Bruce Campbell has been praised for his response to a heckler who told him his new film “f***ing sucks”.
The actor is executive producer of Evil Dead Rise, a new instalment in the horror franchise that launched him to fame in the 1980s.
After the film’s premiere at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, Campbell attended a post-screening Q&A, which began after the credits had rolled.
Ten minutes into the interview, which was moderated by Peter Hall, staff at the screening venue noticed a man who was falling asleep with his legs propped up on the balcony railing. Silence fell after the man began shouting, and he then bellowed: “This movie f***ing sucks!”
The man began walking around, ranting about the film, as the crowd booed. Campbell then stepped in.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, stating: “Get the f*** out of here.”
The crowd erupted into cheers, with producer Rob Tapert quipping: “I don’t get it – he waited all the way through the credits.”
Aside from the disruptive viewer, Evil Dead Rise, which is directed by Lee Cronin, received a rapturous response from the audience – and reviews have been kind.
Bloody Disgusting called it a “gnarly crowd pleaser” with Slash Film branding it “a good time at the movies”.
Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead was released in 1981, with acclaimed sequel Evil Dead II following in 1987. In 1992, the third film in the franchise, Army of Darkness, was released and Fede Alvarez rebooted the series in 2013 with Evil Dead.
Campbell, who played Ash in the first three films, reprised the role for TV series Ash vs Evil Dead, which drew to an end after three seasons in 2018.
Evil Dead Rise, which stars Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland, is set to be released on 21 April.
