Eye On Horror
Eye On Horror
10 Years of Deborah Logan w/Jill Larson and Anne Ramsay!
This week, the boys sit down with the stars of The Taking of Deborah Logan, Jill Larson and Anne Ramsay! We are celebrating 10 years of the found footage phenomenon: talking about their experiences, getting into characters, their careers and more!
The boys also review movies such as V/H/S Beyond, Joker: Folie à Deux, Frankie Freako, Little Bites, Oddity, Attend this year's Beyond Fest, witness a drunk person be arrested at a screening of The Fall, and Correia's chair is squeaky. IT'S ALL NEW ON EYE ON HORROR!
Find out about 10 year celebrations, screenings, and the new special edition blu-ray of The Taking of Deborah Logan:
https://ihorror.com/ihorror-exclusive-the-taking-of-deborah-logan-celebrates-10-years-with-special-event-blu-ray/
Movies Mentioned in the show: https://boxd.it/zxhVq
Follow us on the socials: @EyeOnHorror or check out https://linktr.ee/EyeOnHorror
Get more horror movie news at: https://ihorror.com
Welcome to Eye on Horror, the official podcast of iHorror.com. This is episode 134 (Whoa!) otherwise known as season 7, Episode 15. I am your host. James J Edwards, and with me, as always, is your other host, Jacob Davison, how you doing? Jacob,
Jacob Davidson:exhausted. I'm at the tail end of Beyond Fest.
James Jay Edwards:Ah, yeah. You've been working a lot, huh?
Jacob Davidson:Yeah, no. It's been a very busy couple weeks, both attending and working Beyond Fest
James Jay Edwards:The double entry, you've been getting a lot of theater time. In also with us, as always, is your other other hosts, Jon Correia, how you doing, Correia?
Jonathan Correia:Oh doing pretty good. My chair is especially squeaky today, so I think I'm going to WD-40 it a bit later. But other than that, pretty good.
James Jay Edwards:Yeah, I have a dog playing with a squeaky toy in the background. So if you hear a squeak, it's either Correia's chair or my dog playing. Let's hop into this. What do you guys been seeing? What's that there's, you know, what I think both you guys have seen and I haven't, but I want to hear about, but not too much about, let's talk The Substance.
Jacob Davidson:Oh, The Substance was amazing.
James Jay Edwards:That's what I hear. Don't spoil anything. But you know, let's hear about it.
Jonathan Correia:First and foremost, I want to say, I think everyone knows how much I've been bitching about crowds at movie theaters and how much(Jay: Oh no) I hate audiences at movie theaters
James Jay Edwards:Did you have a bad screening?
Jonathan Correia:And I gotta say, you have to see this movie with a crowd, okay? Because it even Yeah, of course, AMC theater audiences suck. And yeah, there was a few talkers. But when, when that movie hits, it is great hearing people's reactions, except for those two people who sat right behind me how to give commentary every fucking time. But no, it was great. There. It's some great body horror. I think there's some really great it's super on the nose with the commentary it's doing, it is not subtle at all, but that's perfectly fine. I'm seeing people compare it to, like, Cronenberg body horror. But really it's Yuzna all the way.
Jacob Davidson:it is. It's a modern day Society,
Jonathan Correia:exactly. Yeah, and it's, it really goes for it, and it goes on for so long, like you you get your money's worth. This isn't one of those, like, here's the gross thing, and then it quickly cuts away, like you stay in it for a while. And I gotta say, the reason why it works so well is because of Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley just giving performances of their careers. Especially Demi Moore, holy shit, like she goes. It's so layered. There's even, like, one point where she goes into some, like, hagsploitation type craziness, but it's all still very weirdly grounded. I'm one of those people that will say, with all the body horror stuff, still the grossest scene, and if you've seen the trailer, you know the scene. It's Dennis Quaid eating shrimp is just the grossest thing.
Jacob Davidson:And it's just so wild that Dennis Quaid did this where he plays an extremely hammy talent agent the same year, he's also playing Ronald Reagan.
Jonathan Correia:dude both movies are in the theaters right now. Like, what the fuck? But yeah, no, The Substance is a lot of fun. It's absolutely great, Mubi right now is killing it, between this release and the new 4k restoration of Tarsem's The Fall, which was absolutely gorgeous.
Jacob Davidson:Yeah, I was at that screening, too.
Jonathan Correia:Oh, I had the drunk people right in front of me at that one, or the drunk person right in front of me.
Jacob Davidson:Oh, yeah, that was pretty wild.
Jonathan Correia:Yeah, someone got arrested. That was crazy.
Jacob Davidson:Yeah, they just refused to leave.
Jonathan Correia:Oh, yeah.
Jacob Davidson:But yeah, no. Beyond Fest has been a lot of fun. I managed to go to, I think, like, 18 movies and lot of good news stuff, lot of great repertory. Have to say, some of my favorites were, I was at the the West Coast premiere of V/H/S/Beyond, which might be one of my top favorites in that franchise, because it's basically V/H/S, but it's all sci-fi/horror, like every segment has kind of a sci fi horror twist to it. Did either of you see that?
James Jay Edwards:I did see it. It's on Shudder, right now
Jacob Davidson:yeah
James Jay Edwards:yeah, like you said it all it mostly deals
Jacob Davidson:Oh yeah, "Fur Babies" with like, aliens and stuff. I think my favorite segment is the Justin Long one. co wrote with his brother. And I have to say my favorite segment was the first one, "Stork".
James Jay Edwards:Oh, yeah
Jacob Davidson:yeah, no, because that one felt like the best Resident Evil movie, because it's basically about this, yeah, like special tactics and rescue type group, or rather, they're called warden. And also, I talked to the director, Jordan Downey, after the screen, he said there was a bunch of easter eggs at the beginning with, like, beginning with, like the VHS tapes they look over before they head out. And there is a Ratma tape. So take of that, as you will.
Jonathan Correia:Ratma!
Jacob Davidson:Yeah, there is a Ratma mention
James Jay Edwards:"Stork" felt to me, and maybe this, which you meant by a Resident Evil movie. It felt to me like a first person shooter. Because most
Jacob Davidson:yeah, no, it had a video game vibe to it.
