Interview: Ruby Modine Talks SATANIC PANIC and Bonding With Hayley Griffith Over Their Insane Scenes Together

Ruby Modine at the Beyond Fest screening of Satanic Panic
(Photo by: Rodin Eckenroth)

Ruby Modine is an actress, singer, and dancer known for her role on the show Shameless as well as The Happy Death Day movies. In the horror/comedy Satanic Panic, she stars as Judi, the daughter of the leader of a crazed Satanic Cult, played by Rebecca Romijn. Judi and Sam (Hayley Griffith), a pizza delivery girl in the wrong place at the wrong time, spend most of the movie trying to evade the cult members, who want to kill Judi and sacrifice Sam, and it’s sometimes unclear whose side Judi is really on.

Satanic Panic is the first original film from the recently relaunched Fangoria label and was directed by Chelsea Stardust (All That We Destroy) and written by Grady Hendrix and Ted Geoghegan, who worked together on Mohawk. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Romijn, Jerry O’Connell, Jordan Ladd, and Jeff Daniel Phillips, the film manages to be alternately uproariously funny and horrifying and boasts some killer practical effects. The result is a movie that is an absolute blast to watch.

Dread Central recently had the opportunity to speak with Ruby Modine about Satanic Panic, working with practical effects, her friendship with Hayley Griffith, and a lot more. Read on to find out what we talked about!

RLJE Films will release Satanic Panic in theaters, On Demand, and digital on September 6th.


Dread Central: You’re amazing in Satanic Panic and it’s a very different kind of horror/comedy from the Happy Death Day movies I’ve seen you in recently. Why did you want to be a part of this movie and what drew you to the role of Judi?

Ruby Modine: Thank you! I wanted to be a part of the film because the script was absolutely bonkers [laughs]. It was so out of this world; it was such a rollercoaster ride. And then to get to my character, I just loved the dialogue and I haven’t been given the opportunity thus far in my career to have dialogue like this. I like the arc of the character, how you weren’t really sure if she was good or if she was bad or where she was going. And then to meet with Chelsea Stardust, who told me, “Oh, and of course it’s going to be practical effects.” I was like, “Oh my gosh, I need this, please [laughs]!” It was overall, “Please let me be a part of this. This is going to be so awesome.” Which it was.

Dread Central: Satanic Panic has some wild practical effects and your character must endure some pretty extreme situations. What was it like shooting some of the crazier scenes?

Ruby Modine: It was kind of like when you’re a kid and something really gross happens, but you want to run back and do it again [laughs]. It was like, “Oh my gosh! That was so scary. Let’s do it again!” It was like a rollercoaster. It was really fun, honestly. To be on a set that feels so safe added to it, because it was really nerve-wracking. Hayley Griffith held my hand through all of it, so that really helped [laughs]. So, it was overall really fun. There wasn’t anything really stressful about it. It wasn’t like, “Oh gosh, I don’t want to do this.” There was a pure form of excitement that couldn’t have gotten any louder in my chest.

Ruby Modine and Hayley Griffith in Satanic Panic

Dread Central: The scene with you and Hayley Griffith in the kitchen trying to fight off the spell, and there were all these things happening to your body, seemed like it had to be really intense.

Ruby Modine: Yeah, it was intense on camera and off. It was a hectic day. It was very lucky that Hayley and I became such good friends, onscreen and off, because we got to laugh our way through all of the craziness that is Satanic Panic.

Dread Central: I think the entire cast does a spectacular job of pacing and going from a hilarious scene to a horrific one with ease. How difficult was it to make the timing work so well?

Ruby Modine: I think that it comes with such ease because you’re working with people that you’re having such a good time with, and you’re being directed by somebody that knows the key points that she wants to be hit. The script is written so great and you get to practice that over and over again. Then as you start working on camera, you feel the flow of that coming on very easily. It really comes down to the people that you’re working with and being able to play with it and going, “Oh, let’s do it different this time and try to make that point louder than the other.” It’s great people around you, a good team. It’s such a great cast. Everybody hit such a defined mark in such a beautiful, hilarious way. Right now, I’m laughing because I’m thinking of Arden Myrin, who is so freaking funny [laughs].

Dread Central: What was it like working with director Chelsea Stardust?

Ruby Modine: Wonderful. She is as awesome as the film. I’m always making jokes about the fact that we are not worthy of her and it is so true, because she is just a badass. When I first met with her, she explained to me what I would be going through and when I got to set it was what she had explained. She has this beautiful thing about pulling everybody to the side and saying, “Hi, how are you feeling? Are you ready to do this? Do you want to do anything different that will make you feel more comfortable?” For my hog-tied scene, she came over and made sure that she was next to me for the whole time, so that I wouldn’t be scared or uncomfortable. She’s just very empowering and I’m so happy that I got the opportunity to work with her.

Dread Central: Can you tell me what you’re working on next?

Ruby Modine: I can’t say what I’m working on next, but I can say that I’m very excited about it. I’ve got some music going on and then I have a film coming forward that I’m currently learning the guitar for, so wish me luck [laughs]. I’m learning a Swedish rock song on acoustic guitar. How crazy is that [laughs]?

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