Utter Trash--Ladies of the Evil Dead

Lady Evil

An interview with Betsy Baker, Ellen Sandweis, and Theresa Tilly (aka The Ladies of the Evil Dead)

By Bob Ignizio

L to R: Betsy Baker, Ellen Sandweise, and Theresa Tilly

Betsy Baker, Ellen Sandweis, and Theresa Tilly (aka Sarah York) became familiar faces to horror fans the world over through their performances in Sam Raimi’s ‘The Evil Dead’. Although they claim that when watching horror movies themselves they do so with their hands over their faces, there are legions of fans that have watched and re-watched ‘The Evil Dead’ with eyes wide open. Recently this trio of talented actresses has taken to the horror convention circuit, an activity they say has allowed them to finally meet their fans...and get away from their husbands and kids for a while. It also brought them to Northeast Ohio recently for the Cinema Wasteland horror convention, and thanks to that event’s organizer, Ken Kish, I was able to get in touch with the ladies and do this interview.

Prior to making ‘The Evil Dead’, only Ellen had worked with director Sam Raimi before. She appeared in many of his Three Stooges inspired comedy shorts and ‘Within the Woods’, an early version of the ‘Evil Dead’ story used to help secure financing to make the full length film. Despite her past experience with the director, Ellen wasn’t quite expecting the endurance test that filming ‘The Evil Dead’ turned out to be. She says, “I probably had a better idea what to expect than the rest of the cast (except Bruce Campbell, of course), because ‘Within the Woods’ was pretty grueling too!” Ellen had played the role of Linda in ‘Within the Woods’, but for ‘Evil Dead’ that part went to Betsy and Ellen played the role of Cheryl. Was Ellen disappointed? She says, “Actually I never even thought about it until now – thanks a lot!! But seriously I think I was much better suited for Cheryl and Betsy was well suited for Linda. Of course hers would have been the more fun role (being Bruce’s girlfriend), if you know what I mean.”

Instead, Ellen’s character wound up being molested by a vine in what many consider the film’s most notorious scene. Ellen says she did the scene without any convincing on Sam’s part because, “I really didn’t know what I’d be doing in the scene until we were actually doing it. Then when we were shooting the scene, I didn’t really understand how it was going to look on the big screen. I knew Sam, but trust wasn’t really the issue – he had an idea of how he wanted the scene to look and he wasn’t going to stop until he got it.” In retrospect, Sam Raimi has said he may have gone too far with this scene but there are plenty of horror fans who are glad for his youthful lapse in taste.

The character of Linda returned in ‘Evil Dead 2’, but Betsy Baker did not. Betsy says, “Sam, Bruce, and [Producer] Rob Tapert asked me to be in ‘Evil Dead 2’, and we met for breakfast at a local L.A. restaurant. But when I couldn’t fit into the booth due to being very pregnant with my first child, it was sort of assumed that it might pose a plot problem.” Personally I think Sam and company missed out on a golden opportunity. The world would have to wait until Peter Jackson’s ‘Dead/Alive’ for the screen's first undead baby.

Regarding the overall experience of making ‘The Evil Dead’, Sarah says, “Sam was uniquely focused for a twenty year old. You can imagine taking a cast and crew into the back woods of Tennessee to shoot for many weeks requires a great deal of confidence. He was very clear about what he wanted; from the camera to the very way in which we said our lines and moved our hands. I try to see everything Sam does, I think he's brilliant. Although, in my opinion, he did peak with Evil Dead!” Betsy shares similar sentiments, stating, “Shooting ‘Evil Dead’ with 19 and 20 year olds who had a big dream and an unbelievable vision and absolutely no money was an experience of its own accord. Nothing can really compare to it and that, in all sincerity, is one of the qualities that makes it so unique.”

Ellen, Betsy, and Theresa have all continued to work in the entertainment industry in various capacities, with all three doing at least some acting on stage. Among Betsy’s other film credits are ‘Word of Honor’ with Karl Malden, John Malcovich, and Rue McClanahan and ‘Six Weeks’ with Dudley Moore and Mary Tyler-Moore. Of her co-stars in these non-horror films she says, “Karl Malden was a classic, a gentleman on the set every day. Rue McClanahan was so thoughtful she invited me to stay with her when I first visited L.A. before moving here (and I did!!). Dudley Moore was just plain funny off and on camera, and Mary Tyler-Moore was delightful. John Malkovich was just starting out in movies. In fact at that time, with the epic ‘Evil Dead’ behind me already, I had more credits than he did!”

Comparing her Hollywood experiences with ‘Evil Dead’ Betsy says, “Well, let’s see. ‘Six Weeks’: My own dressing room. My own make-up person. Shooting in L.A. in warm weather. Food and snacks on the tables on the set at all times. ‘Evil Dead’: None of the above.” Betsy also went into business with her husband outfitting trailers for use on movie sets. She says, “It was really my husband’s brainstorm, and I ran the business. There were mobile dressing rooms, but nowhere to do paperwork or see the dailies. Now there are lots of companies with the same idea, but I’m proud to say we were one of the first.”

Theresa has worked in just about every aspect of the entertainment industry at one time or another. She says, “I like to try different things, and see if I can do them; it's fun and adventurous! I feel I'm lucky to have had so many experiences and will often use them in my acting. Just yesterday I auditioned for a woman who was very similar in character to a comedian, so I felt right at home since I had actually done stand up for several years. I enjoy doing many things and don't really have a favorite thing - I like to be challenged. And plus- I think I'm just plain nosy; I like to know what everyone else is up to.” In addition to acting and stand up comedy, Theresa has also been a backup dancer, a magician’s assistant, and does voice over work for such TV programs as The Sopranos, Allie McBeal, and Temptation Island. Some of her other film credits are ‘Debutante’, which was aired on PBS, the sci-fi film ‘Prototype’, and ‘To the End of the Night’.

In addition to acting on stage, Ellen also sings (jazz and blues) and she’s making a return to film, having recently signed on to appear in a movie called ‘Satan’s Playground.’ As for those early shorts she made with Sam and Bruce, don’t hold your breath waiting for an official release. Ellen says, “I wouldn’t mind if they were released at all – in fact it’d be kind of fun. But Sam Raimi will never agree to it, so it’s a moot point. My favorite of those films was “Shemp Eats the Moon” – I played an evil seductress and got to slap Bruce around a little.” It’s rumored that some of these shorts can be found for sale at horror conventions, but of course buying them would be wrong and I would never endorse such a thing. One thing I can endorse, however, is going to a horror convention where these three wonderful ladies are guests and stopping by to tell them how much you’ve enjoyed their work. For all the fun and scares their performances in ‘Evil Dead’ have given so many, it’s the least they deserve.