PopHorror Let's Get Scared
One of the most influential and inspiring ladies in the horror business is Comika Hartford. She’s incredibly talented with a great sense of humor and has a love for all things horror and spooky. She is a huge supporter of other women and filmmakers and speaks out about representation and why it’s important.
PopHorror – Thanks for talking with me, Comika! What were some of your favorite films of 2019?
Comika Hartford – Parasite, Us, Misommar, and The Lighthouse.
PopHorror – Those are good ones! What are some of the films you’re looking forward to this year?
Comika Hartford – The Lodge
PopHorror – That one gave me the chills. Why is representation important to you?
Comika Hartford – Representation matters because storytelling should be reflective of our humanity, not filtered through one gender or race. We deserve the full picture, not a fraction of it. Check out Amy Adrion’s HALF THE PICTURE… and let it piss you off! #LetThemKnow
PopHorror – Ohhh. I’ll have to check it out! What are you currently working on?
Comika Hartford – I’m co-producing a dark comedy/dramedy called THE DISH PIG for Dreaming In Red Productions and getting ready to release another chapter of my award-winning web series THE GREY AREA:
I’m also narrating Celia C. Peters DOMESTICATED, a sci-fi/horror podcast. DOMESTICATED is a limited series scripted podcast produced by Artistic Freedom Ltd. It’s an afrofuturist story that imagines one possible scenario of an inevitability.
Synopsis:
Aramintha finds herself trapped in a new reality when a highly advanced species comes to Earth and domesticates humanity. Escape is the only survival she can live with.
PREVIEW EPISODE 1: Skinny Laser
PopHorror – I love THE GREY AREA. I’ll have to check out the others! Who are the women that inspire you?
Comika Hartford – Ida Lupino! She directed The Twilight Zone episode THE MASKS in 1964 which totally freaked me out as a kid! So. Much. Talent.
PopHorror – That’s awesome! What’s your favorite film directed by a woman?
Comika Hartford – There are so many great films directed by women, *I am still blown away by Julia Ducournau’s RAW!* but I’d have to say that RAVENOUS by the late great Antonia Bird is one of my favorite films to watch on a rainy day while I politely sip tea from the skulls of my enemies.
PopHorror – Those are both amazing! What are your goals as an actress?
Comika Hartford – I’m not an actor but I do like to show up on screen every now and then as a demonic force (if for no other reason than it keeps me stocked up on blood capsules in my purse for when random guys tell me to smile).
PopHorror – Haha, love it! I can’t remember if you’ve ever directed… if you haven’t do you want to?
Comika Hartford – While I’m not interested in directing there are several directors I’d love to write screenplays for one day like Michelle Nessk, Gigi Saul Guerrero, and Nia DaCosta.
PopHorror – I LOVE those ladies! Since it was recently Black History Month, what films do you recommend?
Comika Hartford – I’d have to recommend the James Baldwin documentary I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO and Jacqueline Olive’s ALWAYS IN SEASON to anyone interested in knowing the difficult truths behind our nation’s present state of affairs.
PopHorror – Thank you – adding to my list! Why do you love horror?
Comika Hartford – I love the horror genre because it tells the truth about being alive: We’re all going to die. Everyone we love is going to die. There’s no guarantee of an afterlife, so in the time we have left let’s kill some mother******* monsters! #fuckyeah
