t put it down until I was done; I often laughed out loud, once even waking up my sleeping wife! Campbell tells us how he landed a part in a Mike Nichols movie and what happens as the production gets underway. What starts as simple research into his role as a doorman ends up with Campbell being chased by the Secret Service, and simple suggestions to the cast and crew result in script changes that increasingly move the lighthearted romantic comedy further from its roots—and closer to something fans of Ash might recognize!

Campbell is at his funniest here: self-deprecating and sly, outrageous and absurd. We see a Buddhist in a fistfight and picking up a one night stand. We see a duel fought outside a southern strip club. An eco-terrorist is captured and a plot to rob the Smithsonian is foiled. There are funny Photoshopped pictures throughout as well; my favorite was the Welcome to Michigan sign that included the phrases, “Great Lakes, Great Times, Ohio State Sucks!” I loved Campbell’s In Chins Could Kill and this one was even better! Groovy!

First Sentence:

I read the e-mail out loud and wrinkled my nose when I got to the “another book of this type” part.

If Chins Could Kill, by Bruce Campbell

I remember watching The Evil Dead when I was in high school and thought it was fantastic. Horror movies aren’t my favorite, but this one was special. It was both funny and shocking, the perfect movie for a bunch of underage kids with a case of beer. Evil Dead II was even better; the scene where Ash chases his own hand around the cabin—finally securing it with a pile of books, the topmost being A Farewell to Arms—is one of my favorite scenes in any movie ever. While my best friend at the time raved about the director (the soon-to-be-famous Sam Raimi) Bruce Cambpell was the reason I kept watching. If Chins Could Kill is Campbell’s life story, and I couldn’t put it down.

After a brief background, he jumps into the story of how The Evil Dead was shot. These guys were pretty much making it up as they went and created a cult classic by accident! Not knowing much about film I found this really interesting. Buying every bottle of Karo syrup in a 30-mile radius to create the gallons of fake blood needed and creating a camera dolly with two-by-fours and Vaseline are just two of the many anecdotes presented. Groovy!

First Sentence:

There is an L-shaped scar on the left side of my chin.