The original Evil Dead series set a new high (low?) watermark for gore, but also brought a sense of humor unlike almost anything then or since. By the third installment, it was as much Three Stooges as anything and the hyperkinetic blend of slapstick and splatter betrayed the independent DIY aesthetic underneath the slick studio sheen.
That can-do spirit is still alive in the new generation of horror actors — or “guinea pigs” as Campbell calls them. Co-star Ray Santiago, while covered in blood, told him it felt like, “A thousand little teeny animals licking him at the same time.” If they can power through the near-constant discomfort of this kind of production “and still be able to joke about it,” Campbell says laughing, “That’s when you know it’ll be OK.”