[Interview] Cathy Podewell Talks ‘Night of the Demons’
While the bad girls, Angela and Suzanne, may have had all the fun, it was the good girl, Judy, who survived the Hull House Halloween party in the 1988 classic Night of the Demons, and Cathy Podewell says the party never really ended during filming and, unlike her character, she had nothing but fun making the movie.
Night of the Demons is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and after three decades, two sequels, a remake, and an upcoming documentary, it has rightfully secured its place in regular rotation throughout October for horror fans around the world. It’s the simple story of some naughty girls who throw a wild party on Halloween night, during which they awaken and are possessed one by one by some much naughtier demons. Judy is the ultimate straight-laced final girl and the perfect contrast to the rowdy and horny party people. As her Halloween costume hits home, she is Alice and Hull House is her Wonderland.
Cathy Podewell is every bit as sweet and genuine in person as she comes across as Judy is in the film, as I recently found out during our very candid conversation about the making of Demons, working on the biggest TV shows of the era, her real life love and passion for Halloween, and how it all started when she was killed by Johnny Depp.
Read on for our full interview with Cathy Podewell.

How did you first get into acting?
My grandparents were veteran theater actors in Chicago. Actually my grandmother (Beverly Younger) was on one of the very first television shows ever created, called Studās Place. It was on out of Chicago, with Studs Terkel. They both did lots of theater. Tennessee Williams called my grandmother one of the greatest actresses. So I come from like really pretty awesome acting seed, so to speak.
My grandmother had kind of stopped acting, but my grandfather (Lester Podewell) kept acting until he was well into his 80s. He passed away at 89, and he was acting right up until then. He was famous forĀ Groundhog Day. He played the homeless old man that begs Bill Murray every day when he comes around the corner.
So it was always there, and I kind of wanted to continue the Podewell acting tradition. In high school, I did theater. Then I went to college, and I was a theater major and a dance major. It was always something I wanted to do.
I really felt that if at some point that I had given it a shot and it didnāt work out, then Iād want to have something to fall back on. I thought maybe it would be physical therapy. So when I got to college, I was thinking I would just major in something practical, but I got hooked right away. I got cast in a play and that was it, I declared theater as my major. I was hooked.
And my grandparents always ā they didnāt discourage me, they didnāt try to talk me out of it, but they always felt that it was a very tough business for kids, and somehow if they could discourage me or talk me out of it slightly, then I wasnāt meant to do it, it wasnāt in my heart. But they could never talk me out of it, so thatās it.
After college, I moved to L.A., and Night of the Demons was in my first few months of auditioning. I was really lucky to go out for that.
I had no idea that was your granddad in Groundhog Day. Thatās so awesome. It definitely sounds like acting was always in the blood.
They were always very humble too. Different shows would cast local actors in Chicago if they were filming there, and I wouldnāt know half the time, and Iād be watching TV and Iād be like, āAh, Grandmaās on TV!ā.Ā They didnāt make a big deal of it. I went to go see Only the Lonely in the theater, and thereās my grandfather. I had no idea. They were so humble.Ā And probably whatās more impressive than the television and movies, was their work in the theater.Ā
Did you ever go on sets with them?
No, because I grew up in California, and they were in Chicago.
It was something I was proud of. And I thought if I could give it a shot, I really loved performing, whether it was in high school, where it was theater but it was also dance, and I was a cheerleader, and I was in the marching band, and I was on the swim team, so I was performing one way or the other. It was a natural progression to finally end up in L.A.

And once you got to L.A., Night of the Demons was one of the first things you did. This year (2018) is the 30th anniversary. Itās one of my favorite movies, and I watch it every year around Halloween, like I know so many fans do. How did you first get involved with the film?
I got my SAG (Screen Actors Guild) card. A friend of mine was shooting a show, ironically enough, in Chicago, and he became friends with the director who was directing the following episode and he mentioned me. I was trying to get my SAG card, and so this director said, āAs long as sheās a local, she can audition,ā and my relatives were all in Chicago. So I stayed with my aunt and I was considered a local, and I got hired.
