Brian: Was there any initial reluctance
to appearing in a film called 'The Evil
Dead'?
ELLEN: ACTUALLY,
AT THE BEGINNING THE FILM WAS CALLED "BOOK OF THE DEAD", WHICH
WASN\rquote T MUCH BETTER. THEY ENDED UP CHANGING
IT BECAUSE IT SOUNDED TOO "ACADEMIC"!
ANYWAY, NO, ON MY PART THERE WAS NO RELUCTANCE.
OF COURSE I THINK EVEN IF IT HAD BEEN CALLED
"SNOT FROM YOUR NOSE", I STILL WOULD'VE
DONE IT. I WAS THAT EXCITED ABOUT DOING A FEATURE
FILM.
Brian: Did
the extreme circumstances of the film shoot bring
about immediate bonding between the three of you?
Theresa:
Does the word Frat boys sound familiar? It really
did feel like a warped version of Sigma Di Do
Duma and since we not only worked together all
day and all night but we lived in the same house
with all the guys. The gals needed each other for
certain things like, making sure we had toilet
paper, no sneezing in the chili, bi monthly
underwear washing, that sort of thing. Is that
bonding?
Brian:
The relationship between the three of you,
onscreen, is so natural with gestures of
affection, joking around.... The performances are
truly solid and believable. I was wondering how
hard you worked to achieve this state and to fill
your roles out. While I love the film, besides
the role of Cheryl, there doesn't seem to be a
lot in the script, character development-wise,
for the other two women. Was it difficult to
flesh them out?
Theresa:
Sam was really focused in the timing of the
scare. As you aptly state there wasn't a lot of
character development. He used that film time
instead for the time releasing maggot machine at
the end of the movie. However, in between
spewing, vomiting and limb chewing, we really
tried to capture the real essence and distinct
character of each of the girls.
Brian:
On re-examining the film, I was amazed, once
again, at what a truly great piece of filmmaking
it is. The points of view, camera angles and mood
created are truly inspiring. Were you aware of
this at the time or has that realization come as
you have progressed in your careers and gone onto
other projects and worked with directors besides
Sam Raimi?
ELLEN: DEFINITELY
THE LATTER. I HAD NO IDEA WHEN WE WERE MAKING IT
THAT IT WOULD EVER BE CONSIDERED
"INSPIRED". I HAD NO EXPERIENCE WITH
FILM-MAKING, SO I NATURALLY QUESTIONED THINGS
LIKE SAM HANGING FROM THE RAFTERS WITH A CAMERA
IN HIS HANDS. IT'S ONLY BEEN IN RECENT YEARS THAT
I'VE TRULY APPRECIATED HIS ARTISTRY.
Brian:
I was appreciatively astonished by the amount of
fog used in the film. Amazing atmosphere filler!
Do you recall how many machines were used on the
set?
BETSY
-- FOG FOR FILM AND TV IS ( OR WAS, 22 YEARS AGO
)PRIMARILY PRODUCED BY SMALL HAND-HELD ELECTRICAL
MACHINES, THAT LOOK MUCH LIKE DUSTBUSTERS, OR IN
SMALL FLAT CANS THAT ARE IGNITED IN ORDER TO
PRODUCE FOG, ESPECIALLY FOR SMALL LOCATIONS (
INTERIORS, CLOSE-UPS ),PLACED ON FLOORS, OR ON
THE GROUND. I DON'T RECALL HOW MANY WE USED....
BUT IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO PRODUCE THE AMOUNT OF
FOG YOU SAW ON CAMERA.... AND LET ME TELL YOU, IT
WAS HORRIBLY SMELLING, IRRITATING TO THE EYES,
AND I CAN'T IMAGINE TO THIS DAY WHAT IT DID TO
OUR LUNGS!
Brian:
Was there a lot of rehearsal and blocking
involved for the combat scenes inside the cabin?
It seems that every time you turn around that
someone is getting clobbered, thrown into a
cellar or the bookcase.
ELLEN: NOT
A WHOLE LOT OF REHEARSAL, BUT DEFINITELY SPECIFIC
BLOCKING. SAM KNEW EXACTLY HOW HE WANTED THINGS
TO LOOK AND WOULDN'T SETTLE FOR LESS. ALSO, SINCE
HALF THE TIME WE WERE DOING THOSE SCENES
LITERALLY BLIND (FROM WEARING SCALERA CONTACT
LENSES), WE HAD TO BLOCK EVERY MOVE SO WE
WOULDN'T KILL OURSELVES OR SOMEBODY ELSE!
