PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Corey Clarke AKA Poltergeist OD is the Canadian King of rapping about horror. He has a true love of horror movies and music and, like me, he’s always working toward his goals. Poltergeist OD knows where his mind is set and he jumps for it. It’s hard work, but he is a shining example of why you should keep grinding away. We recently got to interview Poltergeist OD, and learned all about who the person is beyond the name.
Let’s get moving to the interview.
PopHorror: How long have you been in the horror genre?
Poltergeist OD: When I was 6 years old, my dad showed me IT (1990) and I was instantly infatuated with the genre. I loved being scared. It was a new and exciting thrill for me. Growing up next to a family who collected Horror movies helped, too. I spent a lot of time at the local video store called Family Video in Carbonear, Newfoundland and I would just stand there, admiring the cover art in the Horror section. It’s funny, now I’m the one who shows my dad new movies.
PopHorror: Who inspired you to get into hip-hop?
Poltergeist OD: I grew up mostly listening to Metal. I’ve always been into Death Metal, Deathcore, Grindcore, Slam, etc. until I moved to Alberta from Newfoundland and met my now best friends, Matt and Nick who go by Razorwire and Nicc Obscene. They were already rapping when we started hanging out. We would go to Razorwire’s garage and freestyle for hours over random beats on a handheld recorder.
It was just for fun at first. One day, they convinced me to write a verse and I fell in love with it right away. I knew that day that I was going to do this forever. We still do shows and make music together as a group called Obscene Division. We’re working on a new EP right now which will hopefully be out sometime later this year.
PopHorror: What inspired your name?
Poltergeist OD: I went through a ton of names when I started. I’m outing myself for being so corny now but the first was The Pagemaster like the movie of the same title. Then it was Lord Slug like the character in Dragonball Z. I eventually landed on Poltergeist because I love that movie, and felt it suited my style.
A few years ago, I decided to add the OD at the end (standing for Obscene Division) because that’s how my social media handles were and people were having a difficult time finding my music. Just looking up Poltergeist wasn’t working out.
PopHorror: How often do you release new content?
Poltergeist OD: I don’t have an exact answer for that. I try to release projects as often as I can, but I put a lot of work into these songs. Sometimes it takes months just to write something. Then, I have to record, mix, master, and edit the video aside from getting the cover art done and writing out a promo plan. I’m working on that EP with Obscene Division as well as a solo album right now. I’ve been releasing singles only for so long, I just wanted to do something different this year.
“We all go a little mad sometimes” ~Norman Bates
PopHorror: Do you edit and mix your music on your own?
Poltergeist OD: I edit all of my own lyric and music videos but I don’t do my mixing and mastering. I even stopped recording by myself and started going back to the studio to have someone else in the room with me. Deez Waxx has been incredible to work with.
I was given some advice from an industry professional when I first started and I stick with it to this day. He told me that having multiple ears on one project will ultimately open up a world of ideas that you as one person wouldn’t have had. I’m very open to collaborative work and I love hearing “Hey! I have an idea!”.
(A preview can’t even begin to explain this movie, but I love the bad ones…)
PopHorror: What inspires you when you feel a new song on the horizon?
Poltergeist OD: Inspiration comes from several places for me. Movies would be the first on the list. Sometimes I’ll hear a song from another artist that inspires me to write something or sometimes, I’ll just hear a simple word in everyday conversation that sparks something and my brain goes off on its own.
People who know me know that when I pull out my phone and start typing give me a minute because I just thought of something. I’m sure that sounds annoying to some people but my friends and family understand that if I don’t write this down now, I’ll lose it forever.
PopHorror: Do you watch each movie in your song for inspiration while you write?
Poltergeist OD: Yes. I will watch them over and over until I almost have the script memorized. Sometimes I’ll even watch them again before I record to get into the zone of the characters I’m rapping about. It’s almost like voice acting in a way. I have to become that character in my head. What would they sound like if they were a rapper? That’s the first question I have to answer before I start the process.
How many references can you find in this track?
PopHorror: Your music was featured in CarousHELL 3. How did that come about? Did they reach out to you?