They funny thing about that job is that I was killed on the show (Lady Blue) by Johnny Depp. On my Instagram, I have a really funny picture of myself with Johnny Depp and David Oliver, who was the other actor, and they played killers. We were both guest stars. It was a TV show with Danny Aiello. So that was a great way to say I got my SAG card.
I got back to L.A. and I started auditioning. Iām trying to think if I got Growing Pains right before or right after I got Night of the Demons. I believe Night of the Demons was first. Actually, I know it was. Now Iām like putting it chronologically. Lance Fenton and Billy Gallo and maybe somebody else all had the same agent, and the agent came to the set. And thatās how their agent became my agent. So yeah, it came first.
I had an agent who sent me out for it, and I read for (director) Kevin Tenney and the casting director. Kevin tells the story that she (the casting director) was gung ho to cast me, but he was unsure, because my headshot at the time read older. So he thought, āOh, sheās too old.ā And thank goodness for the casting director, because she was like, āNo, Kevin, call her in again, youāll see, she looks really young. Itās just the headshot that makes her look older.ā They called me back in, and that was it, I got it.
That was a big year for you, because around the same time you got Growing Pains as well, and it sounds like Growing Pains came almost as a direct result of Night of the Demons too, like it was all meant to be.
It absolutely was, completely, because that sort of got the ball rolling as far as going out for really quality, good auditions. I have so many reasons to thank Night of the Demons all these years later.
And for it being your first film, it is the lead role. Youāre in the entire movie. Youāre the final girl.
I may not have been the star, but in a horror film, when you say Iām the one that got to live, itās pretty cool that I survived.
I just rewatched the movie again, and I love your performance in it. Maybe you can talk a little about your experiences filming. It was a four-week shoot, and you were there the whole time?
Yeah, I donāt remember not being there on a day. I do remember maybe having a later call, thank goodness. Iām so glad I didnāt have to sit through eight hours of makeup. So I got to go hang out, and sit in the directorās chair outside and chill.
I think you and Alvin (Alexis) are the only ones that got to avoid the (demon) makeup.
I know. And there were so many times where we would look at each other and were like, āWe are so lucky.ā And it wasnāt just the putting on (the makeup), it was the taking off too.
What else do you remember from filming?
I remember it was so much fun. We were all young. Kevin Tenney was still I think fresh out of USC Film School for the most part. We were all kind of novices. I mean other than Linnea (Quigley), I think we were all pretty new to the business.
I remember liking everyone. I thought it was so much fun to go into work. We all got along great.
The hardest part I think for me as an actress ā well the one scene that I canāt stand, I cringe ā I hadnāt seen the movie in all these years until we had a midnight screening when the (2014) Blu-ray came out. I hadnāt seen it in 25 years. I remembered the scene with the crematorium and fire. It had changed, we changed the dialogue, and my acting in that scene is cringe inducing for me. I remember feeling it back then, and then watching it 25 years later, I was like, āOh God, itās so bad.ā I just remember that I couldnāt remember the lines that they changed. It was a lot of exposition, and it felt kind of unreal to me the way I had to explain it. Anyway, it was traumatic. (laughs)
Otherwise, it was fun. Kevinās giving you direction of whatās coming at you, and of course thereās nothing really there, and thereās the challenge of trying to be scared, called acting. (laughs) But it was challenge. It was definitely something I had never done before.Ā
It was a lot of fun. I loved it.

And you got along with the other cast members well?
Yes, we love each other. We still do. And thatās the best part for me. I mean first of all, if you had told me 30 years ago that this movie would still be relevant to anyone right now, and to have the Blu-ray release, to have it spawn two sequels and a big budget remake, it is crazy mind boggling to me.
