Katie Holmes’ Role As A Mother Helped In ‘Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark’

For Katie Holmes’ first horror film role, the actress was able to pull inspiration from her own role as a mother to daughter Suri.

”[The movie] does reveal the strength of a mother and something that I feel like was hard for me to understand before I became a mother,” Katie told Access Hollywood at the “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” premiere in New York City on Monday night.

“That instinct to… you fight at any costs for your child,” the 32-year-old actress continued.

Katie was excited to work with writer/director Guillermo del Toro, who penned the screenplay for her new film.

“In Guillermo’s movies, his female characters are very strong and they’re not running around screaming and afraid. My character fights at the end,” Katie explained. “That rang very true to me.”

Though this is her first horror film role, the star has been a longtime fan of the genre.

“I love classic horror. ‘The Exorcist,’ ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ ‘The Shining’ and I feel like this movie really wraps you in,” she added.

“Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” hits theaters on August 26.