Brian: I'm
sure this is an oft-asked question, but can you
elaborate a bit on how the scene in the woods
with Cheryl and the limb grabbing trees was
accomplish
ELLEN: I
GUESS I SHOULD BE THE ONE TO ANSWER THIS
QUESTION. WE WOULD START THE SHOT WITH THE VINES
ALREADY WRAPPED AROUND ME, THEN THEY\rquote ED
SHOOT THEM BEING SLOWLY PULLED OFF. WHEN THE FILM
WAS PLAYED IN REVERSE, IT LOOKED LIKE THE VINES
HAD A LIFE OF THEIR OWN. THE TOUGH THING WAS
TRYING TO MAKE REVERSE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS. I
DON'T THINK I DID THAT TOO WELL.
Brian:
Were you aware of the popularity of the 'Evil
Dead' series all along or is it
something that has more recently - the 20th
anniversary of the original, perhaps - made its
mark in your life?
Theresa:
After we finished shooting we really didn't hear
much about the movie for a couple years. I think
that's how long it took to get distributed. It
had a lot of trouble getting rated due to a
certain tree scene. Shortly after filming it I
shot a PBS short film that was written by Elmore
Leonard titled Appearances in
which I had the lead. I got involved in comedy
and live theatre around the Detroit area. I went
to the premiere of Evil Dead and
thought it was crazy and really didn't have a lot
of hope for it catapulting my career. Since I'm
not really a big horror movie fan I really didn't
have my finger on the pulse of what was going on
in that world. It wasn't till twenty years later
that we were invited to a Q&A at the American
Cinematheque here in Hollywood that I learned of
the incredible love people have for this movie.
The showing had fans waiting around the block!
Brian: Two of you are accomplished singers and the
other, a dancer, how you considered an "Evil
Dead Ladies" cabaret show and/or c.d.?
BETSY
-- FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK. WE HAVE TALKED OVER,
DISCUSSED, AGONIZED, AND LAUGHED OVER THAT VERY
CONCEPT IN GREAT DEPTH FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS!!
WE'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN WE GO ON THE ROAD WITH
OUR TALENTED 3-SOME!
BETSY
-- FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK. WE HAVE TALKED OVER,
DISCUSSED, AGONIZED, AND LAUGHED OVER THAT VERY
CONCEPT IN GREAT DEPTH FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS!!
WE'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN WE GO ON THE ROAD WITH
OUR TALENTED 3-SOME!
BETSY
-- JOHN MALKOVICH IS AN EXTREMELY TALENTED MAN,
AND WAS ASKED TO DO THE TV MOVIE WHEN OUR
DIRECTOR SAW HIM PERFORM AT STEPPENWOLF IN
CHICAGO. HE HAD NEVER DONE TV/ FILM BEFORE 'WORD
OF HONOR'. WE WORKED TOGETHER FOR NEARLY
A WEEK. HE WAS A VERY RESERVED AND QUIET PERSON,
AND KEPT TO HIMSELF ON THE SET. AND YES, I WOULD
AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY... HE HAS A VERY
INTENSE PRESENCE!!
Brian:
Ellen and Theresa (Sarah), you, both, have horror
films coming out. Would you care to elaborate on
them for us?
ELLEN:
I WAS IN A FILM CALLED "SATAN'S
PLAYGROUND", DIRECTED BY THE
TALENTED DANTE TOMASELLI, WHICH HAS JUST RECENTLY
BEEN PICKED UP BY ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT (THE
SAME COMPANY THAT DISTRIBUTES EVIL DEAD)AND
SHOULD BE RELEASED ON DVD SOME TIME IN 2006. IT'S
A VERY EERY, SURREAL FILM ABOUT A FAMILY ON
VACATION IN THE NEW JERSEY PINE BARRENS AND THEIR
ENCOUNTER WITH THE MYTH OF THE "JERSEY
DEVIL". IT HAS ACOUPLE OF OTHER's
HORROR FILM ICONS IN IT, LIKE FELISSA ROSE OF "SLEEPAWAY
CAMP" AND EDWIN NEAL FROM "TEXAS
CHAINSAW MASSACRE". IT WAS A BLAST
TO FILM!
Theresa: I
shot a feature called 4 Days in December directed
by a hard working new comer Kennin Fenster. It's
a Werewolf movie set in the abandoned gold mines
of Colorado Springs. I thought shooting in
Tennessee was cold; we had scenes in a blizzard
running around with AK40s in four feet of snow
climbing through the Rockies. I think it will
look spectacular. It's just beginning to
circulate the festivals. Keep your fingers
crossed. |