Actually I didnāt even know about any of this (fandom for Night of the Demons) until about 10 years ago. At the grocery store I shop at, one of the clerks always would look at me. I was thinking, āDo I know him?ā I couldnāt figure it out. And one day he asked me, āYouāre Cathy Podewell?ā I was like, āHow do you know that? Youāre like so young. What did I do that you would have seen?ā I was thinking Dallas, did he watch reruns? And he said, āNight of the Demons.ā
I go, āWhat do you mean Night of the Demons?ā He said, āYeah, itās a cult classic.ā And I went, āNo itās not. What are you talking about?ā (laughs) So thatās how I first found out that there were two sequels and a remake. I had no idea.
So yeah, none of us thought 30 years ago that any of this would be happening right now, with the 30th anniversary and the documentary that Chris (MacGibbon; read our interview) is doing. Itās so exciting. But the best part is that I have had the opportunity now in the last few years to get together with everybody, and I love it. Everybodyās so sweet.
Ā Ā I love hearing that the cast was so tight with each other, and that you all still are, because it was pretty much the first film for most of you.
I know Amelia (Kinkade; read our interview) had done a Stray Cats video and Linnea was already established as the horror queen that she is, but otherwise yeah, I think it was pretty much the beginning for all of us. And it had that kind of feeling, like, āLetās put on a horror show.ā There wasnāt a big star to feel awkward or insecure around. It was a level playing field in that respect.
Did you guys hang out much during the down time when you werenāt filming?
Oh, definitely. Itās funny because our dressing rooms were all up in the rooms (of Hull House), but none of us wanted to hang out in the house by ourselves in our dressing room. So we all pretty much sat outside in our directorās chairs, but we were all together pretty much the entire time. Nobody went off to be by themselves. The only time anybody was by themselves was if they were in Steve Johnsonās makeup chair.
It was just a really nice environment.
Thatās great to hear.
I know, isnāt it? I love hearing that too about different shows or whatever. Itās so nice to hear that everybody liked each other and got along.
It really is nice to hear, as a fan. And at the end of the day, itās just such a fun movie. Itās not meant to be taken so seriously, and you just enjoy the ride and you feel like that you went to this Halloween party.
Looking back, the thing that amazes me the most about the movie is that there is no CGI. It was all, shot by shot, done creatively through what we called the blue cookie, the smoke thing that they lit, and how they shot it with the light coming in and caught in that smoke. And Kevinās amazing genius shot, which I knew at the time, I was just like, āThis guy is too good for this little movie,ā that shot of the broken glass and reflections of all of us (in the mirror pieces). And (then thereās) Steveās amazing makeup. That, to me, is what is so remarkable to look back at.
Itās definitely a great example of some of the best practical effects of the time. It still looks better than some of the movies made today with much bigger budgets.
Itās a testament to Kevin, for sure. And Joe Augustyn, the writer, was also a pretty big presence on set. They had this amazing group behind the camera. It was sort of like a perfect storm of everything just working. But even with all that said, I still canāt believe weāre talking about Night of the Demons 30 years later.
There is this legacy and this devoted fan base that loves this movie. What do you think is the lasting appeal for so many fans? Is it the fact that thereās something for everybody, a character that each person in the audience can identify with, from the nice girl to the goth girl to the jock and so forth?
I donāt think thatās so unique as the amazing makeup work and creative shots, like how they retracted Linneaās face, how they did the lipstick scene with the prosthetic of her chest, and the eye gouging. All of that has held up. Itās amazing to think that was all real movie makeup magic.
I love the shot right after the āRun Judy, runā line, and youāre coming down the hallway with Lineaās silhouette kind of larger than life behind you. And I love the Alice in Wonderland costume. I always thought that was just the perfect costume for Judy, because sheās kind of entering this other world when she goes to this party. Itās obviously not her normal crowd, itās really not where she wanted to go that night, and it is kind of like Alice going into Wonderland and finding her way out.
