It's a good time to be a horror fan. In the past few years, we've seen a ton of original and exciting horror titles hit theaters, which is a welcomed change from the past few years of stale found footage movies and torture porn. And if you're a horror buff the way I am, you'll notice one newcomer actress who has been booking fantastic installments in the genre. Anya Taylor-Joy made a splash on the scene with last year's supernatural period piece The Witch as Thomasin, the New England daughter who found her family terrorized by an insidious spirit in the woods. She currently stars as Casey in M. Night Shyamalan's new thriller Split, and I recently had the opportunity to chat with her about what makes the horror genre so appealing as an actress.
Between The Witch and Split, Anya Taylor-Joy is quickly cementing herself as a bonafide scream queen, appearing in multiple fantastic horror films. When speaking to Taylor-Joy about her role in the M. Night Shyamalan film, she revealed why the horror genre is so appealing,
As an actor, it is such a pleasure to work in horror movies, or in anything that allows you to feel that intensity of feeling. I have way too many feelings, and it's really nice to go somewhere, scream, break stuff, run around, cry. At the end of the day I go home and I'm so relaxed. I'm like 'Ok, and I'm done.'
There you go, ladies and gents. The horror genre provides Anya Taylor-Joy with a sense of catharsis, which is appealing for both her professional and personal life. After all, not many jobs incite such strong feelings of terror. Except for maybe waiting tables.
Anya Taylor-Joy seems to truly shine within the horror genre. In both Split and The Witch we've seen her characters play the everyman, slowly realizing the nefarious situation they're in alongside the audience. Her performances are a slow burn; as the action builds so does her sense of terror and desperation, perfectly mirroring each film's journey to madness.
For Anya Taylor-Joy's full conversation with myself regarding horror, be sure to check out the below video.
It should be interesting to see how Anya Taylor-Joy's career progresses moving forward. She's been closely associated with the mysterious upcoming New Mutants movie. When a short list of casting choices was released a few months ago, it was reported that she'd apparently been approached to play the mutant Magik in the spinoff. Joining a comic book adaptation has the potential to be a star making moment for Taylor-Joy, and I'd certainly love to see her kick some ass after being in such a powerless position in Split.
Split will be released in theaters this Friday, January 20th. To see the latest trailer for the spooky thriller, click the next page.
