The Ladies of Evil Dead
24 years ago...it was the movie directed by Sam Raimi, "The Evil Dead" originally titled "Book of the Dead" Bound to a cabin, and containing an abundance of blood and gore, 3 ladies, Ellen Sandweiss, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly starred alongside Bruce Campbell in what would become "...The most ferociously original horror film of the year" Recorded here is an interview with the ladies...
Marcus:: After all these years of
silence, what was it that brought you out of hiding? Why didn't you come out
sooner? What have you 3 beautiful ladies been up to all these years?
The
Ladies:: Funny,
because right now we’re working on a documentary which will answer all those
questions! But I’ll clue you in a little if you promise to watch it when it
comes out: basically after over 20 years of silence, we all started noticing
what a presence EVIL DEAD had become and we wanted to be part of the fun! Up till
now we’ve all been busy raising kids and working. Want more details? Check out
our website at: www.ladiesoftheevildead.com.
Marcus:: I presume you all kept in
tough over the years, has anyone heard from "Hal Delrich" aka Scotty
or is he still in hiding? Do you think he resents Evil Dead at all or has any
harsh feelings toward it?
The Ladies:: Betsy
and Theresa/Sarah kept in touch quite a bit, as they live near each other,
however 
Ellen
hadn’t spoken to either of them since the Evil Dead
premiere in 1982 (83?). She was thrilled when they found her after all these
years and we decided to reunite as “Ladies of the Evil Dead”. Ellen had
spoken with Bruce over the years, as they were old high school friends. We’ve
seen Hal Delrich several times in the past few years - we’ve been doing
reunion and convention appearances together. He’s doing great and does not
resent ED at all - in fact, he’s the only one of us who was a horror fan even
before EVIL DEAD and was absolutely thrilled to be a part of the whole thing.
Marcus:: On the commentary, Bruce said
alot of mean things went on, mostly to him and most of them caused by Sam
inflicted them upon him, but was were some of the bad things that happened to
you? What was the WORST thing that happened to each of you?
The Ladies:: A
lot of those “mean” things were natural results of doing a horror movie on a
low budget with an inexperienced director, cast and crew (long hours, physically
demanding stunts, no sleep). And Sam was a driven man who would do anything to
get the shot, so many times we had to endure endless takes of a shot. Ellen
would 
probably
cite the scene where she was supposed to be kicked in the face and knocked
backward into the cellar as her worst experience - mostly because she had to
fling herself backward blindly and she missed the mark a few times and smacked
her head on the edge. Or maybe getting ripped to shreds while running through
the forest…it’s a tie. Betsy had some difficulty being dragged on her back
down the front steps - the little bit of padding they tied to her back didn’t
do much good. Or maybe getting hit over the head by Bruce with a beam - another
tie. And Theresa had a hard time near the end of the film when parts of her body
were laying quivering on the floor. During this shot, she was laying in the dirt
under the floor with one arm and one leg sticking up through holes in the floor
for HOURS (other people provided her other limbs).
Marcus:: Ellen, you went to high school
with Sam and Bruce am I correct? So how does one go about asking a former
classmate they know if they will do a "Tree Rape Scene"? Were you at
ALL nervous while doing it? Who REALLY thought that scene up....Sam Raimi....or
Bruce Campbell?
Ellen::
Yes, I did go to high school with Sam and Bruce. They
knew from having made WITHIN THE WOODS with me beforehand that I was a pretty
hardy soul and would do all sorts of stunts. However, the actual “rape”
was not really detailed in the script, nor did it really become sexual until we
actually shot it - it was more of an “attack”. It kind of evolved into a
rape gradually, and was made even more sexual in post- production. So there was
never really any “asking” (“Ellen darling, won’t you please join our
cast and indulge us in a bit of whoopee with some flora?”). Sam was definitely
the one who thought up that scene - who else would have that vivid an
imagination? Or be THAT over the top?
Marcus:: Theresa, you probably had the goriest death in the whole film, what was your first reaction when you finally saw yourself being burnt, stabbed in the back, chewing your own hand off, and then being chopped up into pieces?
