With the release of the Evil Dead remake just a week away, I figured I would dedicate this Where Are They Now post to one of the leading ladies from the original – Ellen Sandweiss.
Ellen Sandweiss started her association with the Evil Dead franchise before anyone ever knew it. As luck would have it, Ellen knew both Sam Rami and Bruce Campbell from childhood when they all attended the same high school. This would lead to her being cast as Cheryl in the original Evil Dead film in 1981. Despite the film developing a huge cult status, Sandweiss had other aspirations to pursue and left the film business shortly after completion of Evil Dead to pursue a college degree, where she would eventually complete her Master’s in Theatre Management.
Twenty-five years later Ellen would make a triumphant return to Hollywood in the action-thriller Speedbag in 2006. Maybe it was just the opportunities she found or maybe it was to feed the hunger of horror fans everywhere, but Ellen Sandweiss has stuck with horror films for the majority of her second run in tinsel town. She appeared alongside Felissa Rose in Satan’s Playground in 2006, horror-comedy Brutal Massacre in 2007, The Dread in 2007, and the Douglas Schulze penned flick Dark Fields. She also had a very brief appearance in the current blockbuster hit Oz The Great and Powerful.
Sandweiss will perhaps always be tied to the Evil Dead franchise. She once again appeared as Cheryl in 2007’s Evil Dead spoof My Name Is Bruce; and has a cameo of sorts in the Evil Dead remake hitting theaters nationwide next week.
