Non-Fiction Book Reviews Blog: If Chins Could Kill

The Evil Dead franchise is one of my favorites in the genre. Ever since I found an old VHS tape in my dad’s living room cupboard alongside a slew of other horror and sci-fi “gems” including movies such as Black Moon Rising, Exterminators of the Year 3000, Microwave Massacre, The Incredible Melting Man, Silent Night, Deadly Night and Halloween (among others), I was thrilled to discover that my dad was a horror fan. False! Either way, there was a film with its simple title, The Evil Dead, that stood out. Initially, I thought the title was somewhat cheesy but, still, it called to me, and the rest was history.

It was August of 2001, I was a senior at the University at Buffalo and the cover of The Generation, a student magazine, graced Bruce Campbell on its cover – he was set to visit the campus as part of his book tour. I was ecstatic! He was signing copies of his then-new book If Chins Could Kill. Did I have a copy? Nope, not yet. Don’t judge, I was a college student and the $25.00-ish price tag for the book was a bit steep for me at the time. I had more collegiate books that most of my money had to go to (unfortunately?). But, alas, my fandom got the better part of me, and I went out and snagged a copy before they sold out for the event. With my copy in hand, I made my way to the Center For the Arts and plopped myself onto a seat in the middle of the auditorium – all I needed was a Coke and a bucket of popcorn. Moments later, Mr. Campbell was introduced and he made his way onto the stage to grand applause and, some would say, manic cheering. I smiled and clapped, burying my excitement deep within. The evening consisted of a Q&A from Bruce, a screening of The Evil Dead from a 35mm film print, followed by a meet and greet where you can, you guessed it, meet Bruce Campbell and have a copy of the book signed – at least that’s how I remembered it. I stood in line, eager to meet the man, the “legend” who starred in the Evil Dead films, which is one of my favorite horror films – what was I going to say to him but, more importantly, what, if anything, was he going to say to me?!

I reached the front of the line, the moment of truth, I handed him the book for him to sign and he immediately started to mumble something under his breath, opened the book and started to skim through the first few pages, looked up to me and says, “Not a first edition, you must be a real fan.” His sarcasm was extremely evident. I smirked at this and told him, “I’m a college student, what did you expect?” Again, he mumbled something under his breath and then asked me what I was studying to be when I graduated. “I want to be a filmmaker,” he laughed and asked me my name, and he proceeded to sign my book and wished me, to what I can only attribute as heavy sarcasm, ‘good luck’.

I posed for a photo and made my way out with a massive grin and what I deemed a treasure tucked into my sweaty armpit. Years later (now) I would come to understand his “bitter” demeanor towards my dream of becoming a filmmaker having finally read the book.

Again, I was thrilled to meet one of my “heroes.” Hero, not in the sense that I looked up to him and hung on the man’s every word. No, but he too was a youngin when he starred in The Evil Dead, and, at the time, I wanted to do what he and friend Sam Raimi were doing. In all honesty, I wanted to be the Sam Raimi of the pair, the director extraordinaire, utilizing style and a unique vision for the audience to marvel at. Still, meeting Bruce was an absolute thrill, and I was able to share this story for years to come. Now, I just had to read the damn book! And I am happy to say that after eighteen years of sharing this story and proudly displaying the photo I took with him and his autograph, I finally read the book in its entirety! I’m almost positive that Mr. Campbell would have something snarky to say having learned of the lengthy amount of time it took for me to read the book. Of course, I would welcome any smart-ass remark with a smirk.

If Chins Could Kill starts from the beginning, Bruce’s humble beginnings with his brothers in suburban Michigan. Campbell provides us with an insight into his childhood and the shenanigans and mischief he and his brothers caused. We follow him to high school, how he got the acting bug, and how he met the various crew that would forever become part of Evil Dead history (lore?) – the Raimi brothers, Josh Becker, Robert Tapert, Tom Sullivan, the ladies of the Evil Dead, etc. It was this portion of the book that I was looking forward to reading as I always wanted more insight as to what happened behind the scenes of this film and this segment was dedicated to how the film was made from its inception, its trials and tribulations to its continued success did not fail to quench my thirst. I already knew that filming was hell but to read it from the main actor himself was priceless and a gem. What’s more, it gave me a keen insight into the hard work and dedication that these young guys put into getting the film off the ground. Reading about his struggle as an actor and the many roadblocks that denied Campbell from getting access down the golden paved roads that is Hollywood was heartbreaking. I could only imagine that feeling of let down when you thought you were on your way to stardom only to be met with heartbreak and rejection. Reading the book, I understand Bruce now when I look back to my meeting him and of his sarcastic good luck when telling him of my hopes to fulfill my dream of becoming a filmmaker. There was even a passage in the book where he is reamed by some executive as if he were some unwitting child where he painstakingly describes being absolutely gutted. Add to that, he discusses his failed marriage in part because of his pursuit of “making it” and how he came home while filming The Evil Dead to discover that his mother left the family.

There were truths that I never once stopped to consider as a naive fan. I always imagined it as, ‘Hey, he’s in movies, he must be rich and famous, right?’ This notion couldn’t have been further from the truth. After reading If Chins Could Kill, Bruce Campbell was more of an afterthought (still is actually even though I can’t help but get excited when he “randomly” shows up on a television show or movie)but reading part of his story has garnered me to have so much respect for the man. Having met him was a privilege. The book is a fantastic read and had more than its fair share of laughs throughout including a hilarious forward by the book’s publisher who had a rather odd, and funny, encounter with Sam and brother Ivan Raimi when he approached them about contributing to the book. If Chins Could Kill is a great read for fans of the players surrounding the Evil Dead franchise and of course the talented, and often overlooked, Bruce Campbell.