Actress KateLynn Newberry has built quite the acting resume over the last 12 years, with the horror genre holding her most prominent appearances to date. Excelling in the field mostly due to an alignment of her characters and the “weird stuff” she is loves to do, KateLynn is truly a natural. I was thinking she would have made a great “Death Dealer” so I felt pretty good when I learned the Underworld series was a favorite of her’s. We have that in common. During our conversation, she and I discussed horror and nostalgia, her appearances in Juror #2, 2026’s Cape Fear, Deathwoods, and the newly released, Devour where she plays the role of Morgan. Enjoy!
Let’s begin with the recently released film, Devour and your role as Morgan. Tell us all about it.
Devour is a wild ride! We’ve got vampires, a Minotaur, a werewolf, and all sorts of other fun creatures of the night. Morgan was one of my favorite characters I’ve ever had the opportunity to play. She’s the drummer of the band, “The Virginia Bitches”. We’re an all-girl metal band and we also happen to be vampires. This character was a lot of fun to play because she’s so strong-willed. I also had the opportunity to do all of my own stunts, which was a fun challenge.
I’ve seen the film trailer. It looks solid and the visual effects really stood out. What can you say about that along with the creative process, costumes, makeup, etc.?
I’m a HUGE fan of practical effects. The day we had the Minotaur and the werewolf on set felt like a dream. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I saw them walking out of the studio to shoot. Because the movie is so effect-heavy, I never really knew what I was going to walk into from day-to-day. We had blood cannons, an entire room filled with blood, the creatures, and all these fun effects. I think they said we used around 500 gallons of fake blood. I can imagine it was stressful for the crew to work with, but as someone who interacted with them and saw the effects firsthand, I was in awe. Fun little fact: on day one of my time on set, we had a small effect malfunction (which is normal), but I reacted naturally, and it was funny, so it ended up making the cut of the movie.
You have quite a few projects on your resume. Which of them has been most memorable to date and why?
Devour is for sure one of them. I grew up loving Underworld and Blade, so being on this set and portraying this character felt like living out my little alternative girl fantasy. Juror #2 was obviously a memorable experience because I was able to work with both Clint Eastwood and Toni Collette. It was a dream. I also just had a couple of episodes of Cape Fear released. I was also able to work with Patrick Wilson and Javier Bardem, which was another dream. I have a movie called Ascendant releasing next year. It’s about a cult; I’m fascinated by cults and the psychology behind them. I was also able to work opposite Richard Brake, who I’ve been watching forever.
One of my favorite film genres is horror, but I tend to watch the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s horror films more than the newer releases. What is your take on the changes the genre has gone through over the years? Are horror films no longer “scary”, are people desensitized now, or could it be a nostalgia factor?
Horror is one of my favorite genres as well and I feel very desensitized, lol. I think part of that comes from constantly reading it and being on horror film sets. There have been a couple of horror films in recent years. I had to pause Talk To Me and take a little break from it. I’d love to work with these guys because I was genuinely uncomfortable during this film. Generally though, if you’re a horror person, you start to get familiar with tropes, but I really love that people who continue to make horror and continue to push the boundaries to make people uncomfortable.
What are your “Top 5” Horror films of all time?
Alien, Ginger Snaps, The Conjuring, Insidious, and Barbarian .
I remember watching “Cape Fear (1991)” with my mom for the first time when it became available for rent on VHS back in the day. Tell us about your experience on the 2026 version.
This was such a neat experience. It was neat to be involved with something produced by both Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Obviously it’s an all-star cast, so that was incredible. I was originally only booked for one episode (TV miniseries), but they ended up upgrading my character. When I was on set for the second episode, Amy Adams (no big deal) pulled me aside and told me they brought me back because I did such a good job. I’m a metal girly, and I got to sit around and talk to Patrick Wilson (who I obviously love from The Conjuring) about metal. It was just a lovely experience, and I was really happy to be included.
Awesome. Recently, I’ve seen a bit of discourse about people wanting shows to be 20 or more episodes per season vs. the 8-10 that are being released these days. What are your thoughts on that?
I feel like I’m the wrong person to ask about this, lol. I love movies. I love making movies. I love to be on set for a TV show too, but I’ve just always been a bigger fan of film than television.
Taking it back a bit. Where are you from, how did you grow up, and what led you to acting?
I grew up in Western NY! I was really artistic as a kid, but I had no plans of being an actor; it was honestly something I had never even considered. I was kind of an outcast because I’ve always been kind of quiet and always into spooky things, so I didn’t exactly fit in. I never did theater; I went to an alternative school (where they put the “bad” kids), so we didn’t even have a program. I spent most of my time playing video games, lol.
I did want to do music though, and when I was about 20 years old I started working with the lead singer and the bass player of a band called Mushroomhead on an EP. While I was doing that, the lead singer, Jeff, was going back and forth between Ohio and Michigan making a horror movie. He was playing a Pinhead type of character. While he was doing this, he suggested I try acting, so I did. I loved it. I actually ended up loving it more than making music. So I started training really hard, getting on sets, and learning as much as I could. That was about 12 years ago. I found home in the horror community. It was a place where I no longer felt like I was an outcast. I can be weird here.
How has being yourself been most beneficial in your acting career thus far?
I get cast for characters that align most closely with what I want to do. I want to make weird stuff. Devour is very weird, and I’m here for it. I also grew up loving metal and horror and being an alternative kid, and those are the roles I’m playing. In Cape Fear, I was covered in tattoos. In Juror #2, I was covered in tattoos. On Ascendant, I got to work with a subject matter that I’m so interested in with someone I’ve loved watching. I’ve ended up in places I could have only dreamed of when I was growing up, and it’s because I show up authentically.
What is the biggest misconception about you and other like-minded individuals?
I’ll be honest, I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about how I’m being perceived by others because I don’t think it’s any of my business, and I think it would stress me out if I considered the number of people perceiving me. I imagine people probably think I’m kind of wild in real life when I’m actually very reserved and like to keep to myself. I feel like that’s similar for a lot of my friends who are into horror or metal or an “alternative” lifestyle.
I’m going to throw a few names out there. Say whatever comes to mind.
A) Stardew Valley – A place where someone better be helping me with the chickens.
B) Elanor Carter – We love a queen who fought for equal rights.
C) Richard Brake – A true horror icon and a masterclass to watch.
Tell us something about yourself that most don’t know.
I think I’m probably a lot more reserved than people think I am based on how I present on my social media. I do have a really big, 6-foot personality, but I also really like hanging out by myself, and I’m really quiet in public. I spend a lot of time observing other people. During my first week of Devour, my co-stars thought I was mean because I didn’t really interact with anyone, but I’m just reserved, especially when you first meet me.
Deathwoods is #1 Screambox and is streaming on The Roku Channel. Break down the show, your role, and what is special about this project that has earned it that #1 spot.
Deathwoods is about a group of friends who go off into the woods with a local legend of someone killing campers and end up getting slaughtered. The concept is pretty basic and fun, but it’s a homage to slashers from the 80s. I think it ended up doing so well because the effects are 100% practical. There is no CGI or AI used at all, which is so refreshing in an age where CGI and AI are used to fix mistakes. I personally feel like that imperfection is part of the charm of practical effects. My character is the awkward quiet one, which is fitting because I’m pretty reserved in real life.
How do you plan on spending October/Halloween?
It’s always Halloween when you’re a little bit spooky, lol. I will be continuing my spooky routines.
Lastly, how can people keep up with you and your endeavors?
I’m most active on Instagram! My handle is just my name, @katelynnenewberry. You can also just Google me!
