Midori Francis Says She Was Ready 'to Fight for My Life' in Her First Horror Movie 'Unseen'

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Midori Francis takes on her most thrilling role yet in her new film, Unseen.

The Grey's Anatomy star, 28, stars in Blumhouse Productions' latest horror film, which comes from director Yoko Okumura. The thriller follows a nearly-blind Emily (Francis) as she tries to escape from her murderous ex-boyfriend — but needs to rely on stranger Sam (Jolene Purdy) to be her eyes as she guides her out of the woods through a video call.

The role marks Francis' first foray into the horror genre after working on HBO Max's The Sex Lives of College Girls and the Netflix rom-com Dash & Lily — something she was "ready" to do, she tells PEOPLE.

"I was just so ready to do this kind of thing," Francis says. "I mean, to just honestly — the simplest way I could put it — to scream, to cry, to fight for my life, run around outside and just do something this gritty and this high stakes, as an actor, I think I haven't really done something like that for a long time and I was just so excited."

She adds, "This was a more mature role and it was more gritty. I think I'd just come off of a lot of comedy too at the time, so it was just really nice to not have that be the focus."

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While Francis and Purdy, 39, also star alongside Missi Pyle and Michael Patrick Lane in the film, Unseen is focused primarily on the relationship between the two women as they help each other survive in unexpected ways. However, since the entire film takes place over a phone call between them, the pair never share a scene together — which was a challenge in itself.

Francis' scenes all took place in woods outside of New Orleans, while Purdy's were set at a gas station store in the city. To create the chemistry between the characters, the actresses served as each other's readers, quietly saying their character's lines as the other filmed her scene.

"[Jolene] ended up being in the woods with me the entire time, hiding behind trees, kneeling over so that I could hear her. And if I was foraging through the forest, she ended up foraging," Francis says. "And then when it came to her side, basically anytime you see Jolene in that box, I was tucked in that box on this carpet hiding, doing my lines to her."

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The story of two women helping each other and playing such a strong, level-headed female lead drew Francis to the role, she says.

As an ER doctor, Emily was very resourceful and stayed calm in her perilous situation, while Francis says she would have been "freaking out" as an "emotional, anxious" actor.

"I loved how much she was fighting for her life, there's only one time where she even contemplates giving up, on the beach," Francis says. "And I think by that point the audience would understand why she's giving up. She takes a lot of s—, narrowly escapes death so many times. But I loved how it was never really 'Woe is me,' it was very much practical. Like, 'I'm going to save my life.'"

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Unseen will release on digital and on demand on March 7.