Blood, puppets, and badass women. Mama’s Geeky talks to the cast of They Will Kill You at SXSW 2026. This is the must-see movie of the year.
The halls of SXSW 2026 were stained red this year with the world premiere of They Will Kill You, a high-octane horror-action-thriller that quickly became the talk of the festival. Directed by the visionary Kirill Sokolov and produced by the powerhouse duo of Andy and Barbara Muschietti, the film is a relentless ride that refuses to waste a single second. From its opening frames, it delivers a visceral experience that combines anime mayhem with old-school practical effects, proving that sometimes, the best way to tell a story is to let the blood – and the lychee-filled eyeballs – fly.
Mama’s Geeky sat down with the incredible cast and creative minds behind this practical-effects masterpiece to discuss the energy of the set, the physical toll of the stunts, and why this is a movie that must be seen with a hooting and hollering audience.
Zazie Beetz & Patricia Arquette
The chemistry between Zazie Beetz and Patricia Arquette is palpable, both on-screen and off. For Beetz, the role was more than just a physical challenge; it was a personal milestone. Arquette, meanwhile, found fascination in the high-stakes people pleasing her character must navigate to maintain order in a world falling into chaos.
Tessa Smith: What was it like for you to get to really play an empowering role like this?
Zazie Beetz: “Yeah, it was empowering. Because I think to play badass, I suppose you have to also bring in that energy. And I felt just throughout the shoot, it was so fun and fulfilling, but also just like a physical and mental challenge as well… And I felt like it helped me continue my journey into womanhood of like learning my power, which is really great.”
Patricia Arquette: “For me, my character is kind of driven by trying to keep a lid on this situation that’s really out of hand. And, you know, use deploying whatever I can to try to minimize the damage that this one’s causing to my whole world and the structure of my world. So I guess it would be people pleasing to the umpteenth most dangerous level.”
Heather Graham & Myha’la
When it comes to the incredible practical effects, Heather Graham and Myha’la were right in the thick of it. From blood rigs to lychee-eyeballs, the duo embraced the messiness that comes with a Kirill Sokolov set.
Tessa Smith: Can you talk about performing with practical effects? How bloody did you guys get?
Heather Graham: “Very bloody. I had to wear a blood rig and it’s like these tubes and it goes into thing and then it starts spurting and then at a certain point, it’s just like blood is just dripping all over your whole body. It’s like in your clothes. It’s like in your underwear. You’re just like, ugh. But it’s kind of fun in a way.”
One of the standouts of this film is the sister relationship between Zazie Beetz and Myha’la. Myha’la gushes about forming that bond and working with her on-screen sister.
Myha’la: “She’s great. She’s so committed. I was like, I don’t know how you’re standing up on your bare feet for however weeks and weeks and weeks. She was training so hard. She’s doing so much incredible stunt work and so much of it on her own and day after day after day. It’s really grueling and hard on the body. And she was so down. However many takes it took, she wanted to get it right. It was really inspiring.”
Andy Muschietti & Barbara Muschietti (Producers)
The Muschiettis, known for their work on IT and IT: Welcome to Derry, felt an immediate kinship with Sokolov’s “scrappy” filmmaking style. They emphasized that the theatrical experience is vital for a film this loud and reactive.
Tessa Smith: What would you say to people that are like debating on waiting to watch this?
Barbara Muschietti: “The joy you’re going to feel at the theater seeing this with other minds alike. It’s not comparable to what you’re going to experience sitting at home folding your underwear. It’s it’s just not. We are privileged to be healthy and alive and we should enjoy life. And this is a part of it.”
Andy Muschietti: “Don’t debate anymore. It’s so fun. You have to see it in the theater. You have to. If you don’t… Then there’s something wrong with you.”
Kirill Sokolov (Director, Writer, Executive Producer)
Director Kirill Sokolov drew inspiration from everything from Russian fairytales to Sam Raimi and Hong Kong action cinema. He praised Zazie Beetz for her ability to handle the “grueling” stunts with a “wild energy” that defined the production.
Tessa Smith: Sazi’s amazing. What is it about her that made her the perfect lead role for this?
Kirill Sokolov: “She could be so touching, but at the same time, she has extremely strong comedian potential. And then this crazy physicality that like, she can just like go and whoop asses and you are no doubt that she can deal with everything. And it’s just like, and the way how she works and she can do this like shifts in one scene and from drama switch to comedy and then become violent and then go back to like very fragile and gentle. It’s unbelievable.”
Watch the full video interview here for more behind-the-scenes details on They Will Kill You and to hear about just how messy this set really got.
NEXT: They Will Kill You Review [SXSW 2026]
About They Will Kill You
They Will Kill You unleashes a blood-soaked, high-octane horror-action-comedy in which a young woman must survive the night at the Virgil, a demonic cult’s mysterious and twisted death-trap of a lair, before becoming their next offering in a uniquely brazen, big screen battle of epic kills and wickedly dark humor.
They Will Kill You played at SXSW 2026 and comes to theaters on March 27th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.