James Jay Edwards:Yeah, most of it is like body cam footage from these Warden officers, and you'll see like them, like, reload their guns and stuff. And it totally looked like a first person shooter,
Jacob Davidson:yeah, no, and it was, it was also based off of this horror artists' art, Oleg Vdovenko he actually drew the original images kind of as horror, kind of as a horror comic, or, like short horror comic. It really comes through. And, yeah, no, just without spoiling, like, there's just so many great monsters in that, especially the titular Stork, and what exactly that entails. Because, yeah, no, just such a good blend.
James Jay Edwards:There's a there's a fun monster in...one of the segments is, is done by, his name, Justin Martinez, the Radio Silence guy. The skydiving episode.
Jacob Davidson:Oh yeah, "Live and Let Dive".
James Jay Edwards:Yeah, there's a fun monster in that one too.
Jacob Davidson:Yeah, there's some crazy ass aliens in somebody. And,
James Jay Edwards:of course, the fun monster in fur babies.
Jacob Davidson:Oh yeah
Jonathan Correia:yeah, how was Kate Siegel's one, that's what I'm most excited for?
Jacob Davidson:Yeah, no, I really, I really loved hers,"The Stowaway".
James Jay Edwards:yeah, hers is, it's about, like a, like, a YouTuber kind of a thing, who she's tracking down this UFO. And she, like, it says, she stows away on this UFO as it goes. So that one is, was interesting. I kind of had issues with the actress who was playing the lead. She, I don't know. I guess maybe I don't watch enough of those kind of YouTubers, but she seemed kind of like, um, clinical, and kind of, I don't know. It almost seemed like she was explaining everything a little too much, rather than let us figure it out. But I don't know. I mean, it was, it was a good segment. I mean, if all of the segments are solid in this, this might be the most consistent VHS entry, you know, I don't think any of the segments were weak at all.
Jacob Davidson:Yeah, no, I'd say overall, it was well rounded, uh, V/H/S entry, yeah.
James Jay Edwards:Usually I, I there's one or two that I think are kind of eh, but these ones, they're all, they're all pretty solid
Jacob Davidson:yeah, and let's see. I was also at the premiere
Jonathan Correia:nice of Spider One's new movie, Little Bites. They and you guys have seen some of Spider One's other movies, right? I'm not sure, what is some that they've done?
Jacob Davidson:Bury the Bride, Allegoria, She Doesn't Really Like Rabbits.
James Jay Edwards:I haven't seen any of them,
Jacob Davidson:no. Well, it was an interesting film, and it's just wild, because at the Beyond Fest screening, the film was introduced by one of its producers, someone who you may
be familiar with:Cher!
James Jay Edwards:Cher??
Jacob Davidson:yeah, Cher. Cher produced the movie, because Chaz Bono is in it,
James Jay Edwards:And she was there? she was at Beyond Fest?
Jacob Davidson:She introduced the movie, along with the cast and crew.
Jonathan Correia:don't forget, what's coming up. And they're like, oh, and Little Bites, we're just gonna have an appearance by Cher. And everyone's like, yeah. They're like, No, we're serious. Cher's gonna be there. And everyone's like, okay. no guys, Cher is coming to Beyond Fest. And then it took like, it took like a few like, No, we're not, we're not fucking around, because it sounds like a joke they would make. But no Cher was there
James Jay Edwards:that tells you about Beyond Fest reputation for, you know, trolling people. I heard that they were playing the Speak No Evil trailer. Like, between every trailer they did
Jacob Davidson:they did sneak it in there so that you'd think they're gonna play the Speak no evil trailer.
Jonathan Correia:They they played, like, the first 15 seconds, it was like, right up into the moped. So you got the guitar thing, and then it was like, it would stop in the moped and go right into the actual trailer. And it happened about seven or eight times before every fucking showing. And the first time they did it, I lost my mind, because when they first started it, I was like, no, no, we just got over this. What? What it's in theaters? What are they gonna do? Do another special screening of it. Get What's that? Then it stopped. I was like, what was that? What did? Was there a glitch or something? And then it happened again. And I was like, what is happening? It was by the third time I got the joke, and was like, oh, okay,
James Jay Edwards:we're talking about having your finger on the pulse. That's just hilarious.
Jacob Davidson:But anyway, Little Bites was pretty interesting. It was basically about this widow who is keeping her daughter at her at her mother's because there's a blood sucking demon monster that lives in the house, and it takes little bites out of her to stay saturated, but it keeps on threatening to eat her daughter, and it just kind of deals with like the stressors of trying to care for a family while also having a literal demon in her basement.
Jonathan Correia:Hell, yeah, that sounds dope. Is it getting a wide release or going to a streamer soon?
Jacob Davidson:Um, I'm not exactly sure. I mean, it looks like it's available VOD now
Jonathan Correia:nice. I'm gonna have to wait a little bit before I can do another digital rental or something, because I
dropped $20 on the new Hellboy:The Crooked Man movie. But yeah,
Hellboy:The Crooked Man was one of my more anticipated movies of the year. Because, as you guys know, I love the Hellboy series, and I've actually talked about that comic in particular in a previous episode of Correia's book nook. And I gotta say, you know, the Crooked Man is getting shat on pretty hard right now, but it is solid. It's I would tell everyone the same thing. I tell anyone who's getting into anything that's Hellboy. If you know the Guillermo del Toro movies, just know everything else is not the Guillermo del Toro movies. When it comes to Hellboy, it takes very different tones, very different perspectives. Uh, oftentimes in the Hellboy adventures, he's a side character, and it's everything else around him, and so you're kind of in his perspective with this weird world that he enters in. And that's what the story is. It's Hellboy in 1959 so you get a young like 20 year old or so Hellboy, and he's very much so in that mindset of like a 20 something year old, and he ends up in Appalachia and encounters this town that's plagued by an Appalachian devil and a whole whole bunch of witches. And the main Devil is the Crooked Man, which is this very like old timey business tycoon turned into like a devil that collects souls, and it gets a penny for each soul. But he's always walking around with like his head tilted and his arms in a weird way. And it's, it's a lot of fun. It's straight up. Hellboy is in a horror movie, so while there is action, it's not action focused. It's more on, like, the spookiness. Um, there's a lot of really weird jokes in it that I appreciated. Like, the movie stops at one point and a witch tells you how to make a witch ball, which is a cursed object. It's, it's, it's a lot of fun. I really appreciated how faithful it was to the comic. It was very straight up, like we're doing it, like you could pull up things I'd say, you know, a lot of people are saying that it's held back by its budget, like you can tell that it's the the smallest budget of a Hellboy movie. But what they were able to accomplish with that budget, I think, is pretty insane, too. So, yeah, is it worth a $20 rental? I would if you love that comic book in particular, and understand that this is not Guillermo del Toro. This is a Hellboy horror movie. But yeah, no, I've just, I was pleasantly surprised in how much I liked it. And then I go online to see how other people are reacting to and I was like, we are watching. We went in with different expectations, guys
James Jay Edwards:Have either you guys watched Oddity yet on Shudder?
