Bruce Campbell Hits Back at Heckler at SXSW Premiere
- “Evil Dead Rise” premiered at SXSW in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday.
- A heckler shouted “this movie sucks” at the cast, director, and producers.
- Horror icon Bruce Campbell shut them down, saying: “Get the fuck out of here.”
“Evil Dead Rise” is the latest chapter in the long-running franchise, which started back in 1981 with Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” starring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams. The actor would go on to star in two sequels, as well as a Starz TV show in 2015.
But the new movie is helmed by Irish director Lee Cronin, and moves the horror from a cabin in the woods to an apartment building in Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, Cronin brought along the cast and producers, including Raimi and Campbell, to premiere “Evil Dead Rise” at the 2023 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.
Cronin, Campbell, and Raimi were joined onstage after the screening by stars Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan to talk about making the film, but there was one audience member who wasn’t quite happy with the sequel.
A heckler shouted, “This movie sucks,” before leaving the room to a cacophony of boos from the rest of the audience.
On stage, Campbell shut them down by saying: “What are you doing here? Get the fuck out of here.”
—Let Me Explain (@LMExplain) March 16, 2023
Cronin took the rude comment in good spirits, joking, “I think someone got possessed during the movie.”
Campbell then sarcastically added, “There was no alcohol involved in that whatsoever.”
Meanwhile, producer Rob Tapert pointed out, “I don’t get it, he waited all the way through the credits,” which was met with a big laugh from the rest of the audience.
A video of the moment quickly circulated on Twitter as many users commented on how disrespectful the heckler was.
However, other reactions to “Evil Dead Rise” that circulated on Twitter were more positive.
—Eammon Jacobs (@EammonJacobs) March 16, 2023
—Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) March 16, 2023
—Murjani Rawls @ SXSW (@MurjaniRawls) March 16, 2023
—Paul Lê (@AFinalBoy) March 16, 2023
In “Evil Dead Rise,” Beth (Sullivan) visits her sister Ellie (Sutherland) and her children. But it isn’t long before the deadites find their way into Ellie’s apartment building and all hell breaks loose.
“Evil Dead Rise” is in theaters on April 21.