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Horror Pride Month: Writer and Producer Comika Hartford

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Comika Hartford

A conversation with Comika Hartford is one of those rare treats that I receive from time to time as an interviewer. Intelligent and insightful with an ability to cut to the heart of a conversation to deliver her truth, Hartford is a creative force to be reckoned with and honestly, we need more people like her in the horror world.

Hartford, who appeared in last year’s Horror Pride Month series with her dear friend Skyler Cooper, returned this year to talk about all things horror. It was the first time she’d given a solo interview with me, and she did not disappoint.

Like most genre fans, Hartford’s love of horror and the macabre began early, and like many, she had to sneak around to enjoy it. Her self-described “hippie parents” didn’t want her watching a lot of TV as a kid. In fact, for a while, they had her convinced that the TV only worked for Sesame Street.

“Then I figured out that was bullshit,” she said laughing. “I was like, ‘No, my friends have TVs that work all the time. You guys are lying!’ They wanted me to read books first. I’m not saying they were wrong. It definitely led to a love of short horror fiction.”

Later she managed to sneak in a few episodes of The Twilight Zone at which time she decided she want to be Rod Serling introducing fantastic tales and inviting people into a world where nothing was at it seemed. It appealed to her sensibilities and added another layer of the burgeoning storyteller she would become.

Then came the fateful night when she was staying with her cousins and they managed to sneak around and watch Alien on cable.

“It was way too scary for us but it was so exciting and it was the first time I saw a woman in charge,” Hartford said. “It became such an exciting thing. And then the next day, of course, we played Aliens and I was a commander. We were those kids who got caught up in the fantasy of it. We loved to pretend. We were just these little black nerds running around on an alien ship all day.”

To anyone who thinks that it’s unusual for young black girls and boys to be interested in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, Hartford points out that these themes were based on universal experiences and stories, many of them drawn from African mythologies and methods of storytelling.

She recalled specifically the controversy of casting Halle Bailey as Ariel in the live-action adaptation of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Many naysayers jumped on the bandwagon coming up with every reason in the book why a mermaid could not be black.

“I understand that this is the Hans Christian Anderson mermaid story but the legends of the Mami Wata go back for centuries,” she said. “She is a beautiful black mermaid who interacts with human beings and is a kind of deity and has adventures. The concept of black mermaids has always existed for the people of the Diaspora so I think it’s intriguing. People want to say this legend only came from here but no these legends come from all over and they’re all tied together. These are human stories.”

These universal stories and themes can be remarkably similar. Joseph Campbell made an entire career educating the world about shared archetypes in everything from the mythology of the epic “hero’s journey” to similarities in folk and fairy tales. If you don’t believe me, look up Cinderella sometime. For every culture in the world there is a Cinderella story and the basic elements are almost identical.

On the subject of human stories, it occurred to me when we began our interview that I’d never really asked Hartford about her own identity on the queer spectrum, and as usual, the answer was enlightening.

“I do identify as bisexual and have ever since around I’d say high school or college,” she explained. “I always felt like a dual attraction, but that’s when I was finally able to act on it was around college. I definitely found that there’s a lot of different ways to be bisexual. So many people think it’s like right down the middle equally attracted to both but it doesn’t really work that way. I will say that I do think I am more attracted to men. I think it’s a higher percentage, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t had very intensive attractions to women.”

Acceptance of bisexuality is an issue both inside and outside of the LGBTQ community and often comes with a mistrust of sorts or a complete erasure depending on who a person is in a relationship with at the time.

It’s an issue that Hartford says she understands to an extent.

“If you’re bisexual then you have the option of appearing ‘normal’ and then you don’t have to deal with tons of shit. The reality is who are you attracted to? What is sexual for you? What do you think about when you orgasm? If you’re a woman and some of the time you’re thinking about women guess what you are! You get a little flower and your own flag and everything.”

This greater understanding of herself as a member of the LGBTQ community wasn’t the only discovery in college, however. It was at Emerson that she began to hone her craft as a creative, first throwing herself into acting, only to realize that her real interests lay in the realm of writing.

By the time she’d left Emerson, she had already begun writing pieces for her friends to perform which translated into writing one acts plays and exploring those storytelling talents she’d been honing since she was a child.

She found herself on a particular path that led her to various positions that helped her continue honing her craft from working in an ad agency to helping write a children’s show for an tech company. Eventually she took on ghost writing jobs to help directors and producers refine ideas for films, and in the last couple of years wrote, produced, and appeared in The Grey Area, an evocative and at times chilling project that has gone through several iterations on its path to reality.

“Everyone has those projects that start out as one thing and then it becomes another thing and then you’re like, ‘Okay, I just need to finish this,’ Hartford pointed out. “I’m really happy with it as a short. You have to finish. You don’t get to start a thing and not finish. I don’t believe in that. You never give yourself permission to not finish.”

That tenacity has made her the creative woman she is today and as I said from the beginning, it was an honor to sit down with Comika Hartford to talk about that journey.

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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