PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Beware the Ides of March! I don’t know about you, but I am still coming off the high of Women in Horror Month that was invigorating, intoxifying, and, most importantly, inspiring! I was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of up and coming talents were celebrated by horror bloggers all around the interwebs which actually sent a freezing cold chill down my spine. I always the celebrate the underdogs, because I know what it’s like not to be able to sit at the cool kid’s table (years later, I ended up eating them all for lunch)… The new Madame is just that! And up and coming talent you should really get to know and get to know her well… Please welcome my March’s Madame of the Month – Comika Hartford!
My Coldest Regards,
Malvolia
Comika Hartford
Current City: Oakland, Ca (a.k.a. WAKANDA)
Where did you grow up? San Francisco
How did you get into acting/directing/producing? I started writing & performing at the LORRAINE HANSBERRY THEATER in San Francisco with Rhodesssa Jones’ Medea Project THEATER FOR INCARCERATED WOMEN. It was intense and I learned a lot about institutionalized horror.
Who and/or what inspires you? People Like Rhodessa, and Bree Newsome! Artists that use their talent and voice for social change are freaking awesome.
What does horror mean to you? The freedom to confront our nightmares and smell their breath. To walk to the back of the cave of humanity and see what lurks there.
What has been your biggest career challenge so far? Learning to walk away before churning out something I can’t stand behind. It was a hard but necessary lesson.
If you had to choose, which is your favorite: acting, writing, or producing? Writing, of course! The writer shapes the universe. It’s like being God with a pen.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Making creepy shit.
What’s one accomplishment you’ve conquered thus far? Getting to work with horror writer/director Eric Shapiro and his writer/producer/actress wife Rhoda Jordan Shapiro. I knew when I met them in L.A. at an Egyptian Theater screening that we would all work on a project one day & I wrote the horror short BANGO last year specifically to make that happen. We’re all really happy with it and it’s doing great on Amazon Prime.
What is your favorite female-driven horror story or film? Always a fan of the original ALIEN & I have a soft spot in my heart for HOUSEBOUND.
If you could work with one female actress/artist/director, who would it be? Mmmm… so 
many! My top three would have to be Dee Rees, Jennifer Kent, and Kasi Lemmons.
Would you rather: The Craft or Ginger Snaps? Ginger Snaps! Who doesn’t want to be lycanthrope?
If you could be any horror icon (dead, alive, vixen, or monster), who would it be and why?Vincent Price. Because he’s Vincent Price.
Any upcoming horror projects you’d like to talk about? Is it true you are getting into acting?I’m excited about my horror web series pilot THE GREY AREA which is almost out of post-production. It’s set in the Bay Area and centers around a District Attorney who encounters a disturbingly angelic murder defendant. There’s angels, lawyers, demons… Wait. I guess I could just say angels and demons!
If you could have a special skill or special power, what would it be and why? I would love to be able to shut people up by crushing their windpipe from across the room like Lord Vader. Production meetings would be soooo much more efficient!
Favorite kill scene from a movie or book: Godfather 3, when Lucchesi gets killed with his own glasses. Nice.
Favorite Horror Quote: Well it’s technically not a horror quote but it always gave me chills: “Most of us, no matter what we say, are walking in the dark, whistling in the dark. Nobody knows what is going to happen to him from one moment to the next, or how one will bear it.” -James Baldwin
How can people find you?
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1535036/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/comika
Twitter: @blamethewriter
Instagram: @blamethewriter
Additional websites:
If you could tell your 10-year-old self something, what would it be? Don’t worry. There will be snacks.
