Bruce Campbell had a colorful response for a heckler who said “Evil Dead Rise” sucks after the film’s SXSW screening on Wednesday night.
“This movie f—ing sucks,” an audience member said during the Q&A between the cast and crew after the film premiered in Austin, interrupting the conversation to storm out of the Paramount Theatre, flipping off those on stage to boos of the audience.
“What are you doing here? Get the f— outta here,” Campbell then shouted from the stage, to an explosion of cheers and applause from the audience.
“I think someone got possessed during the movie,” one of the panelists said, followed by “Keep back, keep Austin weird, right?”
“There was no alcohol involved in that whatsoever,” Campbell added.
“Evil Dead Rise” is a sequel/reboot to the franchise that follows Beth (Lily Sullivan), a road-weary traveler who visits her older sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland). Ellie is raising three kids in a small Los Angeles apartment, and their reunion gets interrupted by a book beneath Ellie’s basement that gives rise to flesh-possessing demons.
The film stands alone from Sam Raimi’s trilogy starring Bruce Campbell as Ash as well as the television series continuation “Ash vs. Evil Dead.” Campbell doesn’t appear in “Evil Dead Rise,” which is directed by Lee Cronin, but he executive produced.
Campbell recently said that he would be open to returning to the franchise of Raimi were to direct another film.
“If Sam says, ‘I, Sam Raimi, will direct another ‘Evil Dead’ movie,’ then I, Bruce Campbell, will consider being in it,” he told Fangoria. “I don’t want to be Ash tended to by other people. Sam’s the meanest director I’ve ever worked with, and Ash needs a little bit of that to shine. And I think Sam’s the only director now who I won’t punch in the face making an ‘Evil Dead’ movie!”
“I just want the right circumstances,” he added. “Because Sam, even though he’s done studio movies, he’s still a good director! So, I want Sam! I’ll do it for Sam.”
Raimi was on the SXSW stage alongside Campbell.
