LISA SOPER:
ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACASA: Pretty Little Liars
with a rabid fanbase,
and we wanted it to feel different from the original.
We wanted to tell a story about the sins of the mother
being visited upon the child.
-Mom, everything okay? -Yeah.
Like mother, like daughter. Does history repeat itself?
BAILEE MADISON:
it completely takes a different direction.
(DISTORTED SCREAMING)
Minds will be blown with what we're trying to do with this show.
♪ (UNNERVING MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
We wanted to lean more into
sort of the horror genre, the slasher genre.
Start the car.
We knew that we wanted to bring A to life in a very different way.
The direction we went was making A a slasher villain,
akin to Michael Myers.
AGUIRRE-SACASA:
is sort of almost like an implacable force of nature.
Is everyone seeing what I'm seeing?
AGUIRRE-SACASA:
I don't want any drama.
Me neither.
Everywhere these girls turn, there's a threat.
(SCREAMS)
The internal horror being these very real, grounded terrors
that happen to women every day.
Whoa! What are you doing? Are you recording her?
-She wants me to. -IMOGEN ADAMS: Get off of her!
LINDSAY CALHOON BRING:
do have a core trauma that they're contending with...
You don't belong here.
...and have been alone, really, until they found each other.
SPEAKER: (OVER SPEAKER)
Faran Bryant, Noa Olivar, and Minnie Honrada
report to the principal's office please?
NEIL PATEL:
Our characters have modern things,
but the look is inspired by horror films
from the '70s and '80s.
We built a lot of sets,
and we started with the girls' bedrooms
'cause they define each character very specifically.
MALIA PYLES:
and the world's they create are so fantastic and rich.
And it's just been really fun as an actor.
We knew that we wanted a really diverse group
of Little Liars from very different backgrounds.
Socioeconomic backgrounds, religious backgrounds.
It's bringing in women from all walks of life,
and I think that's beautiful.
Maybe one of us should go up there.
Yeah... maybe you should.
AGUIRRE-SACASA:
and horror movies from back in the day,
almost all of them came from male directors,
who were making these movies with the male gaze.
One of the most important elements of the show
was flipping that horror gaze.
(PANTING)
In these horror films, women are predominantly shot from a higher angle.
But framing somebody from slightly below their eyeline
gives them a little bit more power.
♪ ("SECRET" BY THE PIERCES PLAYING) ♪
LISA SOPER:
I asked for a lot of impossible shots and angles.
MAIA REFICCO:
It's truly behind the scenes where that change is made.
ERIC JOHNSON:
be spun and told with a new perspective.
LISA SOPER: And action!
AGUIRRE-SACASA:
to meet this new generation of Pretty Little Liars.
(DISTORTED SCREAMING)
It is terrifying, but also emotional and fun.
It'll be a hell of a ride.
♪ ...if one of them is dead ♪