How Inanna Sarkis Conquered Her Horror Fears to Star in Seance

Filmmaker Simon Barrett's genre efforts over the years have earned themselves a passionate following, with audiences not only appreciating the thrills offered in films like You're Next or The Guest, but also appreciating the ways in which he circumvents genre tropes to inject a sense of humor into these endeavors. The filmmaker continued this trend with his new film Seance, which required actor Inanna Sarkis to not only get a good handle on the more thrilling elements of the narrative, but also its comedic tone. Given her fear of horror films in general, this presented her with a number of obstacles to overcome. Seance lands in theaters, On Demand, and Digital HD on May 21st.

Camille Meadows (Suki Waterhouse) is the new girl at the prestigious Edelvine Academy for Girls. Soon after her arrival, six girls invite her to join them in a late-night ritual, calling forth the spirit of a dead former student who reportedly haunts their halls. But before morning, one of the girls is dead, leaving the others wondering what they may have awakened.

ComicBook.com caught up with Sarkis to talk about the project, bringing her character to life, and if her perspective of the horror genre has changed after this experience.

ComicBook.com: Since this film focuses on teen-aged characters, a lot of people have memorable experiences with horror movies when they're that age, so what was your experience with horror films before you got involved in Seance?

Inanna Sarkis: I've watched horror movies from such a young age because my brother, he is six years older than me, had a love for them, and he always would put them on, and I would be somewhat not wanting to watch it, but then I feel fine. But I also [watched from] under my hands. But I feel I've watched so many growing up, and they were never really my first choice just because I was [scared], I would hate to be alone, I would be so scared of the dark, so I was just always terrified of watching them, but somehow I would still gravitate into watching it with my brother and finishing the movie and then possibly sleeping in his room because I was scared to sleep. So it was definitely fun to actually be part of a movie that is that genre, and, watching the finished product, it was scary.

Were there any particular horror movies you were forced to watch that left more of an impact on you than others? Ones that specifically creeped you out?

Yeah, there were so many. There was The Grudge and The Ring, and Blair Witch Project, that, probably, was the worst. I still remember I was at my grandparents' house in Bulgaria when I watched that, in an old rickety house that I would have to sleep in the room by myself. I was terrified for weeks after watching it. So I always told myself to not watch it because [I was going to have a] nightmare. So I've always tried to steer away from watching anything that had horror in it, just because I'm such a little wuss when it comes to watching them.

And that's funny how Blair Witch Project left such a huge impact on you, and then you star in Simon's movie, and he wrote the last Blair Witch.

Yeah, isn't that's crazy? I didn't even put it together, I completely forgot that that was my first horror experience of a film that actually scared me and now he's part of the newest one.

With his films, since there's this specific blend of an earnest but slightly sarcastic tone, do you remember your first reaction to reading the script and how you planned to find that balance?

That's kind of where [Simon and I] bonded, I feel the most, just finding those comedic, sarcastic points. There was one scene where I, in the study hall, where I tell a girl to f-ck off, and I just found that part so funny for my character and finding those comedic moments, I think was super important for Simon just to keep the movie lighthearted along with, obviously, the horror parts and the scary moments. I think it was super cool that he kept a lot of comedy in it, and that's something that I've worked on, obviously on my own, on my YouTube channels, and stuff like that. So it's my strong suit and I feel those are the moments that him and I got along on.

When I spoke to him about the film, he specifically pointed out how much you brought to the character of Alice and played her in a way that was more interesting than he had originally written the role. Do you remember what your inspiration was for bringing her to life that was different from how she existed on paper, or was it an innate thing with your interpretation of the part?

I mean, that's super flattering that he's speaking like that about me. I think that's awesome. I know I just brought myself to her. Obviously there were elements of her that weren't me and there were more characteristics in other people that I've met along the way, and especially her "mean girl" vibe, and those elements I found in past experiences with bullies, there were times where I found those moments. I wanted to bring a likability to her and I feel that was one part that Simon and I were working on. I think that's the fun part to find is an overall humor or something that makes her likable when an audience is watching her. I think that was something that I consciously wanted to bring and, hopefully, I succeeded in doing so.

You shot this in Winnipeg and it was mostly a female cast and you clearly bonded as you brought this movie to life, so did those real-world friendships make it more challenging to then antagonize them on-screen or did it help having that connection so the animosity was just a more playful side of your actual dynamic?

I feel it's definitely more natural. I didn't have to hold back because [Suki Waterhouse] knew, obviously, I'm just doing it for the character, I didn't actually mean anything I was saying. So it allowed me more of a freedom to just express myself and really take it up a notch because it's obviously all just in the game of making the movie. After we cut, we would laugh about certain parts and just, especially the fight scene, there were moments where we had to cut, because we were like, "This is so ridiculous," we're actually fighting each other, but I love her in real life. So I think it definitely made it much easier and much more natural.

Speaking of Winnipeg, I know the film used multiple locations to give the impression of this one boarding school, so did the frequent location and set changes at all impact the shooting experience?

We have the easy part as an actor, you just go and you try and live in the moment and bring the character to life. I think the person that had it the worst is obviously the crew and Simon, and just bringing his vision to life, using multiple locations. I think it's super hard. And I admire him for that because to make the movie all flow, you really have to make sure the dorms match up with the other dorms and the exterior makes sense for the interior. I think that's all in the director and the crew.

It makes a difference in a sense of finding a location that really brings the story to life, and I think they did a great job on that, and it really helps as an actor to have a location that feels real and looks as close to a school as possible. But having multiple locations, I don't think really makes a difference from my perspective, definitely on the director's perspective, I think it does. I know he had trouble trying to make sense of it and really bring it all together. I think he does such a great job. If you're watching the movie, I completely forgot how many locations that really existed when I was watching, it just all flowed together so well. So I think he did an amazing job at that.

Since the film features a prank that goes a bit too far, when you're in these locations and having a good time with your cast, was there any pranking happening on set or did you not have time to mess around, since it was only a three-week shoot?

I feel, no, not really. It was such a tight schedule. We shot the whole movie in 20 something days, so we obviously had moments of joking around with each other and stuff like that off set. We would hang out in our apartments and get together, all the girls and I, after hours. But during the scenes, I feel it was definitely in the moment and trying to really figure out how to get these scenes done in a good way and bringing Simon's vision to life, there was definitely a focus.

So even though you were a bit wary of the horror genre in general, now that you've been involved in this film, has your opinion on them changed? Would you be more open to joining another horror movie or, since you're a filmmaker yourself, develop one without starring in it?

I feel it definitely came together in such a cool way, and just the music that was tied into it, and I feel, definitely, when you're making the movie, it's not scary watching it after, because you already know what's happening and you know it's not real. So it definitely opened my eyes. The music is really what makes it more creepy, as well. I feel I'm totally open to doing more horror, but I feel my passion is definitely more in the psychological-thriller genre, but if Simon is making another great movie, I would love to be a part of it, so it depends on the project as well.

And since The Ring and The Grudge and Blair Witch left such an impact on you, do you think you'd want to join one of those franchises to help you conquer your fear of them?

I don't know. I feel I'd love to just watch, if there's new one. The Ring and The Grudge are just, I don't know. I guess it depends on the role that I would be playing. If I would be playing the girl in the well that just like has hair and is making noises the whole time, I probably wouldn't want to be a part of it, but it depends on the role that would be offered, of course, and how the script is written. But I think that would be cool if they come out with a new one. It's been so long.

*****

Seance lands in theaters, On Demand, and Digital HD on May 21st.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You can contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter.