PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Scared to Death is a 2024 American comedy horror film written and directed by Paul Boyd. The film stars Lin Shaye, Bill Moseley, Olivier Paris, Victoria Konefal, B.J. Minor, Jade Chynoweth, Rae Dawn Chong, Lucinda Jenney, and Kurt Deimer. It premiered at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival on August 11, 2024, before receiving a limited theatrical release in the United States on March 13, 2026.
The film follows Jasper, a production assistant eager to become a Hollywood director, who convinces his crew to hold a real séance inside a 70-year-old abandoned children’s shelter while preparing for a horror film. Once the séance begins, the crew becomes trapped and haunted by the murdered orphans who were found “scared to death” in 1942.
Pop Horror spoke with Jade Chynoweth about balancing horror and comedy, paranormal experiences, dance, and working with horror legends.
Finding the Balance Between Horror and Comedy
PopHorror: So the first question I’ve got here is, Scared to Death mixes horror and comedy. So was it harder to create the scares or the funny moments in the movie?
Jade Chynoweth: I would say that my character specifically is the comedic relief. So I felt like that was more my job was to bring that energy to the film and leave the scaring up to my cast mates. So I would say that my difficulty or my challenge was more with the comedy to make feel natural and real and to add to the horror rather than take away from it or downplay it.
You want it to feel like how somebody would really react in real life if this weird stuff would be going on there. There wouldn’t be such set reactions. There would be some funny moments. People wouldn’t understand what’s going on. So I was really honored to play more of that comedic side for this show.
PopHorror: Oh, yeah, I could see that. Like the comedy is pretty much throughout the movie or the humor.
Jade Chynoweth: I would say that it was just our characters. You know, when you’re a real human, you’re not always serious. You’re not always funny. So when you really have all these characters that in real life, these people are funny and when they’re acting, there’s the comedic relief. It feels like a real life scary movie rather than just a horror horror. So I thought it was a little bit of a refreshing take on horror, made it feel real, natural and human.
PopHorror: And what was your first reaction when you read the premise about the abandoned children’s shelter and the séance and all that stuff?
Jade Chynoweth: I mean, I love horror movies. So that it was exciting for me. And also in real life, the house was actually, I would say, probably haunted. So it added to that realism. It made it feel real. The house was perfect, as is the moment you walked in, you felt like you were already in the movie.
And when you know that there’s a séance going on, there’s so much to play with within that to have the bone chilling, like, “Is there something in the room with me?” That question or the actual feeling of the haunting adds to how people perceive it. So I was really excited to see that there was a good, juicy story behind the haunting, because sometimes you want there to be a reason why people are scared and crap, I would be scared if this was real for me.
Paranormal Experiences and Dance Background
PopHorror: And do you have any haunted houses that you experienced in your real life, would you say?
Jade Chynoweth: You know, I would say my mom hates to talk about it, but I’ve always felt like I have those experiences. I feel like I might be sensitive or whatever is out there likes to let me know it’s there a lot. I’ve had a couple of things as a kid. I mean, you know, I was a kid, so who’s to say?
But I almost drowned in a pool because I was going up and it felt like I was being pulled under and I had like a whole bruise on my ankle. So I would say that’s a pretty real experience. I would say that there’s always been weird things going on in my life. Like sometimes, you know, the light flickering, you’re like, is that my lightbulb or something going on?
PopHorror: This webcam I’ve got here that’s flickering right now as we speak.
Jade Chynoweth: It’s adding. It’s because we’re talking about these horror scary stories. I’ve had like a house in particular that’s been haunted, but there’s definitely been moments in my life where I’m like, something feels different. The air is thicker in here.
PopHorror: Or it could be that I just have a hunk of junk laptop.
Jade Chynoweth: Exactly. Exactly. Or there’s just a real answer behind that.
PopHorror: Were there any moments where your background in dance came into play here where it informed your approach to the character in the film?
Jade Chynoweth: I definitely think it did, especially with Champ. She is a very fluid girl, especially with what her passions are and what she likes to do on her off time. I wanted that to feel like that really is my character.
You know, stoners have a vibe about them. And I wanted to bring that into my body, make them feel like they’re relaxed, chill. So adding that to the way that I basically dance the scene as well as talk the scene was really important for me. And I think that adds layers to who she is. And it made other people feel comfortable or feel like, dude, what’s up with this girl? And that’s kind of what you want to feel with the girl who’s never really focused in the moment.
Learning to Dance and Working With Horror Legends
PopHorror: I’ve got to ask this question for people like me who do not dance. I can only do that dance that the goths do in South Park where I mope around. How does one get into dancing if they really don’t have the dancing rhythms?
Jade Chynoweth: So I’ve been dancing since I could walk. But I would say that it’s never too late for anyone. I always say that because dance is like, I think there’s a connection of dance in everybody.
Everybody has some type of movement that makes them feel good. It allows you to express yourself, allows you to get stuck emotions in the body out and really feel free. And I think that’s what’s the best part about dance is it doesn’t always have to be so technical and professional. It can be fun and it can be a release for people.
And I think that’s why everybody loves going to the club or to festivals or things like that, because there is a connection in dance in all of us. So I would say it’s there. And all you have to do is train just like you would in anything, invest a little bit of time, maybe go take a beginner’s dance class somewhere and just get that basic groove in your step. And once you put time and effort into something, you can always do anything.
PopHorror: So when it comes to the horror icons in this movie, you’ve got Lin Shaye and Bill Moseley. What was it like working with them?
Jade Chynoweth: Well, first of all, a little bit starstruck, a little nervous to get on set with such powerhouses in this genre. But just in general, they’re phenomenal actors.
I’ve already said this before, but the best part about working with somebody that you’re a fan of is when you meet them and you realize they’re a really cool person. That’s always number one. And I think that translates into people’s perception of them as actors on screen as they feel a genuine human being in them.
And I thought that was so refreshing to see such talented, acclimated actors be such good, genuine people, but it also makes you as somebody newer coming in, step up and pull up. And I think it’s the best acting lesson, to be on set and see these powerhouses in action. It makes you step up, but it also makes you commit the same way that they do to their character, because once action is called, even before action, they’re in their character and you can feel that they are just so invested in what they’re creating and it is real for them and it makes you want your character to be real for everybody else as well.
PopHorror: And they always say to not meet your heroes because they’ll let you down, but it’s nice to hear there are some exceptions to that rule.
Jade Chynoweth: Oh, there are some exceptions to that rule because I am the first to be like, I was a fan, but I really truly am even more of a fan after meeting and working with them.
It was really cool to see Lin fully just dive into this character and she gave so many different choices on set, so many different realms that she could stretch her character. It felt like a new character that we haven’t seen from her in other scary movies or other movies in general. It felt like she really got to have fun with this one as well and that was really cool to see her kind of play with the character and see where she could take it and how many different directions she could take it.
And then Bill is just such a grounded, confident actor. It just feels easy for him. It feels effortless for him and he really grounds the whole movie and makes it feel like a real life séance.
Cast Chemistry and Surviving a Horror Movie
PopHorror: So there is cast chemistry in this movie, which is pretty important. What was the atmosphere like between takes while you were filming some intense scenes?
Jade Chynoweth: To be honest, we all were having too much fun doing this whole shoot. We all would hang out after set, during set, during rehearsals, all of that. So it felt like a family vibe and I think that was really cool but also special to create a connection that wasn’t just off-screen but it got translated onto the screen as well.
Everybody really felt comfortable as friends. So it made us even more comfortable to dive in as the character and really go for it because there’s no shame. There’s no nerves. We got past that off-screen. So it was just a good time. We had too much of a good time.
PopHorror: And this might be a fun question. If you had to survive a real horror movie scenario with one cast member, who would you choose and why?
Jade Chynoweth: I would say it would have to be Kurt because he could protect me. The Grog. I feel like he’s durable. You might not know what’s going on but he’s durable. He can survive it. He’s gonna get through it.
But in terms of the brains behind it, I would say I would probably choose maybe Bill because he knew what was going on. There’s a little more calculated behind it and also his character in the movie has a lineage of doing this work. So there’s a little more knowledge behind all of that and that would comfort me. I would be leaning on him. I’m so glad that my character wasn’t there because she would have been freaking out.
PopHorror: What do you think makes audiences love horror comedies right now? Is there a need for it?
Jade Chynoweth: There’s always going to be a need for it. I think the reason why people connect with it is one, there’s such a fandom behind horror in general. But horror comedy kind of makes it feel a little more real. It makes it feel real life. It makes it feel more human.
And in certain situations like that, not everybody would be serious. There would be some weird reactions going on. Some people not taking it seriously. Some people taking it seriously. So I think that comedic relief behind the horror just feels authentic to how people really are. And I think that’s why people receive it so well is because it feels like human beings in a real situation of horror.
Horror, Action, and Favorite Films
PopHorror: There’s always that person who says, “I wouldn’t act that way in that horror movie. That person made a really dumb decision.” You never know until you’re in that scenario.
Jade Chynoweth: You never know. Everyone likes to think they would be the person who escapes and survives. But you have no idea when your adrenaline is up there and you’re seeing something that you have never seen in your life in front of you.
So I think that’s why comedic relief is important in horror is because people don’t know how to process that. This isn’t an everyday experience for people. So it adds kind of that development behind what somebody would really be going through or internalizing or questioning because there’s a lot of people who wouldn’t even believe it’s real, what’s going on. So I think that adds that comedic relief as well because nobody’s taking it seriously.
PopHorror: Sure. I’d probably be one of those ones who’s totally skeptical of everything going on.
Jade Chynoweth: I’d totally be the one that’s like telling everybody it’s real. I see it.
PopHorror: So after making this movie, are you more interested in doing darker horror projects or more comedy or maybe a mix of both?
Jade Chynoweth: I would love to do a mix of both. But horror has always been my favorite genre just to watch as an audience member. So I would love to be a part of more horror just because of that. It’s something I would watch on my own time. So why not be in it?
But I would also love to do all genres. So comedic relief would be great. The dream is being an action star as well because with the dance background, I’m very connected to my body. And maybe it could all marry into one, a comedic horror action film. I need some ass-kicking zombie stuff.
PopHorror: So what are your favorite movies? And what’s your favorite genre of music too?
Jade Chynoweth: I would say my favorite movie of all time is Troy. And the reason being is I had it on DVD as a kid. So it was one of those ones that I watched over and over and over again.
What I love the most about it was how the combination of the acting, the set design, and the action scenes. I would pretend like I was fighting people in my own world as a kid, doing little battles and stuff. So I really always loved that. And I loved that there was gore aspects to it as well.
My favorite style of music is actually the exact opposite of my taste in film. I like R&B, real chill stuff. Because I feel like as a dancer, I’m able to have a moment to connect to the music and kind of ride the wave of the song a little bit more rather than quicker music or pop music. I like all styles, but I’m definitely more the chill girl when it comes to music.
Final Thoughts on Scared to Death
PopHorror: And is there anything else you could tell me about this movie that people should know?
Jade Chynoweth: Well, it is not like any movie that we’ve had for a while. I would say that there is something super refreshing about it. But there’s a lot of parts that might surprise you. There’s such heavy hitters in this film. And there are even some buttons at the end during the credits. So make sure you stay and watch the whole thing until it is done.
PopHorror: And when will it be streaming available?
Jade Chynoweth: So it’s actually out on VOD now. So people can find it now and go watch it. And I’m so excited to see what everybody’s thoughts are.
PopHorror: Well, glad to have talked to you and have a nice day and all that kind of stuff.
