Betsy Baker [Interview]

Welcome to Day 1 of Trainwreck’d Society’s Annual Month of Horror Showcase! We have a fully loaded month of all things horror for you fine folks! October is our favorite month for this very reason, and we are so excited to share 31 full days of film showcases and interviews with some of the finest folks from the world of horror, just as we have been doing for the last 6 years. What started as a simple 5 day showcase, has now blossomed into a full blown month long event. You’re going to love this! Enjoy!

And we are up and running Folks! We are kicking things off with an absolutely incredible interview for you all. We have the legendary Betsy Baker with us today! True Horror fans will instantly recognize her as one of the stars of one of the most popular film franchises in Horror history, The Evil Dead. She is an absolutely delightful human being, and we are so excited to have her kick off our Month of Horror to tell us about what it was like to work on the 1981 classic film, how fans are reacting to it in this modern era, and of course, what exciting things she has going on in the world of film today!

So Folks, please enjoy Day 1 of our Month of Horror with some words from the absolutely brilliant Betsy Baker!

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What inspired you to get into the world of entertainment? Was it an early aspiration you can always remember having since your youth, or did you just find yourself in this world one day?

Both answers are correct.  I loved performing -singing, dancing, and acting… in elementary school and all the way through high school, and was active in the performing arts at my schools.  And I started out my college studies in Music Therapy… but found myself auditioning for the Choir in the Music Department, and then for plays and musicals in the the Theatre Department… and transferred my major over to Theatre Education.  Directly after graduation, I took a job as a singer with a musical troupe based in Miami Beach and Florida…. and then found myself auditioning again for plays and for theatre productions!! …..and here we are now!

What was your first paid gig in the world of entertainment? And were there any kind of lessons learned from this project that still affect your work today?

Let’s see — I think my first ‘gig’ in the world of entertainment was as a singing waiter !! — in the mountains of North Carolina during the summers of my college years.  Wait – we didn’t get paid anything… but we made our money from tips – and back then, the tips were amazing… we sang our hearts out while serving prime rib and salads…. After graduating from Michigan State University, I also sang with a musical group called ‘Musician’, and then moved to Detroit – I was hired to be a narrator for auto shows all over the U.S. — that was a fun job!! I had to memorize a script about a car that sounded like I was absolutely in love with, repeat it every 10 minutes or so, and stand while circling on a turntable. We traveled all over the U.S. — it was actually a lot of fun! Lessons? – hmmm..discipine, memorization, stage presence, friendliness, and being on time (whether it be with the prime rib… or getting to the turntable on the designated scheduled time!)

In your own personal opinion, what do you believe it is that makes the horror genre special? What sets it apart from other genres you have worked in?

Well…. you may have asked the wrong person this question… because honestly, I’m not a huge fan of watching horror movies, or horror television.  I get too involved and always am afraid of what is actually behind the curtain, under the bed, or around the corner on the dark, unlit dirt road. But I do think there are people that actually love that aspect of the unknown, the mystery of it all, figuring out how it could have happened, and who is actually lurking behind all those doors. It’s also an escape from the every day stress, I’ve been told by fans… to be taken away by a story….. knowing that in the movie, or in the television show, it’s all meant to be make-believe.

In 1981 you appeared in the now legendary film in the world of horror, one of the greatest of all time, The Evil Dead. When you were working on the project back then, was there any indication as how insanely popular this film and the franchise as a whole would become? And how have the fan interactions been over the years?

We actually started filming The Evil Dead in the fall of 1979 — and over a series of months (years?!?)… until it’s completion, there were times when we thought all this was for naught – it’ll never sell, it’ll never get done, it’ll never be seen… but then… there were times, and many of them… where we as a cast (remember, there were only 5 of us)… and the small crew that we had… totally believed that if we worked hard, if we finished the filming, if we saw it through to the end…. we just might have a movie. For many years afterward, I had no idea that it was slowly but steadily gaining a strong cult following  all over the world. Meeting the fans at different conventions (or even at work on tv and film sets today!)… has been wonderful; the fans are always great and happy to see ‘The Ladies of The Evil Dead’ together at functions, and to reminisce together about the making of the movie, and their reaction to all the times they’ve seen it over the years!

What is your favorite scary movie?

Hmmm….. I know this may sound strange, but I saw Rosemary’s Baby in late 1968 or easy 1969, when I was just a teenager…. and I had no idea when I walked into the movie theatre that it was so frightening!  Many don’t classify it as a ‘horror’ movie, but it was to me!

Do you have any plans for this coming Halloween? And fun traditions that you try to stick to every year?

Ha!  I don’t think we’re doing anything special other than passing out candy at the front door!! …. and as for traditions, we usually went to a Halloween party when our kids were much younger, but now… it’s just fun to answer the doorbell and see all the costumes! I decorate the house, and as soon as the last trick-or-treater comes down the street, I put all the decorations away and pack them up!

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers? 

I’m not certain when or where any upcoming TV shows will be airing or presented, and I have a couple of things that I have in the works in the future… but you can always check out my website (www.betsybaker.net)… or my imdb.com page (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0048260/) for updates or new projects!  You can also find our convention schedule for “The Ladies of The Evil Dead” on Facebook! (https://www.facebook.com/ladies.of.evil.dead/)

What was the last thing that scared the hell out of you?

Ha!  Does walking into a huge spider web in my backyard count?!?

What was the last thing that made you smile?

As I type this, I have a hummingbird at a feeder literally 2 feet from me outside my window.  They always make me smile. And he’s just sitting there, looking at me, while I”m looking at him!