Jacob Davidson:not yet
Jonathan Correia:No, it's on my list for this weekend.
James Jay Edwards:It's pretty good. It, it. It's about this, this woman who and this all happens like almost pre credits, this woman who's, she's alone at this country mansion, and she gets murdered, and her husband and sister, they know who murdered them, and the person gets convicted and everything, and, you know, and sent to this mental institution. But things are not as they seem. And the sister is like a psychic, and she can like touch objects and and can tell, you know, about the person and the the the. Killer. And I say, quote"killer" dies, and he has this fake eye. So the doctor, who's the husband, brings the sister this said, Hey, you wanted this, and she touches it, and she realizes that this guy wasn't the killer, you know, because she touches his eyes. So it opens up a whole little mystery thing. And it's, it's a pretty creepy. I mean, there's a lot of fun, you know, like, not really witchcraft, but like, occult stuff that goes on and and it's a cool, like, like little mystery kind of a thing. There's, like, twists and turns everywhere. That's, it's pretty fun. I think you guys will have fun with it.
Jacob Davidson:Yeah, I'd be interested in seeing it. I've heard it's legit scary.
James Jay Edwards:It does have its moments. Yes, even even watching at home on shudder, it definitely it has its moments. And I know that if I was in a theater, I would have jumped halfway out of my seat.
Jacob Davidson:Oh, and another movie that I have to mention, that I saw Steven Kostanski's, new film, which is a throwback to the kind of the Tiny Terror movies of old, like gooeys and Gremlins called Frankie Freako yeah! have you guys heard about it?
Jonathan Correia:I've heard about it, but I haven't seen it yet. I'm so excited, though
Jacob Davidson:oh, so much fun is basically about this really uptight and milk toast guy who's tempted to call, well, I mean, it's like a joke on those old Freddie Freaker 900 numbers. Did you ever see that, that weird little yellow Gremlin? Yeah, yeah. So he calls it, and he actually summons these three little gremlin guys called freakos, led by Frankie Freako, who's like a party monster, like literally, and they mess up the house and get into all kinds of chaotic shenanigans. And it just, it just felt like a natural extension of those types of movies, because it's, you know, just a bunch of little monsters, and they're here to party and cause chaos. And it's hilarious,
Jonathan Correia:yeah? Like the munchies and munchy yeah that's the vibe I was getting. Or Garbage Pail Kids, the movie,
Jacob Davidson:a little bit of that too. Or, or munchy played by the great Dom DeLuise,
James Jay Edwards:Yeah, fucking Kostanski,
Jacob Davidson:yeah. Yeah, no, it was, it was a fun time. And, yeah, no, it just, it did play with that effects, and also is specifically a lot of references to Ghoulies III: Ghoulies Go to College like, there's even a character named Mr. Beakler after Ghoulies' effects artist and director John Carl Buechler
Jonathan Correia:uh, any movie that makes a bunch of references
to Ghoulies III:Ghoulies Go to College immediately has my heart, yeah.
Jacob Davidson:Like, honestly, that should have been the trend. Uh, aside from horror sequels, go to space. Like, horror sequels going to college. Like, why wasn't there critters five critters go to college, yeah.
Jonathan Correia:Why wasn't there a Hellraiser, you know, pinhead goes to college.
James Jay Edwards:Why couldn't it have been Jason goes to college? One other thing that isn't really worth talking about too much that I saw. Have either you guys seen Joker: Folie a Deux?
Jacob Davidson:nope.
Jonathan Correia:Nope, I'm good
James Jay Edwards:It's yeah, you kind of are, which is really
Jonathan Correia:sad, because it's a Lady Gaga project, and I'm saying, No, I'm good. Here's
James Jay Edwards:the deal. I'm not hating it as much as everybody else is, but it is not good. It's not nearly as good as the first one, which I get. We have differing opinions on the one. People didn't realize it was a musical because they're first one, but I thought the first one was really good. This. My favorite thing about the new one is what a lot of people are hating about it. I love the fact that it's a musical. It's probably the most organic musical I've ever seen, because seeing it through the Joker's eyes and the unreliable narrator and just how crazy he is, it just makes sense that people would break into song every once while, and the only people who break into song are him and Harley Quinn, which is Lady Gaga. And it kind of it. I mean, she's visiting him in prison, and they're the glass between them, and she starts singing,"just like me. They long to be close to you", and you're like, Okay, this, I can see him thinking this is happening, you know, because he's, you know, he's crazy, but, um, yeah, it's, uh, it's rough. But I do enjoy the fact that it's a musical, which a lot of people are complaining about. It's like, you know, it's a stealth musical. People didn't realize it was a musical. Well, no afraid to advertise musicals these days.
Jacob Davidson:Like, yeah, like, even Wicked wasn't advertised as a musical.
Jonathan Correia:Oh, that's an ongoing joke. Every time we're at the theaters and they play the wicked trail, I go, Wait, is this a musical? They made a musical of this.
James Jay Edwards:I didn't know that the new Color Purple was a musical until they started singing it.
Jonathan Correia:Dude, no one knew Mean Girls was a musical. No one knew Wonka was a musical like guys... West Side Story barely advertised that it was a fucking musical, and it's West Side Story. Get the fuck out of here. Hey, we're gonna do West Side Story, but without music. That's just Romeo and Juliet.
James Jay Edwards:Yep, that is, but yeah, that's, that's, let's, that's all we're gonna say about Joker: Folie a Deux. And now let's welcome in our special guests for the episode today, we are joined by two the actresses from The Taking of Deborah Logan. We have Deborah Logan herself, Jill Larson, and Sarah Logan, Anne Ramsay. How you guys doing?
Jill Larson:Great!
Anne Ramsay:Hey!
James Jay Edwards:Thank you for joining us today.
Anne Ramsay:Thank you, thank you for having us.
James Jay Edwards:And before we get started, let's wish a happy
birthday to Jill! (All:Happy Birthday, Jill!) Joining us on her birthday. So everybody reach out say happy birthday.
Anne Ramsay:Yay.
James Jay Edwards:I always like to start at the beginning. How did you guys get your start in acting? I mean, you both have very long and illustrious resumes of work. How'd you guys get started?
Jill Larson:How much time do you have?
James Jay Edwards:Said you guys both go back years and years and years.
Jill Larson:Yeah, which Yeah, exactly. We go back a long ways, because we've been around a long time, I guess. But I'll just say I started when I was a child here in Minneapolis, and I even before I got my first job at, I think 11, I had been producing plays in my living room with all the kids in the neighborhood and all of that kind of thing and so. So, yeah, it was always just kind of in my blood. And then after, after, I moved to New York, because I worked a long time here, this is a big theater community, then I got the real sense of, oh, this is what you mean by show business. And it was brutal, and it took a long time. But little by little, I made my way, and I'm here now this morning so
James Jay Edwards:And what about you, Anne?
Anne Ramsay:Jesus, my mom took me to see the film. She took me to a matinee to see Funny Girl, Barbara Streisand, and it was like a thunderbolt to me. I was like, what was that like? Eight years old, seven or eight years old, and I was in this darkened theater, my mom. My mom was magic. I loved my mom, and here she is taking me to see this woman. And I just in that dark theater. I thought, that's that's what I'm going to do. And and then I just, I, I, I knew I was going to go to UCLA. I had that kind of a thunderbolt moment too, when I was 11 years old. And then I ended up going to UCLA, and majored in theater. And then the rest is, you know, it all fell and we wrote a play that honed to our strengths as actresses, the six of us at UCLA, the theater program, and it became an equity waiver hit. That's where I got my agent. And I was just so lucky how it fell into place like that. Wow,
Jill Larson:wow. So you had, you had a sense that you wanted to go to UCLA when you were 11.
Anne Ramsay:Yeah. So what happened was, so I was raised in Altadena, Pasadena, and my best friend Joan and I rode our bikes down to the parade, the Rose Parade, and UCLA marching band was there, and also Stanford marching band wasn't, was there in the parade that day. And I just said out loud, oh, I'm going to go to UCLA. And Joan said, Oh, I'm going to Stanford. Guess what? Joan went to Stanford and I went to UCLA
Jacob Davidson:Dreams do come true,
Jill Larson:And the power of a band.
James Jay Edwards:Yeah
Anne Ramsay:that was amazing. So, yeah, things like that happen to, like my mom's side of the family, all the women have a little bit of psychic stuff going on. And so things like that happen in the to the females in our family.
Jill Larson:oh, how great.
Anne Ramsay:Yeah, it was cool. It was really cool.
Jill Larson:Then you learn to trust in that.
Anne Ramsay:Yeah, exactly, Jill, exactly, yeah
Jill Larson:yeah, gosh. Well, that's funny about Funny Girl, because I, you know, was here in Minneapolis, and by the time I was about 14, I knew I had to get to New York.
Anne Ramsay:Yes,
Jill Larson:I'd never been there. And I don't know where that came from. I you know, people ask me, Well, how'd you know? But anyway, I just knew, yeah. Finally, when I was 17, my family, we took a trip, seven of us in a station wagon, driving through Canada and down through the falls and and into, I mean, the story of our arrival in New York in that car is, it was pretty funny, but my mother had written ahead because I was already a musical geek and and to get me tickets for to get me a ticket for My Fair... for Funny Girl
Anne Ramsay:oh!
Jill Larson:playing on Broadway.
Anne Ramsay:You saw her on Broadway. Jill?
Jill Larson:yes, I did.
Anne Ramsay:Oh, my God!
Jill Larson:I know.
Anne Ramsay:Oh my God.
Jill Larson:I know
Jonathan Correia:That's awesome.
Jill Larson:It was, it was amazing. And so anyway, yeah, that was my dad walked me to the theater and left me off and I was in the back row, the balcony. I mean, she know she was the size of a pin, but, but, yeah, it was the thrill of my life.
Anne Ramsay:Oh, I'm so jealous. Yeah, good for you. Yeah. Singing was my first love, because Barbara Streisand I love Barbara Streisand, a huge inspiration for me
Jill Larson:yeah, for me too. I just sat in the living room and sang along with all of her
Anne Ramsay:Yes, exactly, I would Yes. That, Oh, got played over and over that soundtrack, right? Oh, my God.
Jill Larson:Oh yeah
Anne Ramsay:I didn't know that about you, Jill, how funny.
Jill Larson:Yeah, yeah
Jonathan Correia:that's the power of Barbara though. You know, I'm just surprised both of you knew exactly where you wanted to go as a teenager. I'm still figuring that out, and I'm 34 so,
Jill Larson:yeah
Anne Ramsay:very lucky.
James Jay Edwards:Going back to what you're saying about about your mom taking you to see Funny Girl, um, my I always credit my mom, for my love of horror, because the earliest theatrical experience I can remember is my mom took me to see a double feature of Orca and Grizzly in theaters. And I'm sure it was to get into the air conditioning. I'm almost positive to go to a double feature.
Jill Larson:Where did you grow up?
James Jay Edwards:In San Diego. That's where I'm at now, yeah, but, but it's, it's kind of cool, how, if you have a supportive parent, or even a parent who knows what you like, I mean, Star Wars is another big one that my parents took me to. I'm just like, Yeah, this that's when I was like, yeah. This is Yeah. This is life changing.
Anne Ramsay:My mom knew at a core level, what I, what she, you know, she, she did, was a huge guy guide for me. She knew instinct, and she just gently guided me in that direction. You know,
Jill Larson:gosh, how wonderful
James Jay Edwards:we're here to talk about, about The Taking of Deborah Logan. But before we get there, let's, let's just touch a little bit on your guys's careers, moving up, you know, going up to it. Because, like you said, You guys both have real long and storied resumes. Jill, you were on All My Children?
Jill Larson:Yes, yes, I was
James Jay Edwards:that was actually my, my sister and my mom's soap.
Anne Ramsay:mine too!
James Jay Edwards:was it?
