San Antonio native Olivia Grace Applegate talks about new horror film Succubus

Actress and San Antonio native Olivia Grace Applegate doesn’t consider herself the biggest fan of the horror genre, but she’s starred in a few of them over the last decade.

“I’ve been in a lot of scary movies, but I’m not the target demo,” Applegate, 32, told the Current during a recent interview. “I don’t like getting scared.”

Even so, Applegate, who now lives in Austin, hopes plenty of horror heads that will give her latest film a chance to terrify them, especially this Halloween season. In Succubus, she plays Sharon, the estranged wife of a man named Chris (Brendan Bradley), who begins to video chat one evening with a mysterious woman (Rachel Cook) he meets on a dating site.

As the night gets darker, Chris becomes more fascinated with the woman on his laptop and considers visiting her when she invites him over. Can Sharon save her husband before an unspeakable evil overtakes him?

During an interview with the Current, Applegate, who attended San Antonio Christian School as a kid, talked about her own experience with an online dating app and how studying philosophy in college benefits her as an actress.

Succubus is currently streaming on digital platforms.

How often do you come back to San Antonio?

I don’t have any family in San Antonio, but a lot of friends — some of the dearest people in my life — are from there. I love San Antonio. I was there last year. I try to go semi-regularly. I love going to the River Walk, and just love to visit my friends and go to my old neighborhood. There’s some really delicious Tex-Mex there.

Did you go to college in Texas?

Yeah, I went to UT-Austin. I was in a liberal arts honors program. I ended up graduating early to move out to LA, so I think I ended up graduating with a bachelor’s in philosophy and a minor in theater.

Has philosophy helped you break down your characters as an actress?

Yeah, I think what’s cool about philosophy is that it teaches you how to think critically. I think that’s good for anything. As an actress, you need to get into the psychology of each of your characters. So, having those skills and a sense of how you think and how others think is really helpful. Philosophy is so internal and so personal. Theater [acting] and movie making is an intensely collaborative act.

What did you think when you read the script for Succubus?

I thought the script was excellent. I’ve read a lot of genre scripts, and it was so well written. It really spoke to this sort of modern problem of online dating and the internet, and this sense of like, “Could there be something better out there?” There seems to be more options, so people tend to feel less satisfied. I think the film really speaks to that. I thought it had a nuanced message.

Do you hope audiences find a deeper meaning to the film, or are you cool if it just creeps them out?

I want both, honestly! It’s a really entertaining movie. If you leave and you’ve been entertained, then I feel like that’s a win. But I do think it has some depth. Art is subjective. I feel like my experience of the film and what I take away from it could be different than what you take away from it. I think they’re both equally valid.

Have you ever tried online dating?

Every relationship I’ve ever been in, I’ve met the person in-person, which is really great. I feel like I’m becoming a bit of a unicorn in that way. But I recently, for the first time ever, tried a dating app. The psychology of swiping through people, I don’t like that feeling. Also, so many of my girlfriends have horror stories they’ve shared with me.

Well, if someone sees Succubus, they might swear off online dating altogether.

(Laughs.) At least for men, it’s a cautionary tale. I mean, I think [dating apps] can be great. I also have friends who met the person they’re spending the rest of their life with on a dating app. So, I don’t think this is a movie that’s saying, “Don’t get on an app!” But I think it speaks to this very human thing of wondering if there’s something better out there and being tempted by that possibility and being tricked.

What was it like sharing a set with someone in full demon makeup?

So fun! Rachel was so sweet. I remember one of the days where she had to be in her full get up, and she was such a good sport about it. She was drinking smoothies because it’s hard to eat with all that makeup on. I remember, we were shooting in Montana in this beautiful valley, and we got this behind-the-scenes video of her frolicking through the fields in her demented state. We all had a good time with it.

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This article appears in Oct 16-29, 2024.