Bruce Campbell Has One Major Issue with the Last Few ‘Evil Dead’ Films

Bruce Campbell may not be in the last few Evil Dead films (minus that brief cameo in Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead), but he’s still now and always will be the face of the franchise. Campbell has been with the deadites since the beginning, starring in three films and the Ash vs. Evil Dead Starz series. Behind the scenes, he’s acted as a producer alongside creator Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. What he says about Evil Dead matters.

That’s why, though Campbell has largely supported the recent trio of films, some fans may be surprised to hear the actor has one major problem with them: They’re not funny enough.

In a recent chat with Men’s Journal, the actor stated, “I’d like more humor back in. The three features have been mostly humorless, and I personally have a problem with that. There’s no point for these to get too grim. You can be scary without being grim.”

Added Campbell, “A little more humor wouldn’t kill you. And one hero that you really can root for. Ash is an idiot, but you want him to survive.”

As much as I’ve loved Evil Dead, Evil Dead Rise and Evil Dead Burn (read my review), I can’t argue that. The lack of comedy is the number one issue I’ve heard from fans. I do believe that all three films incorporate some mild humor in their own way, Burn going the strongest in that regard, but they’re far from the slapstick camp of the originals.

That said, I like the darker direction the films have gone. They have a gruesome sort of balls-to-the-wall intensity that I can’t get enough of. Plus, there’s only one Sam Raimi. Evil Dead II is one of the greatest horror comedies of all time. You can’t recreate that. So, why not let other filmmakers approach the franchise with a different take?

“” Campbell continued. “”