Interviews: Hayley Griffith Talks Satanic Panic




TMS: Tell us how you got started in acting. 

HG: I was a very dramatic kid and not to brag, but I was the most dramatic in preschool. So I think it started very young with me and, and I've always, I always wanted to act. I always wanted to be an actor and just as, as time went on, I just kept doing it. And then my parents were supportive enough and believed in me enough to let me go to college for it. And then, here we are. So I started as a little kid. I've always loved it.


TMS: That's really cool. What drew you to working on Satanic Panic? I've not seen it yet, but we're going to watch it this weekend. We've heard it's kind of insane!

HG: Yeah, it's crazy. But that's honestly part of the big reason why I wanted to be a part of it. It's so funny and it's really dark and raunchy and some of the humor in it is very crass, which I am a huge fan of. That is very, my sense of humor. And I feel like you don't get to see, you know, it's hard for people to push the envelope in terms of comedy. And especially the gore that's in the movie. So the minute I read it I was like, oh my god, I need to be in this movie.






TMS: What's it like working with Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell ? They both seem like they'd be great folks to work with.

HG: Oh my God, it was amazing. I mean I've always been a huge fan of both of them. So it was, it just felt unreal being told that I was going to be in this movie with them and I was not let down. They are incredible people. They're so nice. They're generous as actors and just as normal human beings. It was just a blast getting to go absolutely crazy with them. It was a dream.

TMS: So what have early reactions been like to the film, critical and audiences?

HG: I find it's been great. A lot of people have been going crazy about the gore and uh, and uh, a lot of people love how quick witted it is. And the script. The script is so funny and there's some lines that are absolutely ridiculous that kind of, it gives you a second to go, wait, what did you say? A lot of people have been loving that and really enjoying the gore aspect and the comedy, which there's a lot of it in this movie. 






TMS: So, if you are defining this horror film, is there anything else you could compare it to?

HG:  I know a lot of people have been saying it's very similar to the movie, Society. And also Deathgasm, which I love that movie. And there's a lot of similarities in terms of comedy and gore and also Jennifer's Body.

TMS: So, let's say you had a choice of an iconic horror franchise to be part of. Is there one that you would like to be involved in?

HG: There's so many. I mean, Halloween, obviously you would want to be a part of Halloween.  I mean I know they already did the remake, but Evil Dead. And if anyone ever remakes Gremlins, which I really think that one is the one that traumatized me as a kid. So I'm like, I want to face it head on.

TMS: We've actually talked about that quite a bit on our podcast. The stuff about the dad, you know, the dad going down the chimney as Santa and them finding him. It's horrifying.

HG: As a kid I was like, what? 




TMS: So you've done quite a bit of TV also. I looked over your IMDB resume earlier today. How did you start to make that transition from television to film? And was it hard to get cast in this film?

HG: It's been something I've wanted to do for a long time, but it's hard for people to, when casting movies to them, you know, put a lot of space or to take the risk. It's a really hard thing that I've been trying to break into. They believed in me enough that I didn't, you know, have to beg. 


TMS: Looking back to some of the retro horror stuff from the eighties and seventies and stuff like that, are there any big time scream queens that you look up to or have influenced you in your work?

HG: I mean as far as that, Barbara Crampton is amazing. Jeez. I, I've always been a huge fan of her work and, and we're now following each other on Twitter and I feel very proud about it. Would you consider Jamie Lee Curtis a scream queen? I just have always been a huge fan of her work. So those two I'd say are my top.

TMS: Yeah, I think she's one of the originators. 


HG: She's an iconic face of female empowerment in horror.

TMS: So we always hear crazy stuff about things happening on set, especially on horror shoots. Are there any like onscreen onset antics you can tell us about that happened with Satanic Panic?

HG: I love, I love to scare people. That's like my number one. It's my pastime. I hate when people scare me, but I'm a total hypocrite and I love scaring people. So that was a huge thing, trying to scare anyone that I could. And I do this thing where I like to make faces at the camera. So anytime right before we'd start shooting, I would just give them a really ugly look.I heard that is going to be part of the B roll.


TMS: So what's the PR campaign been like for you at this? Is this like the first time you've gone full press with a project?

HG: Yeah, this is. It's been crazy because I really have never, been involved in  the PR side of things for, for any projects. This has been my first, my first big time doing interviews and podcasts and all that. So it's been, it's been surreal and crazy and so exciting. But yeah, this is like my first time doing this stuff.





TMS: It is always fun doing interviews. The more you do it, you get more natural with it. Like, I used to always be nervous talking to people and now it's way easier.......What kind of suggestions would you give to like younger actors that are trying to get into the game right now?

HG: I would just say to keep working on your craft even when you're not working.working, Take as many as many classes as you can, as many workshops. I think this, the more that you work on your craft, the more prepared you'll feel for when you go into a room and also when you go onto a set. I think that's like my biggest recommendation is just keep working on it. 


TMS: So last question I guess is,  where can people see the movie? How is it available to folks right now?

HG: So it will be available in some theaters across the US. They also just released the list of them and it'll be on on demand, which is exciting. 


Read our review here!


-CG