Poltergeist OD: My friend Matt Skinner who is a major supporter of Indie Horror got me in touch with Steve Rudzinski about possibly doing a song for one of his movies. I thought he had forgotten all about it until he hit me up one day with a proposal for CarousHELL 3. It was one of the most exciting days of my life and I can’t thank Matt or Steve enough. I’m working with Matt on another movie now and hope to continue to do so.
PopHorror: Do you have any music that isn’t horror-related?
Poltergeist OD: I have quite a few songs that aren’t based on anything Horror-related which I usually do live because not every crowd is going to be filled with Horror nerds like me. My upcoming album will be completely non-horror. I thought it was about time I showed my fans that I could do something else. Yeah, I’m the Horror guy, but it’s not like that’s all I have in me.
Michael Myers approved!
PopHorror: What’s your favorite track that you have produced so far?
Poltergeist OD: The intro track on my upcoming album is called ‘The Autopsy of Corey Clarke’ and I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I used my real name because it’s a very personal and honest song. I don’t normally write about my feelings much so I think this one is going to surprise a lot of people.
PopHorror: How long does it take to create content for a song?
Poltergeist OD: It depends on a lot of things. Sometimes, it’s as simple as hearing a beat I like and going off. I’ve written songs in an hour and others have taken me months. I take creative breaks fairly often as well so I can go weeks without writing a single line.
Then, there’s promotional content around it. I usually do breakdown videos, explaining the process of the song, I do podcasts and interviews, lyric videos, studio videos, stories, and so on. I do all of this by myself so it gets overwhelming but that’s the job when you don’t have a team of people on your payroll.
Oh the horror!
PopHorror: You just released a new single dedicated to Stephen King, How many movies do you reference in the track?
Poltergeist OD: There are over 50 references to movies, characters, scenes, and actors. I’ll leave it up to the listeners to find the exact number.
PopHorror: You have opened for a few big names in hip hop, and you also collaborate a lot, what was the coolest moment in each?
Poltergeist OD: I just opened for D12 and Obie Trice which was a huge childhood dream come true. They were all so nice and down to hang out which is sort of rare for bigger Rap artists. Tech N9ne was another huge moment for me. The Inter. Sect Art and Music Festival has been extraordinarily good to me. I’m on an album called Tales From the Sicc with the artist who inspired me to write Horrorcore, Brotha Lynch Hung.
I’m also on two songs with G-Mo Skee and I’ve opened for him and Twiztid a few years back. I’m currently doing a live Hip-Hop podcast called Diss-Or-Daps with some of my closest friends and we’re about to take that on the road with three tours this Fall. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’ve been so fortunate.
Find CarousHELL 3 streaming on Tubi!
PopHorror: What do you see in the future for you?
Poltergeist OD: I want to get more into writing for movies. CarousHELL 3 was such a cool experience for me, I just want to keep doing that. I’m working on songs for two new movies right now. One is called ‘Air Fryer Slaughter’ by MMH, a fantastic filmmaker to work with.
Matt Skinner will be voicing the killer air fryer and he says it’s going to be so much fun. The other is called ‘The Dead Place’ by Michael Pickle starring the very talented David Howard Thornton who famously plays Art in the Terrifier franchise.
He’s a good guy!
PopHorror: What would you say to someone who is new to the horror genre to inspire them?
Poltergeist OD: Just don’t stop. This business is tough. It gets discouraging. It lets you down a lot. Just keep going. One thing you’ll learn is that the people who “make it” are just the ones who didn’t give up. You have to love it. Even if I never got any of the opportunities I’ve had so far, I would still be rapping to nobody. You do it because you have to and nothing can stop you. Another piece of advice coming from personal experience is to surround yourself with people who have similar goals.
Find that core group who are all doing what you’re doing and try to make the time for them. I’ve cut so many negative people out of my life over the years and I don’t regret it. People will try to drag you down. They’ll get in your head and make you feel like you can’t but that’s bullshit and they don’t love you. As a final note, feel free to message me anytime. I’m always down to chat about movies and music. I’m not as mean as I sound in my songs. I promise.
We want to thank Poltergeist OD for such a great interview.
Find all Poltergeist OD on all music streaming services and also YouTube and Facebook
Find CarousHELL 3 streaming free on Tubi
Find Diss or Daps on FB and Youtube
