When Bruce Campbell and his friends began shooting the short film Within the Woods in 1978, they were probably hoping for many things. Maybe they were hoping their film would catapult them into a career in Hollywood. Maybe they hoped it would make them rich, famous, or at least more attractive to girls. They worked hard on that film, and it eventually led to the creation of their first feature-length film, The Evil Dead, which, at the end of the day (and by day, we mean decades), did end up making them rich, and famous, and more attractive to girls. Campbell probably hoped for a lot of things back then. But did he ever dream of having an entire festival named after him?
Probably not, but that's exactly what he got over the first weekend in December.
The 2022 BruceFest was held at The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. The Stanley, of course, is the hotel that inspired Stephen King to write The Shining (and it would later serve as the set of the 1997 miniseries version of The Shining). For three days, fans from all over the country gathered to worship at the altar of the king.
Black Ink Presents partnered with the APA Agency, Steady LLC, Saber Interactive, and The Stanley Hotel to produce a three-day festival dedicated to the man, the myth, the legend that is Bruce Campbell.
This was the second BruceFest, part film festival, part fan convention in the cold, hidden hills of the Rocky Mountains. Estes Park is, typically, a picturesque mountain town that would make the perfect setting for any Hallmark Christmas movie. But on this particular weekend, it played host to mummies, and demons, and chainsaws, oh my! Fans turned out in droves to offer their hails to the king.
"Bruce's incredible agent Craig Newman at APA, is one of our longtime collaborators," said Selena Moshell, the Creative Director for BruceFest. "We do a lot of work with him, and he approached our company, Black Ink Presents, based out of LA, to create a festival around one of his top clients, Bruce Campbell. I grew up watching The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. and all of those kinds of things, so I jumped on it! I knew we could make this a huge fest because he's got the best fan base – the nicest people, the most loyal, everything."
So, Moshell said, they got to work and started brainstorming how to make this festival stand out from others. Obviously, the first way was to present it at The Stanley Hotel, which has been voted one of America's most haunted lodgings. But that's not all they wanted to do. Black Ink Presents also wanted to make Dead-Heads (a term of endearment for Campbell's fans) feel like they were part of the show.
"We came up with this immersive, interactive festival that's different than other cons," Moshell said. "We really wanted it to feel special, intimate, and really different than a normal con, where you get something signed, you say hi, take a picture, and leave. There is much more interaction with the talent, but we also wanted fans to feel like they were in the Bruce Campbell universe."
And what a universe it is. Campbell has been acting for 40+ years, and in those four decades, he has amassed quite the back catalog of fascinating roles. From an aging Elvis forced to battle an ancient mummy to a wisecracking, bounty-hunting cowboy to his most (in)famous role – Ash Williams, of the Evil Dead series.
In fact, this weekend bore witness to two of the three original Evil Dead films, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. Both films were screened for adoring audiences, while Campbell took his place on his throne in the middle of the stage to offer a running commentary.
He wasn't alone, either. Actor, producer, and friend Ted Raimi joined Campbell for this year's festival and, as he is wont to do, Raimi served as something of a comic foil for The Man Who Would Be Ash.
Dressed to the nines, both actors sipped cocktails, shared stories, and cracked wise throughout each film.
"I kinda fuckin' hate this movie," Campbell said of Army of Darkness. "We had to put money in, out of our own pocket [to fund the movie], which we did not recoup. But I'm glad that people like it. Every time we hear the words' Army of Darkness,' we both kinda twitch. The filming experience was something that I would love to inflict on all of my enemies. 'Play Ash in the Army of Darkness.' It'd be the best 'Fuck you' you could ever do."
Campbell said the filming of that movie was a "soul-changing experience," one that almost cost him his (first) marriage, one that left him broke, and one that tested his stamina at every turn. Still, Campbell said he owed a lot to that film.
"So, I am slightly conflicted about this movie," Campbell admitted. "But it really is a joyous peek into the mind of Sam Raimi. And we all, as actors, have what we would consider a phase in our careers where we do the shit that we needed to do. And so, Army of Darkness, for me – this was where, if I had any superpowers at all as an actor, this is it. I don't get any worse or better. And it's nice to have it captured on film."
Campbell was most definitely treated with a (super) hero's welcome every time he took the stage during BruceFest. And that happened a lot. In addition to hosting Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, Campbell also screened Bubba Ho-Tep. He also served cocktails at the S-Mart Holiday Party, hosted an edition of Last Fan Standing (in which this writer won second place, and it would've been first if it wasn't for that damn Nicholas Cage). He took pictures and signed autographs for all of his loyal followers. Campbell even presided over both a marriage and a marriage proposal! It was a weekend full of love, admiration, and one-liners. It also served as the world premiere for the new Evil Dead Rise trailer (though, unfortunately, audience members were sworn to secrecy and not allowed to take photos or videos. Take it from us, though – this new movie will be unflinching, unrelenting, and un-fucking-believable).
BruceFest 2022 was a weekend for fans to remind Bruce Campbell just how loved he is. It was a weekend for Campbell to tell fans that he loved them. More than anything, it was a chance to celebrate the kid from Detroit with the impossible dream of being an actor. But if his characters have taught us anything - whether it's Ash Williams or Sam Axe or Brisco County, it's that impossible doesn't mean but two things: Jack and shit. And Jack left town.
Truly a celebration of all things Bruce Campbell (And Ted Raimi), and one has to imagine that if Campbell could tell his younger self anything back in 1978, it would be this: "Hold on, kid. It's gonna be a wild ride, but eventually, hundreds of people are going to come to a film festival dedicated to you. And it's gonna be Groovy."
