If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor

I picked up this book because of the excellent reviews it's gotten, my interest in the entertainment industry, and my appreciation of Bruce Campbell. I'm not a huge Campbell fan, and I always hated the Evil Dead films, but I do enjoy seeing him in films, and I grew accustomed to his work on Hercules and Xena. By the end of this book (which took 2 days), I found myself enamored with Campbell and renting every Evil Dead film and B Movie he's been in.This novel is more of a tongue-in-cheek biography of Campbell's life than a confessional "tell all" about Hollywood. While Campbell does mention 2 or 3 tidbits about some well known actors in Hollywood, don't expect a "tell-all" book filled with gossip. The second thing this book is not, is a "how-to" guide for beginning actors. Campbell provides some pointers and suggestions for new actors, as well as tips that have helped him, but they are mainly given in context with his experience in the industry.That being said, "If Chins Could Kill" has a lot of appeal for anyone who's currently trying to get into showbiz or has any interest in Hollywood. Campbell's anecdotes kept me entertained for hours and I found my fascination for this industry increasing with each page. The book reminded me of a better written version of William Goldman's "Adventures in the Screen Trade" It will apeal to die hard Campbell fan, as well as budding thespians and anyone who enjoys watching E! Television.I was very surprised with the quality of this book. Campbell is an excellent writer and I found myself admiring his journalistic abilities even more than his acting. The chapters are short and flow very well together. The book starts out rather slow as he describes his childhood, but after the first few chapters he meets up with the Raimis and his adventures in film really begin. I found myself appreciating "The Evil Dead" so much more after hearing Campbell describe what went into the making of this cult film. Campbell also does an exceelent job of porvinding an honest look at the struggles of "B" actors. I've always looked on actors as having great jobs: do something you love and then take home a huge paycheck, a notion which was dispelled for me after hearing him break down what happens to his salary after the check is cut.My only problems with the book, was that Campbell seems to jump from story to story in many of the chapters, and some anecdotes seem out of place. Campbell will be discussing a movie in one paragraph, and then in the very next, will discuss something completely different. This can seem a little unusual with no use of line spacing after paragraphs, but doesn't necessarily detract from the book. Some tales are thrown in this way and only discussed for a few sentences, and seem out of place when looking at the book as a whole. But this also has the apeal of apearing very informal, almost as if Campbell is relating the stories to you in person. Some better quality photgraphs would have been nice, ands more picture of Bruce as well. The book is loaded with pictures but they can appear a bit grainy, and many are irrelevant. This especially seems strange given how beautiful the book jacket is, and the high quality paper used in it. That seems like a wierd thing to say, but this is just one of those books that you just like to feel and flip the pages because it's put together so well.Overall, I found this to be one of the most entertaining biographies I've ever read, and definately the best look at Hollywood I've seen. Even if you have no idea who Bruce Campbell is and no interest in acting, I'd recommend picking up this book to get an honest, entertaining, inside look at the life of a successful B movie actor.

If you love Bruce Campbell or if you've just discovered him, you won't be disappointed. This book is extremely entertaining! Bruce is such an incredible actor/human being. Very funny, very honest, very cool and unbelievably handsome ;) seriously get this book!

This is an easy book to read and a hard book to put down. Bruce shares his life with the reader without sugar coating it. His background growing up with two brothers is spectacular. Boys will be boys. He gets bit by the acting bug early and stumbles through it with recklessness and wit.His friends are in the same boat but are some of the best and brightest in Hollywood today. They just go for it and make it up as they go and became successful in spite of it.As an Evil Dead fan, I was very happy to learn what went on, but as a Bruce Campbell fan I am fascinated to learn all the gory details of his life.

He's hammy, un-glamorous and yet handsome in a quirky sort of way; he's done most of his own stunts, had no formal acting education, yet somehow remains employed in film and television for over 25 years; he's one of those admirable, hard-working stiffs that you never hear about in Hollywood; "real" stars the likes of Charlton Heston can't remember him from one week to the next ...he's Bruce Campbell, and for my money, he's the greatest thing to happen to B movies since Lon Cheney.If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor is the great BC's autobiography. He is very upfront about his intent to show the "blue-collar Hollywood" here. What he also reveals is that he was once just a typical kid growing up in Michigan, with perhaps an atypical talent for plotting, campaigning, jerri-rigging and otherwise pulling off one kind of mischief or another. He also seems to have had a lot of friends who shared his creative spirit and interest in making Super 8 movies (yes, that includes Spiderman's director Sam Raimi). Combine all these factors with a self-admitted intention to goof off for a living, and you have the makings of the only kind of film crew capable of making the likes of Evil Dead: offbeat, and forced by a shoestring budget to improvise and innovate. It also helped that there wasn't some kind of filmmaking bigshot hanging around to point out why what they were attempting was impossible.Mr. Campbell takes us through his life to date with a clear, unselfconscious writing style that has a conversational tone. He doesn't seem to be keen on hamming it up in his book or embellishing it with the flair he puts in his films. Writing per se is apparently not his first passion, but there is a sense of honesty and a self-deprecating humor that shines through. The behind-the-scenes look at the moviemaking process and the world of working actors was a treat for me, though, and since Bruce so obviously enjoyed telling it, I enjoyed reading it.It could be said that Bruce has become an icon of sorts in our household; and after finishing this book, I have greater understanding about why he has always represented the ultimate sassy underdog to me. Love ya Bruce - and don't you dare retire for at least another 25 years!-Andrea, aka Merribelle

Anyone at all interested in Bruce Campbell and the whole B-movie schtick needs to read this book. It's an entertaining read detailing the exploits of the man whom you'd think would be a lot richer and more famous than he actually appears to be. It details his life right from his early exploits and goes about as far as Bubba-Hotep, listing the ups and downs of the lower rent end of Hollywood. This man met Doug McClure, for heavens sake! It's no Lord of the Rings, but it's a must for B-movie fans everywhere and Bruce fans in particular. Score one for the nice guy doing his best in a tough world.

No-one buying this book is going to be disappointed. If you haven't heard of Bruce Campbell you're probably not going to buy it. If you have heard of him this is the book for you! With enough anecdotes on cheap film making to make anyone think they could do it, to the bizarre stories of fandom which might put you off and everything in between. This book actually goes quite nicely with a viewing of the extras on the 'Evil Dead' DVD as the two elements compliment each other nicely. Always the 'small star in a big movie or a big star in a small movie', here Bruces candid charm takes centre stage throughout. Fluidly written, a quick enjoyable read and not just for the fans. Lots of gossip and info from behind the scenes in the film industry moving on nicely to the TV series (Hercules) as well. Top bloke. Top book.

exactly as described came in good time considering current climit

Another great Campbell book.A must for Bruce Campbell fans.

Perfect for any fan of Bruce and his work or B movies in general.