‘Tragedy Girls’: The Cast Reveals How the Film Is Every Family’s Worst Nightmare (Exclusive)

Tragedy Girls
Gunpowder & Sky

How far would you go for social media followers? It’s a question many millennials have probably asked themselves – but hopefully, they won’t go as far as the leads of upcoming horror-comedy, 'Tragedy Girls'

How far would you go for social media followers? It’s a question many millennials have probably asked themselves -- but hopefully, they won’t go as far as the leads of the upcoming horror-comedy Tragedy Girls.

The film tells the story of two death-obsessed teenage girls who embark on a killing spree in their small town to draw attention to their social media accounts, and its two stars, Brianna Hildebrand and Alexandra Shipp, spoke with ET about how frighteningly close to reality this concept is. 

“I don’t think it’s that far-fetched,” Shipp admitted. “I think this generation is moving toward something like this in a sense.”

“It definitely says a lot about the power of social media,” Hildebrand agreed. “It is definitely not too far off to think a young person would do something like this for likes and attention.” 

“I think it only takes one person to go that far,” Shipp added.

In the case of Tragedy Girls, it takes two people: Best friends McKayla (Shipp) and Sadie (Hildebrand), who take audiences for a ride with some incredibly inventive and gory kill scenes, portrayed in hilarious tongue-in-cheek fashion. 

“It felt so cool and powerful to be around all this fake blood and for us to be killing characters -- the special effects were super dope,” Shipp said.

Even if blood and guts is not your thing, the #friendshipgoals between these two girls is the biggest highlight of the film. Turns out, they weren’t just acting.

“We lived in the same house while we were filming,” Hildebrand said. “We would spend a lot of nights just goofing around and being together, we definitely had an immediate connection.”

The witty yet gruesome film has been described as Heathers meets Scream, and following the monster successes of Get Out and It this year, it’s coming at just the right time. 

“It’s such a good escape,” Shipp said, reflecting on the recent resurgence of horror. “It’s that moment where you can laugh at yourself and not be so serious all the time.”

If you think you’ve seen this movie before, think again. Not only is the film told from the killers’ POV, you won’t be seeing any damsels in distress, either. 

“This movie made me feel totally in charge and completely powerful,” Hildebrand said. “I never felt like a victim, it was amazing.”

“It’s nice to play women who aren’t cowering in boy shorts and crop tops,” Shipp chimed in.

These leading ladies are no stranger to playing against stereotypes. Both actresses play superheroes in the Marvel universe in sequels that just wrapped filming.

Hildebrand, who plays Negasonic Teenage Warhead in the Deadpool franchise, reprised her role in the sequel, starring alongside Ryan Reynolds

Gunpowder & Sky

“It had a different vibe [from the first one], but it was so fun and it was a good time,” the actress said, careful not to reveal any spoilers. “Just reading the script I was cracking up, so I am excited for people to see it.”

Shipp portrays Storm (the role originally played by Halle Berry) in the X-Men prequel films, and has X-Men: Dark Phoenix on the horizon. 

“I got to work with a few different people,” Shipp admitted about her experience on the sequel to 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse, where her character teamed up with the villains (Oscar Isaac, Michael Fassbender and Olivia Munn) for the majority of the time before joining forces with the good guys (James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence and Sophie Turner) by the film’s climax.

“It was a really fun experience. We just wrapped up on that; I can’t wait for it to come out,” Shipp teased. 

In the meantime, Hildebrand and Shipp are focused on preparing their families for the violence, sex and language splashed across the screen of Tragedy Girls.

“There is a scene where I am seducing [co-star] Craig Robinson -- I think my family would feel a little weird watching me seduce this older, established man,” Shipp admitted with a laugh, adding, “but I think they’re gonna like how it turns out.” 

Hildebrand has one critic that she fears the most: her grandmother.

“I’m not entirely sure how my family is going to react to this one; they had a weird reaction with the Deadpool thing,” Hildebrand confessed. “My grandma was like, [in a strong Southern accent] ‘Oh, I thought you were great in it sweetie, I just don’t really approve of all that cussing!’” 

Hopefully, Hildebrand’s grandmother is properly warned before viewing Tragedy Girls.

Tragedy Girls, distributed by Gunpowder & Sky, is in theaters on Oct. 20.