DETROIT — Bloomfield Hills native Scott Spiegel, a childhood friend of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell who co-wrote "Evil Dead II" with Raimi, directed entries in the "From Dusk Till Dawn" and "Hostel" franchises and helped launch the career of Quentin Tarantino, has died. He was 67.

News of his death was shared on social media Monday. "This is a big personal loss," Campbell wrote on X. "Scott Spiegel was a huge part of my formative years back in Michigan. From Sunday School to being stock boys together, to Evil Dead II, which Scott co-wrote, I can’t look in the rear view mirror without seeing this unique guy doing cheap gags. I’m grateful for the treasure trove of happy memories."

Horror filmmaker Robert Kurtzman, who also worked on "Evil Dead II" in the special effects department, called Spiegel "one of the funniest people I've known" in a social media post. "We all met on the set of Evil Dead 2 which he wrote and became instant friends," Kurtzman wrote. "Will miss your smile and the laughs."

Spiegel grew up in Birmingham and was making shorts as early as 12 years old, movies with titles like "Pies and Guys" and "Corny Casanovas."

At Groves High School, he met and became fast friends with Raimi and Campbell, and they pooled their equipment and made their own "Three Stooges"-inspired slapstick comedies together after school and on weekends.

In 1975, Spiegel directed a 13-minute short titled "The James Hoffa Story," with Campbell as the labor leader and Raimi and Spiegel as kidnappers who abduct Hoffa and dispose his body, only to learn they've taken the wrong man.

In 1978, Spiegel won a local filmmaking award, a Sassy, for a short film he made titled "Picnic," described in a Detroit News article as "a pie-in-the-face epic." Accepting the award at a ceremony in Southfield, he remained true to the movie's theme — and his own always-up-for-a-prank nature — by purposely tripping and falling on his face while on his way to the podium.

Spiegel produced, co-wrote and starred in Raimi's first feature film, "It's Murder," and stayed tight with the young filmmaker. He starred in 1979's "Evil Dead" precursor "Within the Woods" and appeared in "The Evil Dead," before co-writing "Evil Dead II" alongside Raimi.

The partnership with Raimi would continue throughout the decades as Raimi became one of Hollywood's most successful filmmakers, and Spiegel made appearances in his films "Darkman," "The Quick and the Dead," "Spider-Man," "Spider-Man 2," "Drag Me to Hell," and 2022's "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness."

Spiegel directed his first feature, the slasher movie "Intruder," in 1989, in which both Raimi and Campbell make appearances. "Intruder" was produced by Lawrence Bender, and Spiegel is credited with introducing Bender to his friend Quentin Tarantino, who used to crash on Spiegel's couch in Los Angeles.

Tarantino was a fan of "Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except," a 1985 horror movie produced by Spiegel and directed by Josh Becker, another member of Spiegel and Raimi's childhood filmmaking crew. After Spiegel introduced the pair, Bender went on to produce Tarantino's first film, 1992's "Reservoir Dogs," launching the filmmaker's career.

Tarantino dedicated the published screenplay of his 1996 horror crime caper "From Dusk Till Dawn" to Spiegel. "To Scott Spiegel," Tarantino wrote, "who gave me the greatest gift of all, a career." Tarantino repaid Spiegel by helping him land a directing gig on the movie's 1999 straight-to-video sequel, "From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money."

Spiegel also co-wrote 1990's "The Rookie," starring Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen, and he directed 2011's "Hostel III," which was shot in Michigan.

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