Jill Larson:gosh, I was sort of oblivious to the soaps until it was really kind of a fluke that I had done a non contract role on One Life to Live, and then they just I had just moved to LA because the producer of One Life said you should go to California and and then they called and said, Well, they're offering you this part on All My Children. And I thought, God, I know Dorothy, who played the role before me, but I never really saw this show. I don't know anything about it, and I just got here, and I don't think I want to do that, and a very dear friend of mine said, Well, Jilly, you know, yeah, you're here right now, but you don't have a job, and you don't even have an agent who could get you a job. So maybe you just, you know, I said, but they want a four year contract. I could never do that. She said, Well, you could maybe get it down to two, and then just think of it, just a little two year prison term, and then you could come back.
Anne Ramsay:Oh, Jill, that's amazing. oh no, that's amazing. And so what...
Jill Larson:So then I was still quite distraught, because I knew
Anne Ramsay:And yes, you did, actually, you were great. that Dorothy had already won two Emmys for playing that role,
Jill Larson:Well, thank you. Thank you. I had to kind of rely right, right? She had really established something kind of extraordinary, because she was directing me in an Off, off Broadway play when she went into audition for that. Part. And she said, You know, I was just eight days, but I I gotta go do this because, you know, I gotta earn some real money and and so they, she went in for eight days, and did those eight days. And then they just kept writing and writing for which often happens on the soaps and so, so, but I had no idea how to step into those shoes. on the fact that she and I had gone to neighboring high schools here in Minneapolis, you know. So there was just maybe something like that in the in the blood. But
Anne Ramsay:oh, that's cool.
Jill Larson:on All My Children. And I thought, holy shit, how? I mean, I had no idea, really, of what the the community and the energy and the passion of audiences was, until I started working there and realized what tremendous value that they bring to you know, I think it's a little bit like sports for men. It gives them a common language and and so yeah, then I came to just so appreciate my good fortune that this kind of dropped in my lap. And no, I didn't stay for just two years. I stayed for 22 so...
Anne Ramsay:That's amazing, Jill, that's amazing.
James Jay Edwards:It seems like kind of a dream gig for an actor to have steady, I mean, five days a week episodes that air. I mean, that's steady work, and for 22 years, that's, uh, yeah, and pays the bills.
Jill Larson:That's exactly right. And we call it the golden handcuffs, because, of course, as an actor, to to play the same role for that long is a yay and a boo, you know, because you want to get out and do other things and have other kinds of opportunities, but, but, and I did do a couple of little things, you know, along the way, but mostly, mostly, it was that, and I'd done a lot of theater prior too so it wasn't like it was, you know, my first experience, but
Anne Ramsay:I would kill for that now, you know, I just...
Jill Larson:No kidding, right?
Anne Ramsay:I would love to work every day. I would love just for my mental health. They don't even have to pay me. They don't have to pay so somewhere
Jill Larson:don't say that too loud. And you know, they're already getting to that
James Jay Edwards:and you had kind of a similar experience, because when I saw theTaking of Deborah Logan, I recognized you from Mad About You. I don't know if that embarrasses you or not, but I remember that. That's where I was, like, that's where I know that face from, you know. So you kind of had a similar thing, because being a regular on, uh, on a sitcom is
Jill Larson:that's my dream.
Anne Ramsay:Oh, wait, it is. Well, yeah, it's, um, it's, that's not embarrassing at all. I am so proud of Mad About You, and that character was such a fun role to do. That character is so weird and quirky that they had to give her the punchline every people it's hard expecting her to say something crazy. So I met, I always got the best line they wrote the best, you know, you know, it was I so fortunate that I got to play that that role. And what a wonderful, great writing. And I learned so much from Paul and Helen on that show. And this very lucky to be on that, yeah, that was right after League of Their Own.
James Jay Edwards:Yeah, that's what I was about to segue there, because I can tell Correia is chomping at the bit. Before we hit record, we were talking a little bit about a League of Their Own. And, and Correia, you want to take this part?
Jonathan Correia:I was about to say, that's, that's where I know you from, man. And yeah, that's one of my all times. I mean, yeah, and I just... our audience can't see it, but Anne has a behind the scenes photo from A League of Their Own as her zoom photo. And it's just, it's such a sweet photo. And, wow, God, such a good movie, and the show's great too. I don't know if you guys have seen that one yet, but, yeah, as someone who doesn't like baseball, that it's one of my favorite movies.
Anne Ramsay:It's like a It's a classic now, right?
Jill Larson:It is a classic. And, you know, it opened a door to a whole world that most of the world wasn't aware of was this aspect of women playing baseball and having the success that they had. And then, of course, right after the war was over, bam, you're back. You now barefoot and pregnant, yeah,
Anne Ramsay:yeah, yeah, yeah. Many people did not realize there is there the league was happened in such. Yeah, beautiful, beautiful to be a part of that.
Jonathan Correia:And just in just the writing and the acting and the camaraderie, just everything between you guys, I have on my desk. I have, like, some shelfing, and I like, printed out a bunch of little like memes that are jokes or whatever. And one of them is of Gina Davis shouting "mule"
Anne Ramsay:oh yes, I'm still in touch with Gina. She's a friend, and, you know, in touch with a lot of the women in from the cast, for sure, it's, it's just, it was such a blessing. I mean, my goodness,
Jonathan Correia:we need to get another reunion together.
Anne Ramsay:We're actually doing, we're, some of us are getting together in, I think it's November. Where is it Chicago? We're doing a sports show where we're signing and Gina's going to be there, and we're taking photos for fans and everything. So I think that's November 24 in Chicago.
Jill Larson:Oh, cool.
Jonathan Correia:How much are tickets to Chicago...
James Jay Edwards:Correia's googling flights to Chicago right now, let's, let's pivot to The Taking of Deborah Logan. That's the reason we're here. Yeah, what was, what was it about the project that attracted you both? Because, like you said, You guys are like serious actors, you know, with long, you know, storied careers. And here's this little micro budget found footage horror film. What attracted you to it?
