Could horror’s next scream queen come from Downey?

Actress and Downey High School alumni Natasha Stricklin is currently celebrating the release of her most recent film project “When it Rains in LA,” a horror thriller that follows a young woman who, while coping with the loss of her husband, faces a series of strange and chilling events alongside her friends.

In the film, Stricklin plays the role of Tatia.

“[Tatia] is a fun, protective friend,” said Stricklin. “She’s LGTBQ, and so she’s very protective of her girlfriend the whole time, and trying to mend all the chaos that’s going on in the friend group in the house, because we all live together.”

As far as acting goes, Stricklin says this “isn’t my first rodeo.” This is – however – her first feature film to be streamed on a major streaming platform. The film is currently available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

That detail in itself came as a bit of a surprise to the young actress.

“I would say this is the fourth feature film that I’ve done, but the first one on a very big platform,” said Strickland.

She said that the filmmakers were “adamant” about pushing the film.

“I thought maybe they’ll get it into a film festival or something along those lines,” said Stricklin. “When we got the email from the producers that we’re going to be streaming on Apple TV and Amazon Prime, I was quite honestly in shock.

“I don’t think it hit me until I went on the Apple TV app and looked up the title and saw it right there. I clicked on the trailer and my face was right there on the Apple TV app, that’s when it started becoming more real for me, and it was just very rewarding.”

Stricklin, 26, began acting classes when she was 12 years old and working professionally at the age of 16. However, she decided to take a break from the industry for around five years, citing a need to “get right with myself” after losing her father in a motorcycle accident.

“I was really young, and I was emotionally dealing with the loss of my father. I feel like I was just so young and dealing with such a big loss like that was difficult; it was hard,” said Stricklin. “I fell into substance and things like that, and so I had to really look at myself in the mirror and realize that my pain was preventing me from doing what I loved.”

She returned to acting three years ago.

“One day, I just was like, ‘You know what, I need to get back to what makes me feel good inside, and that’s pursuing my art and my career. So, I got straight with all that stuff and I’ve just been pursuing my career ever since.”

Stricklin got her start in commercial work. Her first big feature, Painted Horses, came when she was 16 alongside Grace Currey (nee Fulton) of Shazam and Conjuring Universe fame. More recently, Stricklin has been involved in several horror projects, including currently working on another thriller called Psycho Therapy alongside her brother CJ.

“My brother CJ is the lead in this next film that we’re working on, and I get to support him in it so I’m super excited about that, to be able to work with him,” she said.

Stricklin will soon be moving to New York to see where it might further take her career. While she has no opposition to being a “scream queen,” she has expressed interest in playing other roles especially if they involved potentially doing her own stunts.

“I feel like I would like to do some kind of action type of role,” said Stricklin. “Whether it’s some kind of spy or something, but the thought of stage combat is just so fascinating to me. I want to be that girl.”

Downey's Natasha Stricklin shines in new horror film, 'When It Rains in LA'