PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Mi Chelle Nessk is one of my favorite horror ghouls on the planet. She is truly of a kind and incredibly sweet with a sensational craving for everything horror.
Since I didn’t interview her last year for Women in Horror month, I knew this year was a must. Learn more about her career, her inspirations, what makes her special, and more.
PopHorror – Hello, my dear. It’s great to catch up with you. So tell us, how long have you had a love for horror?
Mi Chelle Nessk – My whole life. Horror movies mean family time to me.
PopHorror – Horror is family that’s for sure. I don’t know where I’d be without my horror family. What are some of your favorite horror films?
Mi Chelle Nessk – Night of the Living Dead, Dead Girl, Dawn of the Dead (remake), Dead Hooker in a Trunk, The Blair Witch Project, Red Blooded American Girl... long list really.
PopHorror – All excellent choices. How’d you get involved in the horror community?
Mi Chelle Nessk – I don’t know. I just decided after my friend committed suicide that life was going by too fast and I wanted to make the horror movies I dreamed about making. So I did. There wasn’t really a solid horror community at the time, and then one morning I woke up and it was there and suddenly there was this support that I never had before. I think there’s been a major evolution in the Horror Community over the years, it’s more of a living organism now when before it was fandom with big lines segregating creators and consumers.
PopHorror – Sorry to hear about your friend, but I’m glad it sparked you to fulfill your dreams. What was the first project you ever worked on?
Mi Chelle Nessk – For horror specifically, a film I created about bad mimes, back in middle school. It had no name, and the teacher said I did not get extra credit after all.
PopHorror – Well, that’s rude of them. You had a chance to be on the set of Soska Sisters’ Rabid last year. What was that experience like?
Mi Chelle Nessk – That was incredible. It was so amazing getting to see them in action on set, the production value was immense, and everyone involved was so kind. We had our own little Breakfast Club style table of journalists from different Publications. It was unlike any other experience because of how much we bonded. That set was magical and I cannot wait until Rabid comes out. I also got to be an audience member with the other journalists. We have no idea whose face will be spotted, but we are all kind of excited to find out.
PopHorror – That’s so cool. I wish I could have been there for it. You have some current projects in the works, tell us about them?
Mi Chelle Nessk – I just made 9 movies in the last 2 months, 7 shorts & 2 full features TBA. Horrors of the PNW is going on it’s sixth year. For those who don’t know, it’s an annual Anthology series that I host as the silent film persona Zee Monsta. This is our 7th year filming, 6th year presenting. I’m really excited about it. It has so many incredible names involved, Barbara Magnolfi from the original Suspiria, Scream Queen Debra Lamb, Kaylee Harris, and of course the brilliant Tonjia Atomic.
PopHorror – When you write, do you have any things you do to get yourself in the right mind set?
Mi Chelle Nessk – I like to watch the cartoon Home Movies (by Brendon Small). I find the show both inspiring and comforting. Brendon Small is a creative genius and I love him.
PopHorror – That’s cool and creative. Why is being a woman in horror important to you?
Mi Chelle Nessk – That’s a wonderful question. It took me a long time to embrace my femininity. It was a hard journey. Being a gender-fluid individual is actually a lot easier for me these days, but there are still obstacles so it’s important to me because I’m never going to be part of the boys club. I live in a body that Society perceives as a woman. And I will always be overlooked by that Society for being a woman. So where I used to fight against feminine pronouns Etc, I now embrace them fully because it’s not just about me, it’s about the women, and gender fluids, and non-binaries that come after. I take up space so that they can take up space in the future too. In my fluidity I have found a sense of peace with that, and I feel like part of that comes from being part of this welcoming community.
PopHorror – That’s a beautiful statement. Who are the women in the industry that inspire you?
Mi Chelle Nessk – It’s such a long list. Barbara Magnolfi is one of the first to inspire me to act, and I had always dreamed of being able to not only work with her but direct something with her starring in it. Anjelica Huston, Tonjia Atomic, Denise Crosby, Jen and Sylvia Soska, Heather Buckley, Carolyn Jones, Heidi Moore, Dylan Mars, Cassandra Peterson, Judith O’dea, Tristan Risk, Mary Lambert, Nadine L’Esperance, The Homicidal Homemaker… the list is endless.
PopHorror – All wonderful women that are oozing with talent. What is your ultimate goal as a filmmaker?
Mi Chelle Nessk – To make art, and have fun doing it. I mean, yeah, someday I hope to be able to do a huge budget project but it’s okay if that never happens. I can do a lot with a little.
