Campbell began acting as a teenager and soon began making small Super 8 movies with friends. After meeting Sam Raimi in high school the two became good friends and started making movies together. A few years and at least fifty movies later, they got together with other family and friends and began work on The Evil Dead. Campbell starred and working behind the camera, receiving a "co-executive producer" credit; Raimi directed. Four years later the movie became a cult hit in England, leading to American success and two sequels.

Campbell has appeared in many of Raimi's films outside of the Evil Dead series, usually in small roles. He was supposed to star in Darkman but the studio reportedly insisted on Liam Neeson. Campbell stayed on behind the scenes, credited as "additional voice recording," and appears in the film's final shot. He has also had several small parts in the movies of Joel and Ethan Coen (Joel was an editor on The Evil Dead). Many people consider him to be the greatest "B-movie" star of all time.He often appears in films that go straight to video or cable TV. Over the years Bruce has developed a huge fanbase and he is a favorite at film conventions.