Carla Gugino is back on the big screen with her latest horror film, “Lockbox,” which has recently hit theatres. The actress, well-known for her compelling performances in supernatural thrillers, shares intriguing insights from her personal life that fuel her fascination with the horror genre. While she acknowledges her scepticism towards the existence of ghosts, her experiences lead her to believe that some spirits may linger in our world.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/lockbox-Carla-Gugino-070126-0347d29ff7a94878824877ad40372a37.jpg)
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Gugino discussed her unsettling encounters with the paranormal, which have occurred in various locations. “I don’t believe in ghosts per se, but if you asked me whether I think they exist, I would absolutely say yes,” she explained. Her belief stems from an unsettling notion that some spirits may be trapped, unsure of where to go after their physical bodies are no longer present.
Her foray into the horror genre has been marked by collaborations with acclaimed director Mike Flanagan, featuring in projects such as “Gerald’s Game,” “The Haunting of Hill House,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher.” In her latest film, “Lockbox,” Gugino portrays a grieving woman forced to adapt to life with her troubled nephew. However, their lives take a terrifying turn as they contend with a malevolent entity that begins to stalk them.
While the premise of “Lockbox” delves into a nerve-wracking narrative about loss and the supernatural, Gugino’s personal experiences with hauntings provide a thought-provoking backdrop. She recalls a particularly eerie incident that occurred years ago at a house in Los Angeles shared by her boyfriend and his roommates. “We were watching a film downstairs in an old Spanish house when we heard furniture moving upstairs,” she recounted. Despite nerves, the housemates jokingly exclaimed, “There she is again, moving furniture!” in reference to what they thought might be a ghostly presence.
The strange occurrences did not stop there. Gugino described instances of seeing a fleeting shadow in the master bedroom, alongside reports from friends who witnessed an apparition resembling a woman on the stairs. “One of his roommates was once convinced he had seen his wife in broad daylight, only to discover no one was there,” she said, clearly uneasy recalling the memory.
Their suspicions were later confirmed when a cleaner who worked at the house shared a chilling story; a former resident had taken her own life within those very walls. The revelation left Gugino shivering, saying, “I can’t tell that story without the hairs on my arms going up.”
Given its storied history, it is perhaps no surprise that Hollywood is teeming with tales of the supernatural, a notion that Gugino endorses. “I think Hollywood has a lot of haunted spaces; a lot has gone down there,” she stated, pointing out the area’s dramatic past.
The actress also recalled another eerie experience while filming “The Haunting of Hill House” in Atlanta. Living in a converted police precinct, she felt strange energy in the apartment, wondering if it stemmed from the character she was embodying. “I thought, ‘This isn’t a normal feeling for me,’” she admitted. Yet, upon discovering the building’s history—including it once being a site for incarceration—her doubts about her experiences began to resurface. “Maybe it is haunted; maybe this wasn’t just my character affecting me,” she pondered.
As her film “Lockbox” continues to invite audiences into its chilling narrative, Gugino’s intricate tales of supernatural encounters serve to enrich the atmosphere surrounding her work. With every new project, she draws on her own life experiences, leaving fans curious about the blurred lines between reality and the supernatural.
“Lockbox” stands as a testament to Gugino’s commitment to the horror genre and her ability to breathe life into complex characters enveloped by fear. As she reflects on her career and her brushes with the inexplicable, audiences cannot help but wonder if those eerie whispers of the past might just follow her from one project to the next. The film is currently available in cinemas, inviting viewers to experience a blend of grief and otherworldly dread.