Exactly. And that was Kevin Tenney. It was originally written in the script that I was supposed to be Little Red Riding Hood. Kevin felt that the red cape wouldāve been too demonic and not, you know, sweet and innocent. So he came up with the idea for Alice in Wonderland, which obviously referred to Alice falling down the rabbit hole. So thatās good that you picked up on that. I love that you have an appreciation for the costume choice. Itās so cool.
Thatās why Night of the Demons fans are so awesome, because theyāre so appreciative of the details, and thatās what Iām appreciative of, and was at the time. I was impressed even when I didnāt know I should be impressed.
I was like, āOkay, itās perfect. My first job is a low budget horror film, of course. Thatās how youāre supposed to start out. Doesnāt everybody?ā
But it was something special even then. Nonetheless, itās still amazing that weāre having this conversation 30 years later. (laughs)
That movie is such a classic. Like I said, I watch it every year.
I love that. To know whatās coming in horror film, it kind of loses some of the magic after you watch it for the first time, but you and so many other fans of this movie ā well thatās why weāre having this conversation, because people like you exist that can watch it over and over, year after year. I canāt tell you how many people tell me, āWe watch it on Halloween every year.ā Itās very gratifying, it really is.
I love it. I love being part of a Halloween classic. (laughs) Thatās what it really is. You talk about Christmas classics, well here you go, itās pretty quintessential Halloween viewing. (laughs)

Speaking of Halloween, did you celebrate the holiday as a kid and with your own kids?
Actually, Halloween has always appealed to me. Halloween would end one year, and Iād start thinking about my costume for the next year. I happened to have a mother who was super creative, and she would make my costumes up until middle school probably. So I took a lot of pride in my Halloween costumes. I felt very proud.
I remember as a kid having the Halloween parade at our elementary school, and thatās why I was so excited that my kids went to an elementary school where there was a Halloween parade, and I sort of carried on and made costumes for my kids. I mean, I can close my eyes and think of my costumes, like I was a wolfman and I had fur busting out of this lumberjack kind of shirt. I took lots of pride in it as a kid. I loved it. And then as a mom, I sort of passed that on to my kids.
Halloween was the best. I still dress as a witch or a clown every year. Even though my kids are grown, my youngest is a junior in high school. (laughs) I still answer the door as a witch in green face.
Thatās awesome.
Yeah, I love it. My kids think Iām ā you know, in high school Iād show up to pick them up from school, and Iād be the crazy mom in the car with the green face and the witch hat driving down the street that everybody would laugh it. That would be me.
Thatās so awesome. Thatās us too.
Itās fun! Itās your one night a year to be, you know, to have that kind of fun. Yeah, you came to the right person, obviously. Iām preaching to the choir here about the love and virtues of Halloween. Yeah, I donāt really have to sell it too hard. (laughs)
Thatās good to hear that you made sure the kids went to the right schools where they could celebrate Halloween properly, because not all schools do that now.
I know. It is sad. I know halfway through my kidsā years in elementary school, the Halloween festival became a fall festival. It used to be called the Halloween Haunt but then they changed it to the Fall Festival, so I was really worried they were just going to get rid of everything, but they didnāt. They kept the Halloween parade.
When you look back to your childhood, to me Halloween was like the one thing that I could always say ā like I donāt remember day to day life in the second grade, but I sure remember that I was Cleopatra and I strutted my stuff at that Halloween parade. Those are memories that are meaningful and that last a lifetime.
So Iām hoping that I passed my love of Halloween on to my kids. But they always would dress up. My oldest is 26 and he and his girlfriend dress up every year. So I feel like Iāve sort of passed the torch of Halloween love to my kids.
Are your kids picking up on any of the performance genes that you picked up on?
No. There was a period where I thought that maybe my youngest would. She took an acting class and she loved it, and the teachers thought she was really good. It was the year before her freshman year, and I was like, āUh oh,ā but no. She wants to be a zoologist. (laughs) And thatās fine. And my grandparents would be like, āSee how comforting it is not having to worry about a family member going into this crazy profession?ā And it is, just because there are so few actors that make a living from acting. So it is interesting that my three kids were not bitten by the acting bug.
