With two major horror sequels hitting the big screen one after another, sisters Violet and Madeleine McGraw are being celebrated as the “Horror Girls of Summer.” Violet, known for her breakout role as the haunted young Nell in The Haunting of Hill House and as Cady in the box office hit M3GAN, returned for M3GAN 2.0 this past June. Meanwhile, Madeleine, who terrified audiences as the psychic Gwen in Black Phone, is back for Black Phone 2, with the official trailer first dropping this past June as well. Black Phone 2 is releasing on October 17. Both films are Blumhouse productions, making the sisters a powerful duo in the horror world.
Their shared passion for the genre is clear, but their careers are already expanding beyond it. They recently produced a film together, The Curse of the Necklace, and are working on a new holiday movie, a welcome change of pace.
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“It’s a Total Blessing”: The McGraw Sisters on Their Shared Journey
What does it mean to the both of you to be considered “the horror sisters”?
Violet: It’s cool. I actually love when people say that because I think it’s so cool that we both got Blumhouse sequels so everyone’s like, oh, it’s the Blumhouse sisters or the horror girls.
Madeleine: I can definitely say that it’s definitely not something we envisioned for ourselves years ago. But I’m just insanely grateful to get to be doing this with my sister. I feel like that’s so rare for actors in the industry, and just in general. But getting to go through all this with her has just been a total blessing. And we’ve just been having the best time figuring everything out together. And we both love horror so much anyways, so it’s full circle.
“I’m Braver Than Her”: How Horror Movies Made the McGraw Sisters Less Scared
Would you say you’re less scared of horror movies when you’re watching them because you get to see how they’re made?
Madeleine: For me, I feel like it’s made slasher films not scary at all. I don’t get scared of gore and slashers. Blood and guts just doesn’t really scare me very much. But I will say I definitely still get scared of the more eerie horror movies where you always think that something’s going to jump out at you. That’s what gets me.
Violet: I feel like being in horror movies made me like them more because I’m like, oh, that’s special effects, guys. Like, come on.
Madeleine: Before she started doing horror things, which Haunting of Hill House was, she started very early, but before that, I’d say she used to be really, really scared and would never want to watch horror films. But after that project…
Violet: I feel like I’m braver than her.
Madeleine: She’s definitely braver than me.
“We Manifested That”: The McGraw Sisters on Working Together On and Off Screen
I want to talk about the movie you did together, The Curse of the Necklace, because that’s super fun that you got to do it together and produce it. Can you talk about that experience?
Violet: It was always a dream of ours to produce something. I mean, separate, but I guess together also works.
Madeleine: Yeah, and it was our goal to do a movie together. It’s crazy that it actually happened, and that it was horror. It’s funny because we had actually said at the beginning of that year that our dream goal was to work together, and it literally happened. So I guess you could say we manifested that for ourselves. It was awesome. It was great getting to see Violet and how she gets into her character. I’ve never seen that before.
Violet: Yeah, it was definitely so cool getting to work alongside each other and see how different both of our processes are when it comes to getting in character or just being on set in general.
Madeleine: Just working alongside her, it felt like we were playing imaginary or something like that. Brought us back to the good old days.
Beyond Blumhouse: The McGraw Sisters Are Stepping Outside the Horror Genre
Are you producing anything else in the future?
Violet: We have a Christmas movie coming out that we got to produce together, which was just super fun.
Madeleine: Another dream.
Violet: Yeah, another dream. And it was not horror, which was definitely really fun to go outside of what we’re usually used to.
Madeleine: Because we definitely don’t want to be typecast that we just do horror. So it was nice to do something outside of that area.
“It Felt Like Reuniting with Family”: Violet McGraw on Returning to the World of M3GAN
M3GAN 2.0 was so much fun! I know you can’t say anything, but what would you want to see for Cady in a third one?
Violet: I don’t know. That’s hard. I hope that she gets to continue her soccer journey, because I think that would be really fun. And I don’t know, because in the second film, she was definitely getting into more of tech and stuff. So maybe she’ll grow up to be a little bit like her Aunt Gemma, maybe not as strict.
Madeleine: I know me, as a viewer, I would love to see her and Gemma, even though they do work together, I would like to see them work strictly as a team, no arguing.
What was it like going back to M3GAN?
Violet: Going back to film with M3GAN was so fun because it was a lot of the same crew and cast, plus some new people as well, which was so fun. I felt like I was reuniting with a family that I haven’t seen in a couple of years because I hadn’t seen all of them [for years]. I was 10 on the first one, but then I saw them at the premiere, so I think I was 11 or 12. And then I was 13 when we filmed the second one and it was just so fun.I loved reuniting with Amie Donald and Allison Williams. It was awesome. And the sets were crazy this time. They were so big and cool. I loved them. It was fun.
“Way More Intense”: Madeleine McGraw Teases the Highly Anticipated Black Phone Sequel
After the first Black Phone, I was like, I don’t know how they’ll do another one.