Jill Larson:Well, embarrassed to say that, like soaps, I knew nothing about the horror world either, sort of gives the impression that I just wander through life with the state of Oblivion, which is kind of true, but
Anne Ramsay:it's not true! You're very politically active. I know that about you
Jill Larson:Well, that's true, but, um, but yeah. And I was kind of nervous about it, because I just thought, oh, I don't know. I did that one thing on Shutter Island. And I figured I could risk doing that, because nobody would recognize me. And then they did. And soI thought, Okay, well, I was reticent, but they kept calling me back. And each time you prepare for an audition. Of course, you invest in it, so I was getting increasingly more invested in the idea and and as Anne said earlier, you don't get an opportunity to to play a leading role in a film. That's my first, and I hope not, but probably only opportunity of that nature. So I don't think there was ever a real thought that I would turn it down and if it was offered to me, but I did have reticence, and God, I'm just so grateful that they did offer it to me, and I had the good sense to say yeah, because yeah, that was that was an amazing experience to working with Anne. So yeah,
Jonathan Correia:And Anne, what drew you to the project?
Anne Ramsay:Know what? Jill, I thank you. I feel the same way about working with you. It was extraordinary. Thank you so much, you're a wonderful collaborative artist. I can echo everything, pretty much everything Jill just said, I mean, because I wasn't hugely connected to horror films or or drawn to them, I've seen many but, but that was really anything I've ever done before. So I was like, how do I approach this?
James Jay Edwards:You don't count Critters 4 as horror?
Anne Ramsay:Critters 4, Oh, my God, thank you. I'd forgotten about that, right?
James Jay Edwards:We love the Critters movies. You weren't gonna get out of here without us mentioning it.
Anne Ramsay:Yeah, no, I like, I love horror, but I just have never been really, besides Critters 4, never been had a role like that, a huge role, right? So I was hesitant to, I'm a method actor. How do I make this believe, you know, how do I believe it? How do I and it just fell together. And I am again, like Jill said, you don't that part was so juicy for me. And I kept get calling, kept getting called back. And I was like, Yeah, I want to do this, this woman. I want to do this character. I was really, I was really excited about it, because, you know, you just don't get an opportunity to do something. And they were very collaborative as well. Didn't you find that, Jill, that's a joy as an actor. That's a joy to work, yeah,
Jill Larson:yeah. And that's a. In film, at least in my experiences, is pretty rare. So, so, yeah, no. And I think also it was the fact that it wasn't a, you know, the little old lady sits alone knitting in the living room. Oh, there's a voice in the basement. I think I'll go down and see what it is... I was the monster, you know, it was, it had, it had depth. And, yes, the fact that Adam said to me, I think he said it even in the audition that that it was inspired by his grandmother, yeah, and the subject of Alzheimer's, Jesus, you know, who isn't terrified by that? So, yeah. So those were all elements also that were very seductive to me in terms of getting to work on
Jonathan Correia:Absolutely
James Jay Edwards:you mentioned collaboration, and I feel like this is how what makes found footage or these fake documentaries effective is there's like an improv feel to it, how how much of it was actually scripted, and how much of it did Adam just roll the cameras and go, this is the situation hit me, you know?
Jill Larson:Well, he, he asked us to improvise in the in an audition, the first time that, I think it was the last audition, and Anne and I were brought in together, and I guess it was to have a chemistry test, and, and, and he said, improvise. Now. Anne is a professional improviser. Me, the whole idea is terrifying. So was like, oh shit. And yet somehow it just seemed so easy to just be her mother and and so then when we got on on set, and he asked us to do that improvising, especially at the beginning of the film, it just Yeah. It just seemed kind of natural and easy. And that was thrilling for me to have that opportunity to feel like, oh, oh, this isn't so terrifying. Oh, I get it, yeah, I can kind of do this. It was that that was really great for me. And
Anne Ramsay:yeah, Jill, I have to echo that again. That experience with you where and with Adam that he gave us that opportunity to have that interview, that's what you're talking about, that interview scene where we're both just it's a total improv. Yeah, it was a joy to have that opportunity that Adam gave to us. And then on top of that, it was a joy to do that with you, Jill, and I could have done that all day with you?
Jill Larson:Yeah, exactly I could've too because so many things from my own past, with my mother and everything else just kept floating to the surface.
Unknown:Exactly me too, Jill, exactly. It was wonderful, wonderful.
Jill Larson:It was, it was
Jacob Davidson:And on that, I was wanted to ask, what was your experience working with Adam Robitel?
Jill Larson:I just loved it. I just loved it. And I actually, before he was doing Escape Room, an actress that I'd worked with wrote to me and said, you know, she was thinking of doing this part with Adam, and it was wonderful, because I had the opportunity to just, you know, sing his praises to the roof. It was, I think he's so smart, and times when, you know, with a very low budget thing, stuff is going to go wrong. And it went hilariously wrong. And yet, he was able to, well, most of the time, except at the end, just fall into the humor of it, and then very quickly switch to, okay, how are we going to, how are we going to create this impact without all that special effects stuff that we were counting on? You know, so very fast and very smart and and he's deep, he's got a deep understanding of what, you know, what is necessary to make the film. I thought,
Anne Ramsay:Yeah, I absolutely Jill. And I just have to say, he, I work better in certain with certain people and in certain ways. And he is, he was just wonderful for me to work with, because he, he's calm when I needed him to be calm, and he's collaborative. When I needed him to be collaborative, he was supportive, but not overly. So, you know? I mean it, none of it was was overly... he just walked a line of being in charge, but not I. Like a dictator type he he gives you room to to to add your own art, to to his piece and to your character. And that is just bliss to work like that for me. And he just and also, once in a while, I'll get up tight, and he knows how to handle me. And, you know, I don't always get uptight, but if I do, he knew how to just calm it down. And I love that.
Jonathan Correia:And it comes and it comes through in the movie. I will admit, I was having a rough time with found footages movies around the time when Deborah Logan came out, so I had an absolute blast and pleasure revisiting it. I always remember liking, you know, especially the beginning of being like, oh, it's not so focused on the filmmakers. It's focused on the people in the situation. And I latched on to that so much more with this recent rewatch and your performances, the chemistry between you two, like just having that choice of having you two and your relationship really shined, like, added so much more weight to what was going on. And it was actually my partner's first time watching it with me yesterday, and her grandmother right now is dealing with Alzheimer's and all this stuff. So a lot of it was hitting home. And I know there was, like, a certain point where I could see it on her face where she was, like, this better turn into a demonic thing or something, because this is getting too real. I need this to, like, kind of break away from it. What was it like working with such a heavy subject? Because, I mean, you guys are fully I even just talking with you guys now, it seems like you guys have always been mother daughter.
James Jay Edwards:And I was going to say you have chemistry in this interview, I could totally see why they cast you on chemistry. You guys are great together.
