Ellen Sandweiss is an icon of the horror genre, and that fame is entirely due to her role as Cheryl in the film The Evil Dead. Sandweiss was born in Michigan and attended high school with Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. It was there that she started performing in some of Raimi’s early Super 8 shorts including Within the Woods and the Three Stooges short Shemp Eats The Moon. It was through her association with Raimi and Campbell that Sandweiss got her role in The Evil Dead, and in that role, she gave the horror genre one of the most memorable, awesome images of all time (seen above). The Evil Dead proved to be a grueling experience for the cast and crew, and after the film’s completion, Sandweiss left the world of film for a long time. The Evil Dead went on to become a huge cult hit, however, and on the twentieth anniversary of its release, she and her fellow castmembers Betsy Baker and Theresa Tilly started making appearances as the “Ladies of the Evil Dead”. Sandweiss has since returned to making movies, albeit only once in a while, and performed roles in the horror film Satan’s Playground, as well as playing Bruce Campbell’s ex-wife in My Name Is Bruce. I don’t think she will ever top the popularity of her role in The Evil Dead (Ellen, if you’re reading this, please feel free to prove me wrong!), but as a big Evil Dead fan, that doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Ellen Sandweiss has given me nightmares, and for that, she will always hold a special place in my heart. She turns 53 today.