Zombie killer Bruce Campbell stalks convention

Thousands of zombies take over Seattle this Halloween weekend!

But don't worry, Bruce Campbell will be on hand.

Known best as the zombie killer from the cult favorite "Army of Darkness," the 52-year-old actor is a guest speaker at ZomBcon, a convention that features workshops, screenings and a zombie prom. Campbell speaks at 3 p.m. Saturday at SIFF Cinema at Seattle Center. The convention also hosts other notables from the zombie world, such as George Romero, Malcolm McDowell, Max Brooks, Steven L. Frank and Kevin Hamedani.

Campbell called from Ashland, Ore., where he lives, to give advice on fighting zombies.

Q: How does one fight a zombie?

A: I guess dismemberment may be the only way, so they can no longer physically amble. ... It's not about cutting off their heads, because they don't have a brain.

Q: I'm guessing that you don't take all this seriously.

A: It's not possible to take this stuff seriously. As an actor, sure, I take work seriously, but not what I'm doing necessarily. If you're doing a dumb horror movie, you have to believe what you're doing to some degree.

Q: How do you feel about being a B-movie hero?

A: I don't have any problems being in that world, because I find it to be pretty fun. ... A movies are a little more boring to me. ... Of course, the guy gets the girl ... But with B movies, we have more latitude. ... We can kill the lead guy and have the bad guy win. ... The funny thing is that B movies have had enough influence on A movies that the A movies are now B movies with a big budget. Because, look, if you dress up like a bat, and fly around a city called Gotham — I got news for you, that's a B movie.

Q: How do you choose your roles, from Elvis in "Bubba Ho-Tep" to a retired spy in "Burn Notice"?

A: Early on, I'd just say yes to everything. ... Then, over time, you start to do a sitcom format, or a TV movie format, or a TV series, or a feature, or whatever, then you see what you like and don't like. ... Over time, your tastes hopefully refine, so movies that I did 15 years ago, I would say no to half of them now.

Q: What are your thoughts on the current vampire craze?

A: "Twilight" is a massive B movie. Vampires immediately push you into the B-movie category. You can have all the young beautiful starlets and handsome ripped guys, it doesn't matter. And, I have my own issue with vampires, because they are so unappealing to me. They look like they smell bad and they need to get out.

Q: What's your favorite recent horror movie?

A: I can't do the "Saw" movies. It's not my bag. To me, it's not entertainment, it's just gruesomeness. ... Horror is supposed to startle, not disturb you. When you get into those kind of movies, it's a one note deal.

Q: What do you watch then?

A: Because I'm in the industry, I crave reality, so I watch nature shows, news and sports.

Marian Liu: 206-464-3825 or mliu@seattletimes.com

This article was corrected on Oct. 29, 2010. An earlier version said Bruce Campbell would appear at AMC Pacific Place, but organizers have moved the event to SIFF Cinema.