Bloofer Gent: Bruce Campbell

This year's Bloofer Gent is a bit late in coming, but I promise all thirsty thrillseekers that he's well worth the wait. 'Good sense of humour' is generally listed as desirable on dating sites, so clear your calendar as this year's terrifyingly tasty temptation is the one and only Bruce Campbell!

If you were around in the 1980s, you'll remember The Evil Dead, a low-budget horror about a group of students who go to a cabin in the woods, play a tape they've found, and get set upon by unspeakable horrors. Bruce played haplessly handsome lead character Ash Williams, and such was his appeal, even the evil dead couldn't keep him down. It was a role he filled in followup movies Evil Dead II (the one where he replaces his possessed hand with a chainsaw) and Army Of Darkness (the medieval one). In the 2010s he returned to the role as an older yet still wisecracking Ash in the TV series Ash Vs Evil Dead. It'll surprise no-one to learn Ash was voted one of the most iconic horror characters of all time. 

Groovy.

But as appealing as Ash is, Bloofer Bruce was no one-hit wonder. Like many a horror great before him, he returned to the genre in other guises, in Maniac Cop, Darkman, From Duck Till Dawn 2, and Bubba Ho-Tep, where he plays an ageing Elvis impersonator (or is he really the King himself?) in a care home, taking on a malevolent mummy with a fellow resident who claims to be JFK. He also plays a scion of the Van Helsing line in one of my favourite horror comedies, Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat. Then there's the TV, a roster of cult classics: a major role in Burn Notice, plus roles in Xena: Warrior Princess, The X-Files, Fargo (where he played Ronald Reagan in two episodes), and so much more. He's unstoppable, and that's just how we like our gents.

Hail to the Bloofer king, baby! For making us laugh, making us wince, and showing us all your boomstick, Bruce Campbell, we salute you!