Bruce Campbell's Dad Is In Every Cut Of Army Of Darkness
As many of the film's fans know, Sam Raimi's slapstick medieval horror comedy "Army of Darkness" was not a hit upon its release in North American release in February of 1993. The film's budget was a modest $11 million, and it made only $21 million worldwide, little enough to be considered a bomb. After the film's release on VHS, however, a cult audience swiftly began to amass around it. If you were in high school in 1993, one might hear lines of Sam and Ivan Raimi's screenplay shouted randomly in hallways, each one a cult password for horror nuts in the crowd. It wasn't long thereafter that "Army of Darkness" began rounding the midnight movie circuit. It has been a mainstay in pop culture ever since.
Or, to paraphrase lead actor Bruce Campbell in his biography "If Chin Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor," a blockbuster is when a million people see a movie ten times. A cult movie is where ten people see a movie a million times.
Lore and stories and trivia about the making of "Army of Darkness" have been steadily revealed over the years, and Campbell has made many convention appearances to talk about the production in detail. The film's fans will likely be familiar with the stories behind the film's multiple cuts. But, it seems, there will always be something to learn. For instance, on the film's DVD audio commentary track, Campbell revealed that his own father — not an actor — appeared in "Army of Darkness." All four versions of it. As it so happens, Charles Newton Campbell, credited as Charlie Campbell, played a knight in the film's final battle sequence.
Surviving every cut
Charlie Campbell had a few dalliances in acting prior to "Army of Darkness." According to his IMDb page, Campbell appeared in the amateur short film "Acting and Reacting" in 1980, alongside his sons Bruce and Ted, as well as the underground 1985 cult film "Stryker's War," also opposite Bruce and Ted. It seems that he was merely a game parent who agreed to participate in his kids' movies as a favor. That favor, it seems, extended to "Army of Darkness." On the commentary track, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell marvel over his inclusion and how he stayed in every edit. Charlie's star scene? Getting stabbed in the stomach by a skeleton. Campbell said:
"He made it through all the versions of this. I was so happy. Because you can't really argue with the studio. If they want to cut out a shot of a guy getting killed. I couldn't really say 'Heh, heh. That's my dad. Can you leave him in?' He made it in all versions for some reason! Coming up here, he'll get killed. [...] Remember, Sam, when we were filming with him, I wanted my dad to do a good job, so I started directing him [...] And you said 'Shut up! I'm the director! I tell your dad how to die, okay? Not you!'"
Raimi also was kind, saying that Charlie had "always been a big supporter of ours. Gave us one of our first investors."
If one looks around online, one might find photos of Charlie on set, posing with his son Bruce.
Charlie
Charles Newton Campbell passed in 2004 at the age of 76. According to his obituary, he was a lifelong Michigan resident, studied history in school, and enjoyed a 35-year career in advertising. He left the advertising world at the age of 63 to return to school and get a Masters in education. His obituary also mentioned that he frequently acted in local theater productions in his hometown, that he loved painting, and that he was generally a friendly and funny human being.
On Father's Day in 2020, Bruce Campbell paid homage to his dad on his Twitter account. One can see the resemblance.
Looking back over the low-budget B-movies he was in, Charlie Campbell appeared to be having a wonderful time. Make movies with his kids and get splattered with blood squibs? There are far worse ways one can bond with family on the weekends. One would to well to watch the R-rated trailer for "Stryker's War" to see the kind of glorious bloody shlock he and Bruce and Ted (and Sam Raimi) were doing in the 1980s. "Stryker's War" was also called "Thou Shalt Not Kill ... Except." It's a film about military men who wage war on a Charles Manson-like cult figure, played by Raimi. It's gloriously cheap, gross and bloody.
Rest in peace, Charlie. You seemed way cool.