Theresa::
My first thought was, wow this is really a bad
hair day! I felt good about it, like I had really done something important and
was hoping that performance would catapult my career. How many actresses have
chewed off a hand on film? I mainly thought, I'm so glad this is over and I'm
not there shooting anymore.
Marcus:: Betsy, you played Linda, Ash's
girlfriend and seemingly, the only character aside from Ash to return in the
sequels. Why didn't you replay her in part 2 and also, what did you think of
Bridgette Fonda playing your role in Army Of Darkness?
Betsy::
I thought it was extremely clever that they were able to somehow bring Linda
back after being 
hacked
repeatedly, dragged
down the front-steps, almost sawed in half, buried,
and then, decapitated! You have to admit that's a challenge for any
scriptwriter. Ash was definitely crazy about Linda! Actually, Bruce, Rob and Sam
DID offer me the role in ED 2, and the entire time they were begging me,
pleading with me, offering me the moon and the stars so I would be financially
secure for the rest of my life, (yeah, RIGHT!! ), I had to remind them that I
was pregnant with our first child, and asked them why they couldn't they wait a
few months until after the baby was born? They didn't
go for that one. And as for Bridgette? Bridgette, Bridgette, Bridgette, all they
ever talk about is Bridgette!
Marcus:: I met Bruce Campbell at a book signing a while back, tell me, from those who know him personally, what's he really like? What was he like on the set of Evil Dead?
The Ladies:: Bruce
is first and foremost a FUNNY guy, on camera and off. He always does shtick,
whether it’s a pratfall or a funny voice. But he also is a hard worker and a
very driven man, devoted to making movies. On the set of ED he was the same, and
of course was always a gentleman with us “Ladies”. Actually he was quite shy
at the time.
Marcus:: When you all showed your family and friends Evil Dead, did you worry about what they would say? What was there reaction when they saw it?
The
Ladies:: Many of them came to the
original premiere at the Redford Theatre in Detroit, where we were ALL seeing it
in its final form for the first time. Yes, we were a little worried, but we knew
they’d understand that actors have to take all sorts of jobs to make a living!
They were quite shocked, as most of them had never seen anything like ED before,
but fortunately they didn’t disown us!
Marcus:: Ellen, you are said to be a part of Sleepaway Camp 4, what is
the story with it? Is it still being made and if so, who do you play?
Ellen::
Interesting how rumors begin - actually, I’m supposed to
be in a movie with Felissa Rose, who starred in the original SLEEPAWAY CAMP. It’s
called SATAN’S PLAYGROUND, and it was written and will be directed by Dante
Tomaselli, whose movies now on DVD include DESECRATION and HORROR. It has
nothing to do with SLEEPAWAY CAMP. Felissa and I will play sisters who are out
on a vacation with their family in (what else?) the woods!
Marcus:: I noticed on your site you are doing a documentary called
"Ladies of Evil Dead: Two Sided Chainsaw" What can you tell me and the
adoring fans about it?
The Ladies:: Actually
the name of it is going to be 
LIFE AFTER DEAD: (haven’t figured this part out
yet). We’ve been collecting footage for this documentary for the last year and
are in the process of finishing up some scenes and interviews which will
probably be completed in the next few months. It’ll give all sorts of fun and
entertaining information about us, then and now, and will feature many surprise
guest interviews. Look for it on an Anchor Bay DVD some time in ’04.
Marcus:: Finally, I want to thank you 3 gorgeous ladies for doing this interview with me and taking the time from your busy schedules to do it as well. Evil Dead is my all time favorite movie and it is a honor to be able to interview 3 of the leading actresses that made the movie possible! And it is also the scariest movie I have ever seen when I was a kid! Thank you once again!
The Ladies:: You’re very welcome! We’re honored to have been able to scare you to death!
Well, there you have it folks. The interview from 3 beautiful actresses who scared the living shit out of me when I was a kid! I wish to thank them again for doing the interview for I know how busy they are and I can't wait to see there new film! I will be buying it the day it comes out! Evil Dead forever!!!!