Book Review: If Chins Could Kill

Reviewed By: Jon Jordan - Crime Spree Magazine - RAM

If Chins Could Kill     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Bruce Campbell
Class/Genre:   Non-Fiction   AutoBiography
LA Weekly Books (imprint of St Martins), 2001

I picked this book up because I really like Bruce Campbell. I have Since I saw him in Evil Dead II. And I have loved his work since. Especially The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. He’s done a lot of other work, and it’s all entertaining. He describes himself as “Hollywood lower middle class”. And he’s ok with it. He loves the work. In front and behind the camera.

The book starts as many biographies with Bruce growing up in Michigan. Of course most kids didn’t grow up with Sam and Ted Raimi, and the other friends Bruce had. It leads up to the making of some super-8 films and eventually Evil Dead. It’s a great behind the scenes look at film making. The book follows Bruce to Hollywood and eventually TV and feature films. And leads right to the shooting of Xena and Hercules. The section about The Quick And The Dead was especially fun. And he intersperses the book with little snippits of his friends, including Sam Raimi.

This book made me laugh, it made me think, and most of all it made me appreciate what these people really do for a living. It reads fast and I will probably read it again.

Jon Jordan - Crime Spree Magazine - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Jon Jordan - Crime Spree Magazine - RAM

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