Madeleine: I was in the same boat. I think all of us were. All of us in the cast, we were all talking to each other, and we were like, how? There’s no way. How would they do it? Mason Thames and I, we would talk about conspiracies. We would even look at fan conspiracies and be like, do you think that they would do that? Then, I remember Scott Derrickson sending me the script, and I think at the time he had only sent it to Ethan [Hawke], and I was the second person to read it. And I was like, oh my god. It’s genius.
Is the second one more intense?
Madeleine: Oh, yeah. The second one is way more intense, in my opinion.
Violet: Oh, it definitely is.
Madeleine: Yeah, right? Violet came to visit me on set for two days, because we were going to see Taylor Swift, and even she was like, “Maddie, this alone is ten times more amped up than the first movie.” The elements in this movie are so different than they are in the first. But I feel like there are also some parallels to the first movie, which will make original fans still feel super connected to all the characters. Scott and C. Robert Cargill are such great writers, that even the new characters, you just instantly fall in love with. I cannot wait for people to see this. I’m personally so proud of what we created on this movie. I honestly, I don’t know if I’m going to say I like it more than the first film, because I haven’t really seen it all put together yet, but I definitely a fan of this one, for sure.
It’s going to be at Fantastic Fest. I will be there. Will you be there?
Madeleine: Maybe. Maybe I’ll see you. Hopefully. I know a little bit about it because of how the first Black Phone played there and everything, but I’ve never been.
“That Movie Terrified Me”: The McGraw Sisters Reveal the Horror Films That Get to Them
What is the one horror movie that terrified you watching it?
Madeleine: That’s such a good question. I feel like, for me, if I were to watch Terrifier, I feel that would probably get me, because I hate clowns so much, but my parents are very strict on us seeing Terrifier. That specifically, they will not let us watch.
Violet: I’m terrified of Art the Clown, but I haven’t seen it, so it can’t count.
Madeleine: I’m so scared for Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights because of Art the Clown’s maze. Honestly, I recently watched Shutter Island, and like I said, I don’t get scared of slasher films, so that movie literally terrified me. I was watching it in broad daylight, in the morning, and I was screaming at my TV. Violet even heard me. She was like, “Maddie, what are you watching?” So, definitely, I would say that movie has scared me the most.
Violet: See, I don’t get that scared of horror movies. For me, as a thriller, I’m going to say Alien, the first Alien. I just recently saw it, and I’m not a claustrophobic person, but the camera angles andt he fog, you can’t see anything.
From the Screen to the Scream: The McGraw Sisters on Their Movies at Halloween Horror Nights
Speaking of Halloween Horror Nights, how cool is it that your movies are a part of something like that?
Violet: It’s so cool. Last year we were bothon the Terror Tram. The Grabber was on it. M3gan. And they’re both back this year as well. I’m so excited.
Madeleine: Literally, Horror Nights is a tradition in our family now.
Violet: Since 2021.
Madeleine: We go every single year or at least try to go, so the fact that we get to be a part of it in some way is literally so cool.
Violet: It’s my favorite event, too.
Madeleine: It was so cool because last year on the tram, I was watching the TV that they had, and I was like, no way, guys, it’s Violet. And I was like, oh, my God. No way. It’s me. What? It’s just so crazy because I feel like we don’t really think about that sometimes. That doesn’t hit. We don’t really process it. So, it was a moment of realization.
Do the scare actors recognize you when you, Violet?
Violet: I would definitely say the Megans, for sure. They definitely do. I remember one year, a scare actor recognized me. In 2021, my first year, I was crying and I was scared.
Madeleine: Yes, you were so scared. He recognized her from Haunting of Hill House. Because the Haunting of Hill House maze was in 2021. He bent his neck because of the bent neck lady.
Violet: I don’t know if he was trying to make me feel better, but honestly, that didn’t help.
Madeleine: No, it was so cute. He pretended to shield her from all the scare actors. And then when he was leaving, he scared her. Because it’s their job. You gotto stay in character.
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Whether as a doll’s best friend in M3GAN or a psychic sister in Black Phone, the McGraw sisters have proven they are a force in the genre. Now, with both of their Blumhouse sequels hitting screens, they are not only cementing their status as horror royalty, but also showcasing their producing talents and range with upcoming projects like a new Christmas movie.
From facing masked kidnappers to navigating killer androids, the McGraw sisters have a knack for bringing terrifying tales to life. And as they hinted, with their shared passion and producing dreams, we might even see them manifest their own horror festival in the future. For now, however, moviegoers have a thrilling time to look forward to with these two powerhouses on the big screen.
Madeleine’s highly anticipated return in Black Phone 2 will have its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2025, and Violet’s role in M3GAN 2.0 continues her journey with the iconic AI doll. While there are no confirmed reports of a M3GAN 3, the door was certainly left open.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She owns Mama’s Geeky, but also is a freelance writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for more than ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association. Her passion for film, television, video games, and comic books started when she was a little girl and has only continued to grow.