Meet The Girl On ‘The Evil Dead’ Poster
Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead has a gripping poster, featuring a beautiful girl rising out of an open grave on a dark, foggy night with a rickety wooden cross behind her. A hairy, monstrous arm is wrapped around her neck, pulling her back into the open grave, as her arm beseeches for help that will never come. There’s just one problem with the poster—that mysterious girl and that scene AREN’T in the film.
Meet Bridget Hoffman, the girl who is (and isn’t) in Sam Raimi’s classic Evil Dead franchise!
“Yes, that’s me,” actress Bridget Hoffman smiles, playfully recreating her pose, with her right hand in the air and her left arm wrapped around her own neck.
“I wound up on the poster for The Evil Dead even though I’m not in it!” she said. “I’m from Michigan. I went to Michigan State University after Sam Raimi and (Evil Dead producer) Rob Tapert. We actually knew each other from other films made around Detroit.”
A Quick and Dirty Evil Dead Photoshoot
As Bruce Campbell noted in his autobiography, If Chins Could Kill, they had no press or poster images for the original Evil Dead. The reason for this oversight? Because whenever a photo was taken on set, he and Raimi would instinctively mug or strike a Three Stooges pose. Because of that, there were few usable stills or behind-the-scenes shots.
When they needed images to sell their project, a photo shoot was arranged on a quickly constructed indoor graveyard set.
“They had already filmed The Evil Dead before we ever did the poster,” Bridget Hoffman reveals. “They needed some publicity and poster shots, so I modeled for them. “
Even though she’s not in the film, a terrified Hoffman is being pulled into a grave in the film poster and clutching a stoic Bruce Campbell in several publicity stills.
“Because they needed a poster right away, we stayed up all night taking publicity shots! They built an indoor graveyard area for us to pose and stand in,” Hoffman said. “We did all sorts of different shots, including my pose for the poster and one of me standing behind Bruce Campbell.”
She explained, “The German poster is Bruce holding a chainsaw, as I hang on to him. There are several versions of me on the ground and different versions of the poster, but I’m in every one of them!
“One of the shots of Bruce and me actually wound up on the cover of Fangoria!” she said.
Finally Becoming a Deadite
While Hoffman was sad not to be in the film, her disappointment was not permanent.
“I finally appeared in an Evil Dead film when I did the third one, Army of Darkness! Patricia Tallman (Babylon 5) and I are Deadite serving maidens to Bruce’s Evil Ash,” she giggles. “I had no complaints—we got to wear these great Deadite costumes! See what has befallen my life because of Rob and Sam?”
Ironically, she had an even more monstrous role coming her way “through the good graces of Rob Tapert”. She explained, “Rob called me up and asked, ‘How would you like us to torture you again? We’ll make you The Mother Of All Monsters!’ That’s how I became Echidna, the Mother of All Monsters on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys!”
Darkman and Beyond
She’s even in Raimi/Rob Tapert/Coen Brothers’ misfire, Crimewave. She plays a nun alongside Frances McDormand. Ironically, she’s heard but not seen in another Sam Raimi classic.
“I’m the voice of Liam Neeson’s computer in Darkman, ” Hoffman said. “Bruce Campbell was doing post-production duties for Rob and Sam on Darkman, and he asked me for help. I love Bruce, Sam, and Rob, and was happy to help.
“Physically, I was in the movie in another scene, but it got cut out. I had a scene in the bathroom with Frances McDormand in the opening party scene, but that didn’t make the final cut. Happily, I can still be heard as Darkman‘s computer!”
“Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert changed my life,” Bridget Hoffman says gratefully. “I love them so much! I don’t see them so much now, but they have included me in many projects. Rob and Sam are the best people in the world, and they’ve stayed the same nice guys from Michigan they’ve always been.”
Hoffman adds, “I will always be proud that they made me the girl on The Evil Dead poster!”
Categorized: News