Anne Ramsay:You know, I want to, I want to just say before, before I forget it, because I forget things now, even my lines. But I want to respond to what you just said, because I think Jill, you can weigh in on this, and I don't want to speak for you, but I think both Jill and I kind of it feels like we wanted to make it believable. And I think it is a horror film. But there it's this hybrid, a bit of a hybrid horror, would you say? And you and your partner did the did your did she think? Like, this isn't all horror. There is some real stuff going on. There's a drama thing going through it, a through line. And that's a testament to how Jill and I worked together, right?
Jonathan Correia:Oh, absolutely. I mean, there's, there's so many little moments before the chaos really comes into play, especially between the two of you early on the the very first conversation when Deborah's trying to back out of the film and you guys are in the kitchen together, or the little moments later, like, Anne when you're telling the story of when you were a little girl, then Deborah's going down the stairs, like, oh, you can go back to your lady friend. You know these there's so much history and relationship that's seen both on how you interact with each other, what you say to each other, that it it makes when, because it gets really ridiculous, it does. I mean, it's demonic possession. It's always, it's always comes with a level of like, you have to believe the unbelievable,
Anne Ramsay:right, right, right.
Jonathan Correia:And I think, and I definitely think that, like having such a strong connection and such a strong
Anne Ramsay:The foundation of that was important to us, I think,
Jill Larson:yeah, exactly.
Jonathan Correia:It makes you believe at the end, oh, this woman eating a child like a snake is you're in it because of it.
Jill Larson:Well, I guess so. I mean,
James Jay Edwards:what's happening now? The reason that we have this interview now, 10 years after the movie has come out is because it's the 10th anniversary, and there's a lot of there's a lot of special events that happen. Are you guys involved with any of those? Are you guys going to be at any of the screenings or anything? I know, Jill, you're in Minneapolis, so it's a little tougher.
Jill Larson:Well, I'll be in New York by the time the but I don't know if it's set in stone yet, but there's supposed to be a screening in New York, and I know Anne knows more about what's going on in LA, right?
Anne Ramsay:I'm going to be at the screening the 21st in LA. I can't remember. You guys know, maybe I'm so sorry I should know this.
Jonathan Correia:Oh, no, you're good. So on, yes, October 21st of this month in New York and LA at the Alamo Drafthouse, they're doing a live Q&A for Taking of Deborah Logan. I don't know if they if they confirmed... they just say the filmmakers. Be there or, or, Yes, it looks like my apologies. I'm also pulling stuff up... in Los Angeles. They have co writer is going to be there as well, and Gavin. And then, not sure who they have announced for the New York one, but it will be at the Lower Manhattan Alamo Drafthouse there
Jill Larson:in Manhattan
Anne Ramsay:Yeah, I think it is Jill the fall. I could be wrong. Is it the same day?
Jonathan Correia:It is, it looks to be on the same day, October 21 and then, and then, not only that, there's a new blu ray debuting with horror pack. It's going to be their 101st limited edition that they're doing with new special features, all that fun jazz, which is a lot of fun. And I mean, you guys are on a lot of streaming sites now as well, recently added to Shudder and all those others.
James Jay Edwards:It was very easy to find when I wanted to revisit it.
Anne Ramsay:Oh, good!
James Jay Edwards:You can definitely see The Taking of Deborah Logan if you want to see it.
Jonathan Correia:Which reminds me, what has it been like the last 10 years since the movie, are you guys approached by fans? Are you quoted or have quotes thrown at you.
Jill Larson:Anne, why don't you answer that?
Anne Ramsay:Well, once in a while, yeah, people will, will be like, they'll, they'll throw out The Taking of Deborah Logan, oh, my God. They're just Oh, excited about it even more than any kind of other things that I've done. And it that means that's a true horror fan. You know what? I mean? They love they love it. And I love that enthusiasm about it. It doesn't happen a lot. It used to happen more often when it first came out, but once in a while I'll get someone to go, Oh, you're from that movie. Scared the crap out of me. So that's always fun. I love, I love being recognized. I love, I love that we're so lucky to be, you know, yeah, people from strangers as you walk down the street. It's just the most wonderful career.
Jill Larson:Yeah
James Jay Edwards:so nobody asks you where your spade is when they see you, Jill?
Jill Larson:actually, I had, I had kind of a funny incident happened just last spring, when I was down in Cape May to see a friend, Dixie, from All My Children, for those of you who know, the show was doing a play down there. So I went down to see her. And on my way back up, I was with the casting director for All My Children, and we stopped to have breakfast on our way back to New York. And we were in a place. We were the only customers there. It was vast and empty, and this young high school kid came up and took our order for tea, and then came back and took our order for the food, and he was just kind of funny. And finally, kind of said, Um, excuse me, but by any chance, do you do you know of an actress named Jill Larson? I said, Yeah, I really didn't know how to answer weird question. He said, Well, you look exactly like this woman, Jill Larson, who played on The Taking of Deborah Logan. And so he kind of started to go on. And finally, Judy said, well, actually, this is Jill Larson. And he almost, I mean, passed out on the floor. It was, it was such a response. And, and then he went on and on and on about how much he loved the film and, and you're right, you're right. And because it's your opportunity to really connect with someone who received your work
Anne Ramsay:it's beautiful, yes,
Jill Larson:yeah, yeah, so. But I've had many things like that. A group of Latino girls standing around the pole in the subway, you know, when we're headed downtown, and saying, oh, yeah, yeah. It was about, you know, they're talking and they're speaking in Spanish, but then you hear the word Alzheimer's, and, you know, yeah,
Jacob Davidson:so, so, something else I wanted to ask about, The Taking of Deborah Logan, Jill, was, what was it like working with all that makeup effects, especially toward the end?
Jill Larson:Well, that's also a bit of a long story, but I. I was actually fine with all of it, until that moment in the hospital when I had to have blood coming out of my mouth. And for some reason, the idea of putting that stuff in my mouth was just that was probably the hardest thing that I had to do. I managed holding the snakes, I I managed digging in the dirt, and my nightgown at four in the morning. You know, all of those things I could sort of take in, but that one thing was just like, No, no, no, don't make me do that. Can't just put it on the outside. And so, so that was the hardest thing. But, but, yeah, I mean that very thing at the end, we tried to do it in, what would you call it? And I guess, in a real way, and they had made this very elaborate mask, and yeah, and you know that that did not work at all. But that also I said, I I have just enough claustrophobia so I can give you maybe 45 minutes to an hour in this mask.
