Ellen Sandweiss
- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Michigan native Ellen Sandweiss gained fame as one of the young cast
members of Ma Cây (1981).
She first began her association with
Ma Cây (1981)'s director
Sam Raimi and its star
Bruce Campbell when she attended
high school with them. Sandweiss appeared in some of Raimi's early
Super 8 films, including
Within the Woods (1978), the
short film that Raimi and company used to interest investors in the
feature-length version of
Ma Cây (1981). Sandweiss
went on to play Cheryl, the sister of
Bruce Campbell's Ash character,
in the legendary horror flick.
Ma Cây (1981) was shot on
a shoestring budget in Morristown, Tennessee, and it was a grueling
production for all involved. When it was over, Sandweiss finished
college and left her movie days behind her while
Ma Cây (1981) amassed a
tremendous cult following. On the twentieth anniversary of the film's
release, Sandweiss and her fellow
Ma Cây (1981) cast members
Betsy Baker and
Theresa Tilly began making public
appearances under the name "Ladies of the Evil Dead". Soon after,
Sandweiss made a return to horror films with a role in
Satan's Playground (2006)
which also starred another horror icon,
Sleepaway Camp (1983)'s
Felissa Rose.