PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Something I did not expect this year was for the writer and director of Thankskilling to make one of my favorite movies of 2026. Jordan Downey’s (read our interview with him HERE) The Cycle (read our review HERE) is a fresh new horror film that just premiered on Shudder this weekend and it’s so fucking good I watched my screener twice in one day. I don’t usually do that. I’m going to say as little about this movie as I can because I want to avoid spoilers. This one is definitely one you want to go into blind.
To celebrate the release of the film, I chatted with stars Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood) and Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) about their first reaction to the script, crafting their characters, horror movies, and more!
PopHorror: I loved The Cycle so much that I watched it twice in one day.
Deborah Ann Woll: Yay!
Jeffrey Donovan: Wow!
PopHorror: I watched it by myself and then made my partner watch it with me. I told her I’m not going to tell you anything about it.
Jeffrey Donovan: What was it like knowing and peeking over and seeing your partner’s reaction to it?
PopHorror: You know, she sucks. Halfway through, and I’m trying to avoid spoilers here, she looks at me goes, “It’s a **** isn’t it?”
Deborah Ann Woll and Jeffrey Donovan: Ooh!
PopHorror: She does that every time. I was so pissed.
Deborah Ann Woll: But did she still enjoy it? Because I’m almost of the mind that it still works even if you know.
PopHorror: Yes, it’s the practical effects. That is what makes this movie so special. So, what made The Cycle stand out as a script you both had to say yes to?
Deborah Ann Woll: Well written. I think the genre shift for me was a big one, that it does such a good job of convincing you it’s a police procedural and then such a good job shifting into what is more of a creature feature, which is really fun. I think Jeffrey and I will both say that Jordan, the director and co-writer of the script, he’s a really excellent creative so as you’re talking with him, it feels very collaborative. He has a strong point of view, and I felt like I was in really good hands right from the beginning.
Jeffrey Donovan: Same. You could tell from the first 10 pages that Jordan was in complete control of this material. He knew what he wanted; it was very clear that he had a vision for this. Knowing Deb was already attached was a huge selling point for me, and then going and then shooting, the collaboration between the two and allowing me to be a part of this incredible film was all just… Deb had said earlier it was like top three experiences. It’s the same. It was such a wonderful experience and so collaborative. Deb, we hadn’t said this earlier, even more rewarding is you can think all of those things, and then you can see the movie, and you’re like, “Well, at least we got along!”
Deborah Ann Woll: Yeah! It was so much fun!
Jeffrey Donovan: We were so lucky to be a part of it.
PopHorror: Something that I really loved about this movie is I love when horror has a heart. One of my favorite scenes is when you both are at Pete’s house and you give her the video and you’re like, “Oh look, there’s this video for you,” and she’s watching it… I cried when you’re watching the video your dad made for you and your mom. I cried both times! The chemistry between your characters, Jeffrey and Deborah, I loved so much.
Deborah Ann Woll: Thank you.
PopHorror: When you both first read the script, what was the number one trait or detail that you instantly knew you wanted to inject into your character’s personality?
Deborah Ann Woll: I think for me, the sense of humor and a little bit of quirkiness. She’s a little weird. Like she’s into the dead stuff. I’d done a lot of research on forensic anthropologists and every picture I found, they were just the most interesting, weird, nerdy, primarily women, and I was like, this has to be here. She has to be this wonderfully weird and we talked a lot about being a little bit of a library mouse who’s into dead stuff and a little goth in that sense. She could be a little bewildering to the other characters. If you’re not in her brain, you’re like, where did she get that conclusion? I really wanted to be sure that was present in character.
PopHorror: Like that diner scene where you’re drawing on the napkin, and you’re like, “Ah, goddamit; I’m doing it again.”
Deborah Ann Woll: “Oh, I’m doing it again.” I’ve seen that look on someone’s face before where they’re just like, what is she doing?
Jeffrey Donovan: The one trait I think I wanted to bring more than any was a kind of quiet stillness to him that I haven’t really played a lot in roles. He wasn’t the one taking the room and commanding or being chatty or even the smartest person in the room. I really wanted him to be someone whose superpower was he listened and observed, and then he realizes, geeze, this lady is really smart, like so much smarter than me, I’m going to listen to her. That was something that was really important to me.
PopHorror: If you had to pitch this film to someone who doesn’t usually like horror movies, what would you tell them?
Jeffrey Donovan: That’s a hard one. I don’t know. I’d probably say nothing against horror, but I’d probably say it’s not a horror movie. This is a movie that’s going to surprise you. That’s what I would say. Just watch it, be open minded, and it’s going to surprise you where it takes you because that’s what it did to me when I read it, and then when we got to see it at Fantastic Fest. I was literally eating popcorn watching it going, this is the experience.
Deborah Ann Woll: Yeah, I would say… I’ve been saying this, I am not a horror movie fan. I don’t love every single horror movie that comes out. I’m not waiting for the next one to come, and yet all of my favorite movies are horror movies and it’s because they are excellent films, first and foremost. I look at Jaws, I look at Alien, I look at The Descent, I look at The Exorcist. These are great movies that just happen to be horror movies and to me, The Cycle absolutely fits that bill. The Silence of the Lambs… A great movie, also happens to be a horror movie. I think if you love great film and great story, you will love this movie, and it also just happens to be scary.
PopHorror: That’s surprising because True Blood, Deborah, True Blood.
Deborah Ann Woll: But True Blood, on many levels to me, that’s a social commentary. There are horror elements, but the story is actually about something else, much more interesting.
PopHorror: To me, The Cycle is a horror movie. It reminds me of The Silence of the Lambs, which people do argue is not a horror movie. It’s not just horror as there’s a lot more to it. But this leads us into my last question for you both. What is your favorite scary movie?
Deborah Ann Woll: We’ve talked about a lot of these. Alien, The Descent, The Exorcist are some of my favorites that I can watch over and over again. Jaws…
Jeffrey Donovan: Alien and Jaws are my favorites. The Silence of the Lambs is up there. If I were to be stuck in a bomb shelter, I’d probably pick those three.
Thank you so much to Deborah and Jeffrey for taking the time to chat with us! The Cycle is now on Shudder!
