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[Set Visit Report] Actress Bailee Madison on the Terror of ‘The Strangers: Prey at Night’

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Actress Bailee Madison is no stranger to horror, having starred in 2010’s Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, multiple episodes of R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, and she even appeared in an episode of Holliston. Soon fans will know her as Kinsey, a rebellious teenager caught in the crosshairs of the masked Strangers in the upcoming Strangers: Prey at Night, in theaters March 9, 2018.

When I was in Kentucky visiting the set of the film, Madison was in the middle of shooting a very pivotal scene. Covered in blood and collapsed in the middle of an empty street on a foggy night, Madison’s character was clearly in the thick of a cat and mouse pursuit by her assailants when the scene begins. The actress shares this particular scene with two other actors, and it gets emotionally and physically intense very quickly.  To describe the scene in any further detail would be a massive spoiler, but what I can say is that it seems as though the character of Kinsey might possess far more wit and fortitude than James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) combined.

“Kinsey was someone I was drawn to the moment I read her on page. It was one of those actor moments where it was like, ‘I have to play her, and I have to bring her to life,’” Madison says of her character, “She’s a very fierce minded original, kind of follows her own ideas of what needs to be done. She’s also very misunderstood; she’s dealing with this terrible situation with her family where she’s so disconnected and desperately wants to be connected. Through this journey, she has to be thrown into a place to understand what really is important. It’s a really fun, totally different thing that I have ever been fortunate enough to play before.”

While the scene being filmed shows Kinsey desperate and distressed, there’s also an underlying hint of a strong will to survive. When asked if Kinsey does possess tough survival instincts Madison states, “She has her moments. I think what was so great about the original, that we get to fall along with, is from the moment you pick up in the first movie is there is a sense of dread and sorrow, and it feels as if you’re watching the lives of two people that you shouldn’t be. It’s almost as if you’re the Strangers, as the audience. Like maybe I shouldn’t be watching this? When a film can make you do that it’s really great, and this one picks up on the same dread, and the same sorrow. Just sort of a new reinvention of a similar situation.”

The scene filming during my visit struck me as interesting not only for its intensity, but that for all of the physicality involved for Madison, her stunt double remained on the sidelines ready and waiting. “The stunts have been the hardest but in the best way,” the actress says of performing as much of the stunts as she can, though she acknowledges it’s probably the most difficult part of filming for her. “I called Cal Johnson, our stunt coordinator- he actually did the first Strangers, too, which is really exciting. But the stunts because you’re emotionally drained by the end of the day, and you’re physically bruised and taking home the stunts with you. Even though you’re leaving your character on set, it’s still somehow coming home with you and you’re left with remnants of things. Cal is letting me do close to 99% of the stunts, which I’m very fortunate for. It was one of the first things I said to Cal and Johannes, I said, ‘Please let me do as much as I can do.’ Because if you’re able to get a great script that establishes great characters then it’s a no-brainer, but then when you get a great script that also establishes pushing yourself in ways you’ve never been pushed then it’s even bigger. They’ve been really supportive and I’ve got battle scars from my time here on set. It’s been a blast.”

Wearing a Ramones t-shirt, tattered jeans and sporting bloodied wounds from obvious encounters with the Strangers, the character of Kinsey appears to be the epitome of teenage rebellion.  When asked how much of Kinsey is in her, the actress reflects, “I actually wrote this in a letter to Johannes before we started filming; I connect with her so much but she is such a stranger to me. I think I wrote pun intended in parenthesis, because I’m cool like that. I can understand the idea of so desperately loving your family and loving people but being blocked off by things that sometimes matter, but other than that she’s a bit of a stranger to me. I spent a lot of time looking at things and writing notes and figuring out who she is through the journey, with our hair and makeup department, costume department, and with Johannes. It was a very special collaborative project to bring her to life in a very one of a kind way.”

Madison, no stranger to horror, admits that while she loves filming horror movies, watching them terrifies her.  The exception to that is one of her scene partners, the actress behind the mask of Dollface. Madison cringes, stating “Dollface scares the most out of me. She’s so creepy. And she genuinely terrifies me. As a human being, Emma – she’s lovely, but she really terrifies me. Because she enjoys it too much.”

Between talking with actress Bailee Madison, observing an intense scene being filmed, and touring the intricately designed mobile home community that serves as the Strangers’ lethal playground, it’s clear that this isn’t so much of a sequel as it is a seamless continuation of the narrative that originated in 2008. While still paying special care to retain that atmospheric dread, the follow up also seems to have improved upon the original in many ways; more stunts, a bigger set, a slightly larger cast, and a more formidable opponent for the Strangers themselves. For fans of The Strangers, we have a lot to look forward to.

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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