Anne Ramsay:Yeah, no, I remember that.
Jill Larson:Yeah. I know that you cannot get this. This is the one place where I said, please get a double Yeah, and, and that hadn't happened and, you know, but already the rocks that were made were looked like paper mache meatballs. And so it was like, it was just that was a very hard night for everybody. And that's the night when I saw Adam, I mean, because I was ready to blow and he maintained his calm, said, Okay. I mean, he acknowledged that this was absurd, but, you know, so they shot it, and clearly it wasn't able to work. And then they were able to get, you know, access to some CGI and and special effects to make it work. So
Jonathan Correia:oh, man, night shoots, doing found footage. And then you add in practical effects, and you add in all that understandable, like, the tensions are going to be extremely hot, so I understand... Wait, you're telling me those caves weren't real?
Jill Larson:No, what?
Jonathan Correia:The caves you guys, the tunnels you guys were in, those weren't real?
Jill Larson:oh yeah. But that was before that very last moment where you couldn't eat the baby, you know. I
Jonathan Correia:You said paper mache meatballs. And I was like, what? Dude, those kids look really dope.
Jill Larson:Oh yeah, no, we were on a we were on a linoleum floor, and they'd sprinkled some sand around, and there were these things that you couldn't even walk by them, if they would roll. I mean, the whole thing was just the worst nightmare. And I don't know who they hired to do this, but they clearly didn't get the message and and so excuse me, that was that. That was the hardest night. But like I said, Adam did not, you know, pitch a fit, or do any of those classic, you know, directorial temper tantrums or blank or anything. He somehow held it together. And I thought, well, you are an evolved being because and do what you're doing right now.
Jonathan Correia:And it came out great. That finale still looks great. And was is very convincing you guys, and especially when you're crawling through the really claustrophobic bit with the snakes, and you throw one go, get the fuck out of here, just cracks me up every time
James Jay Edwards:We've got to wrap this up here. But what do what do you guys have in the cooker. What? What projects do you guys have coming out that we can plug?
Jill Larson:Well, you know, we've just been through a pandemic and then two strikes. So the, you know, the pickings are slim these days. My corner of the world, I am going to be doing another horror film called Death Diner, and it's a little cameo that I'll do at the beginning, but I'm doing it because the writer is my manager, and I love him. So
Anne Ramsay:awesome, awesome.
Jill Larson:But you have something coming out, don't you, Anne?
Anne Ramsay:it just, it just aired. And I did the the season opener of the 21st season of Grey's Anatomy, which, and it just aired nice last weekend to two weeks ago about so that was fun to be a part of that. Boy is that a nice cast and crew there. Everyone's so happy and grateful for the work. And I mean, it's been 21 seasons. And, yeah, I got to be on the season opener of this this season, and Debbie Allen directed it. And it was a fun role. It was a fun, fun role. I ended up, well, maybe I should, well, yeah, I can say it, yeah, my character ends up trapped inside a wall of the hospital because I was trying to escape. So, yeah.
Jill Larson:No!
Anne Ramsay:it was fun.
Jonathan Correia:Talk about claustrophobia.
Jill Larson:I can't wait to go see that. Oh, great. Thank for telling me.
James Jay Edwards:you saying that makes me want to watch the episode to see what happens.
Jonathan Correia:Anne Ramsey is the "hider in the hospital".
Jill Larson:Sounds like there is some terror in it
Anne Ramsay:pardon me?
Jill Larson:it sounds like being trapped in a wall offers an element of terror.
Anne Ramsay:Oh yes, yes. There is some juicy stuff going on and prosthetics and blood and all that. You know
Jill Larson:gosh
Anne Ramsay:you know how we do. Jill.
James Jay Edwards:Great, well hank you very much for joining us this morning. Jill, happy birthday. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Jill Larson:Thank you!
James Jay Edwards:Everybody go see The Taking of Deborah Logan for the 10th anniversary, and if you don't want to make it out to a screening like we were alluding to earlier, you can find it pretty much anywhere on any of the streaming services. So check it out if you haven't, and revisit it if you have. Our theme song is by Restless Spirits, so go check them out. And our artwork is by Chris Fisher, so go check him out. You can find us on the socials@eyeonhorror, or at ihorror.com, which is the site we all call home. Where can we find you guys on the socials to keep up with what you guys are doing? Are you guys on any of the social medias, anything?
Jill Larson:Well, I have a Facebook page and I am on Instagram, but I'm not a very active participant.
James Jay Edwards:I'm not either my dog is more active on Instagram than I am.
Jill Larson:You know, it's just I, yeah
Anne Ramsay:Me too, me too
Jill Larson:Learning curve for somebody who didn't start out their life with all this stuff.
James Jay Edwards:Well, go to their IMDBs and keep up with what they're doing. Because again, both of them are are real active, and they go back a long way. So go back and dig up Dexter or Six Feet Under. Six Feet Under is the one that that my wife was impressed with, Anne, she's like, Oh, she's on Six Feet Under.
Anne Ramsay:Oh my gosh. That show was an awesome show, too. And both of those were, yeah, really awesome to be a part of
Jill Larson:you worked with Matthew St. Patrick, Anne, on Six Feet Under?
Anne Ramsay:Matthew St. Patrick, was he...
Jill Larson:He's Black
Anne Ramsay:Yes! We had one... I think we had one big group scene together. What a nice man.
Jill Larson:Yeah, yeah. He played my son on All My Children.
Anne Ramsay:Okay, okay, wow, yeah, nice guy. Really, great. Yeah.
James Jay Edwards:there you go, in the same universe, you could be... well again, thanks again for joining us, and everybody see The Taking of Deborah Logan, and we...
Anne Ramsay:Thank you! Thank you for having us.
Jill Larson:Yes, truly.
James Jay Edwards:Truly our pleasure. You guys like like saying before you guys even have chemistry in the interview, you guys are great together. We will see everybody in a couple of weeks. So for me, James Jay Edwards,
Jacob Davidson:I'm Jacob Davison,
Jonathan Correia:I'm Jonathan Correia,
Anne Ramsay:I'm Ann Ramsey,
Jill Larson:And I'm Jill Larson.
James Jay Edwards:Keep your Eye on Horror.