Ā Ā I want to talk just a little bit about Dallas. I remember watching you on that show.
It was about a year later, in 1988. I auditioned, and it was just supposed to be seven episodes, a guest starring role. Then I got a call back with the producer, and then I got a call back with Larry Hagman, and he and I just connected. An hour later they called.
It was an amazing thing, because in seven episodes they liked the chemistry and they developed the character, and it turned out to be a three-year gig. So as an actress, to have a job for three years and be able to develop a character over that course three seasons was just a dream. And talk about loving a cast, everyone was so great.
Iāve been really fortunate, because I donāt think there was a job where I didnāt really love everybody. I donāt know where these bad actors and divas are. I guess there are plenty of them out there, but I was fortunate enough to never work with them.
Larry Hagman was just the greatest guy ever, and took me under his wing. He included me in everything. He made me feel very welcome in the Dallas family. There are stories about one (cast member) that was a diva, but she had left the year before I arrived. I didnāt have any interaction with her, but Iāve heard that there was a diva once on the show. Everybody that was there when I was on was amazing.

So what are you up to lately? Do have new projects coming up?
I really donāt, because I sort of decided long ago ā I always joke that Iāve been on a 27-year hiatus. When my first born, whoās 26 now, was a year old, I got a call from a casting director about doing an episode of 90210. I got the job. Iād been a mom for a year, Iād been nursing, and so I did this job, but I had never left my son with anybody before. I left him with one of my dear friends, and this job lasted a week, but I got through it. Then they called for reshoots and I had to go back for a second week. And I decided I liked being a mom. It was too much. I loved acting, but I didnāt ever want to be away from my kids.
I did a couple more jobs, but I didnāt go back fulltime, and Iām really grateful that my husband could support us and I could be a stay at home mom. And I loved every minute of it.Ā Ā
Now that my youngest is 16, Iām just now starting to think, āOkay, itās going to be starting over. I donāt have an agent. I have my credits, but theyāre 30 years old.ā (laughs) Itās definitely starting over, but I just thought, you know, I talked myself into giving it a shot 30 years ago, and why not try again now.Ā And if I love it like I used to love it, great, and if I get work, great, so Iām thinking about it.
Actually it was the Night of the Demons fans that basically kept asking me every time Iād do a signing, āWhy donāt you have social media?ā So I finally started an Instagram. And Iām getting my head wrapped around maybe getting back into it. Iām waiting for Kevin Tenney to write me a film script.
Well Iāll be first in line to see that.
Thank you. Donāt hold me to it though! Weāll see.
Thatās great to hear that youāre open to it at least, and starting a new stage in life it sounds like.
I am. And thatās the thing I always would say when my kids were little and people would ask, āWhy donāt you go back to acting?ā And I said that I knew that part of my life was going to go by so fast, and you only get to be the mother of these little kids once. Then theyāre grown in the blink of an eye, which is exactly what happened. I always said, āI can act when Iām 80. But I can only be the mom of these small kids in that moment, so I didnāt want to miss that. And I donāt have any regrets. I can act until my dying day. So weāll see.
I do feel blessed though. My dreams did come true. So many little kids dream of being an actress and working, and being on TV or in the movies or whatever, and I feel very fortunate that for the five years I gave it a shot, I pretty much worked steadily. And that was a dream come true, it really was. Then I got to be the mom of three awesome kids.
So maybe life will come full circle and Iāll give this acting thing a shot again.Ā
I really hope you do. Iām excited to see what the future holds for you.
Thanks, Matt. Itās been so nice talking to you.
_
Cathy Podewell is among the franchise cast members set to be featured in the new documentary The Party’s Just Begun: The Legacy of Night of the Demons.
[Read our interview with Amelia Kinkade on Night of the Demons here.]

For more Halloween news, followĀ @HalloweenDaily.