Amandla and her Bodies Bodies Bodies co-star Maria Bakalova sat down for an interview for Variety. They discussed horror movies and their impact on people. Read the full interview over at Variety.com!
Though they both boast impressive filmographies at a young age, neither Maria Bakalova or Amandla Stenberg had appeared in a horror film before. That all changes with the Aug. 5 release of “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” a smart and funny slasher film from A24 in which a group of frienemies find themselves dropping one by one while trapped in a remote mansion during a storm. An Agatha Christie-style murder mystery set amongst Gen Z, the characters in Halina Reijn’s American directorial debut have to try and look up from their phones long enough to figure out who’s doing the killing.
Bakalova and Stenberg star as Bee and Sophie, a fairly new couple with a notable class divide – working class Bee doesn’t quite fit in with Sophie’s spoiled and entitled crowd. Variety spoke to the actors about taking on the horror medium, scary films as “exposure therapy” and working with a cast that includes Pete Davidson.
This is the first horror movie for each of you. Is it a genre you like?
Maria Bakalova: I like the A24 genre because they’re so beautiful visually. It’s not just [screaming sounds] and knives and blood. You get a beautiful picture of something happening in a weird place.
Amandla Stenberg: Similarly, I’m a big fan of the horror films that A24 released because I feel like they are deeply psychological and dramatic and layered and meaningful. When I saw that this was A24, I was so excited. I also love when the medium is used to make commentary, especially in a satirical way. And that’s what Sarah DeLappe’s script had — she’s just so brilliant and smart and she made something really emotionally deep that was also hilarious and realistic and contemporary.
What are some of your favorite horror films?
Bakalova: “It Follows,” “Hereditary,” “Midsommar.” I’m going to stick with those three.
Stenberg: “Hereditary” is my favorite contemporary horror film. I’ve been a longtime fan of “The Shining” and “Carrie.” I also love “Rosemary’s Baby.” And I recently watched a Mexican film that came out of the Tribeca Film Festival called “Huesera,” which was one of my favorite horror movies ever.
Source: Variety
