PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Based on the 2016 book of the same name by Grady Hendrix, the film version of My Best Friend’s Exorcism (read our review – HERE) is a ton of fun. It’s full of nostalgic 80s references, strong female leads, a bitchin’ soundtrack, and an enviable pair of best friends. Enviable, that is, until one of them because possessed by a demon.
The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act… different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries-and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil? (IMDb)
To celebrate the release of the film, I chatted with stars Elsie Fisher and Amiah Miller via Zoom, and we discussed what intrigued them about the film, horror movies, and more!
PopHorror: I really enjoyed My Best Friend’s Exorcism. It was so much fun, so I’m really excited to speak with you both. What intrigued you about the script and made you want to be a part of the project?
Amiah Miller: I think I was just really excited because Gretchen was such a challenging character, and I knew that by playing her, I would grow a lot as an actress, so I was very excited about that. I was also excited because it’s based on a book and already so many people love the book, and the story, and the characters so it was exciting to join on to something where there’s already a little family. And I also loved her friendship with Abby.
Elsie Fisher: Yeah!
Amiah Miller: Which is now my friendship with Elsie because I love her.
Elsie Fisher: Aw, Amiah! It’s my pleasure to be your friend, my dearest Amiah. I think that’s so true. Also, this film is a very unique opportunity because I think the story itself is wonderful, and the relationship between the characters, but also taking a chance on the fact that you would walk out of it with a bond with the other person. That’s worth everything and some.
PopHorror: I love hearing that because I am a huge fan of the book, and one thing I loved about it was the strong female characters, which I think that you both did amazing. That’s something that we’re constantly fighting for in the film industry, and especially in horror so I really appreciate hearing that you guys built a friendship out of it. That’s really amazing. What did you learn from your character?
Amiah Miller: I think I learned to not take myself so seriously and to kind of trust my instincts as an actress. We rehearsed a lot but Damon (director Thomas) kind of left a lot of it up to me, and that was really amazing for myself, because I have always relied on other people’s opinions. I kind of just want to please everyone else, but doing this, I was like, “No, what do I want out of this scene? What do I want out of this character while still referring to the book and making sure that’s honored?” I think I learned to go with the flow and trust what I’m good at.
Elsie Fisher: Hey-o! I think the same for me. Also, I think so much of what I love about Abby is that she really isn’t the perfect protagonist in a lot of ways, and she does the wrong thing, but really tries. I love that because I think a lot of younger characters especially, aren’t really afforded to have those flaws and faults in the way I think Abby does. So that was really fun. And I think it was a really unique experience for me as a burgeoning actor.
PopHorror: I love that she wasn’t perfect and that they did show her flaws. I remember from the book about her makeup, and her skin, and her insecurities and I love that that was brought into the film as well because that was a huge part of, showing that she goes through everything the same as other teenagers in the world.
Elsie Fisher: Yeah, definitely.
PopHorror: Would you say that you were horror fans before making the film?
Elsie Fisher: I would say yeah for me, at least. My career sort of fell into horror so I felt it was my duty to become invested. I ended up vibing with the genre. Amiah, tell us about your relationship.
Amiah Miller: I honestly wish that I was because I think the horror world is so cool, and everyone I’ve met and that’s their favorite genre, I think they’re cool. I just wish that could be me but I’m a scaredy-cat! Even watching films for research for this movie, I was so scared. I remember the first horror movie I watched was Lights Out at the premiere because I was in one scene, and I felt like a badass because I was in a scary movie. And I was like, “No, I can watch it!” And still that movie would scare me today. Ask me the next time you interview me, ask me and hopefully by then I’m better but as of right now… I don’t know.
PopHorror: I find that the ones that are scared of horror are in the most horror. I think that that’s awesome.
Amiah Miller: Great so I’m going to be scared forever now!
Elsie Fisher: Probably what makes the performances believable too. You are actually freaked out by the scary stuff.
Thank you so much to Elsie and Amiah for taking the time to speak with us. My Best Friend’s Exorcism is available now on Amazon Prime.
