Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Cast and Creators Talk Season 2, the ‘Hell House’ Episode, and the Importance of Telling Queer Stories | ATX TV Festival

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School is the summer sensation, captivating audiences with its unique exploration of the horror genre. The show fearlessly brings LGBTQ+ representation to the forefront while simultaneously keeping viewers on the edge of their seats, speculating about the true identity of Bloody Rose.

Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Zaria, Malia Pyles, Mallory Bechtel, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and Lindsay Calhoon Bring were all in attendance, with Annabeth Gish serving as the panel moderator. 

After a screening of Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Season 2 Episode 6, “Chapter 16: Hell House,” at the ATX TV Festival, the cast and creators gathered on stage to discuss where the show goes from here.

To say that the group of girls goes through a handful of horrific experiences this season is an understatement. In “Chapter 16: Hell House,” the characters are confronted with their traumas, a powerful narrative that resonates with the audience, as they strive to end Kelly’s reign as the Queen of Religion in Millwood.

Recalling a scene between Johnny and Imogen, where she comes clean about the everyday trauma and grief she deals with from finding her mother’s dead body, Madison says it’s a dynamic that she doesn’t regularly see on TV, making her proud to help bring it to life.

“That was something that I don’t think I’ve seen on TV before, a chance to actually go into the horror and permanent damage that’s done to her mind, and I think it showcases Imogen’s inner workings in such a beautiful light,” Madison said.

Before filming the episode, she had no clue that Hell Houses are a real thing that happens.

“I was unaware of it and became aware of it due to the script,” Madison said. “That was something that took me completely, not by surprise, because you know that terrible things happen in this world and that that exists, but the fact that it still happens so loudly and vividly really struck me.”

For Tabby, most of her journey this season has been focused on learning how to trust again, rediscovering her voice, and stepping into her power after several traumatic experiences. Christian, played by Noah Alexander Gerry, is a significant factor in her ability to move on from that trauma this season.

“He gives her a soft landing, a place to let down her guard and, you know, really confide in and lean on him,” Kinney said. “It’s no secret that Tabby loves movies, but I think so much of the season is her stepping back into those spaces, like being behind the camera, writing, being in the Orpheum, and rediscovering much of her love and passion for what she does.”

“He [Christian] plays a huge part in that. He helps her find the joy of what she does again. It’s used as an outlet, but it’s also used as a way to express herself, have fun, and bring her voice to the table. So it’s quite a journey for her, and I’m excited for the latter half of the season. She has some challenges coming,” Kinney continued.

For Zaria, filming this season has been more challenging than usual because of the journey her character, Faran, experiences in trying to find herself. During the Q&A, she recalled a particularly stressful day on set that had her questioning her ability to portray Faran moving forward.

“That was so new to me,” Zaria said. “How do you play someone who doesn’t even know who they are and knows they don’t know who they are?”

“It’s funny because we’re on this conversation of trauma, and I was thinking of Hell House and how interesting it is because the room that really upsets Faran the most is the room where people are not accepted for being who they are. I get chills because of how they wrote that. It’s so what would upset her and hurt her because there’s nothing in the world worse than not being accepted for who you are,” Zaria continued.

Mouse’s journey this season has been one of adventure and resilience. She actively works to fight for those closest to her while still focusing on her own survival with Bloody Rose on the loose.

One aspect of Mouse’s storyline this season that makes Pyles ecstatic is the number of opportunities she gets to shine a light on the LGBTQ+ community and their struggles.

“I think it’s cool that there is an opportunity for her to mobilize her people around her to fight something that’s not just — of course, it’s related to her trauma, but she has to take action for Ash and for the queer people in her community, which is so important,” Pyles said.

“Me and Jordan [Gonzalez] had endless conversations about this because he went to a Catholic school growing up. He was very familiar with Hell Houses and depictions of hate in that way. With legislation changing and the really hard years that the trans community has gone through, it was really special and important,” Pyles added.

Another factor that Pyles loves about Pretty Little Liars: Summer School is how the cast can have fun, make jokes, scream their heads off, and still highlight topics that too many other series are afraid to tackle.

It’s also fitting that “Chapter 16: Hell House” premiered during the first week of Pride Month, but co-creators Aguiree-Sacasa and Bring said it’s simply a happy coincidence.

However, the idea of a Hell House episode has lingered in the writer’s room since season one.

“We showed some uncharacteristic restraint and said, ‘You know what? That could actually be a bigger story.’ So, we saved it for Season 2 and then realized when we were working it would be kind of a trial by fire for all of the girls to go through. It’s something that does go back to season one,” Aguirre-Sacasta said.

“We love to have fun,” Bring added. “We love the humor. We know that we have such an amazing caliber of actors that can manage humor and heavy at the same time, so that gives us the freedom and permission to write these stories. But we also wanted to reflect the world that we’re living in, and we’re telling a story about young people, and we’re telling a horror story.”

“From Season 1, we talked about the fun of horror but also the grounded horrors that young people face today. This episode, I think, highlights so many of them. We also wanted to juxtapose darkness with joy, which is why it was really important in a Hell House episode to show celebration,” Bring continued.

Kelly Beasley, portrayed by Bechtel, has had a chaotic season, becoming a catalyst for hate and encouraging cultism as she tries to overcome the guilt she carries for playing a part in Karen’s death.

It’s also been a daunting task for Bechtel to play, saying that her heart dropped when she first read the script for “Chapter 16: Hell House” and was apprehensive about the feedback from fans.

“She’s had so much going on this year, and she’s terrified,” Bechtel said. “It kind of goes back to Season 1, where she was the one who had this Carrie idea to put Karen up in the rafters, and I think she’s just still walking around with so much guilt, and she feels responsible for everything going wrong in her life. And obviously, she’s also lost her father, too.”

Touching on the scene Madison and Bechtel share when their characters go head to head, both sing the praises of their co-stars for providing a sense of comfortability in the more intense scenes.

“With all of the girls, this sentence rings true: it’s like an actor’s dream. It’s like a really good game of tennis. You have an opponent in front of you, and the ball is ten times harder than you thought it would be, and you’re still going. It’s like this amazing rally. And I feel that so deeply with the girls next to me. I’ve said that with Mallory because in the first season, we had a lot of those moments of push and pull together. And what a dream it is to try to navigate scenes like that,” Madison said.

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School airs Thursdays at 10/9c on HBO Max.

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