Superstar Janelle Monáe is a lifelong horror fan, wanting to experience the fear herself while also wanting to give other people experiences through her own creations. Whether it was seeing Stephen King’s It in the grocery store while shopping with her mother, watching horror films with her cousins, playing Michael Myers’ theme music from Halloween, or developing a horror film of her own, the genre has been a big part of Monáe’s life. She’s seen the classics, checked out some lesser-known releases, and can provide a list of recommendations, which makes her the perfect host for AMC’s FearFest.
During this one-on-one interview with Collider, Monáe talked about how honored she was to represent horror for 2024’s FearFest, why she loves the Halloween season, what makes psychological horror so effective, how excited she is to have her first haunted maze experience, Monáe Manor at L.A.’s Haunted Hayride, the time and effort she puts into her annual Halloween costumes, the best Halloween music, and developing a horror film around the Medusa story with Akela Cooper, called Don’t Look.
Collider: I love that you’ve been named the Halloqueen because, having seen your annual Halloween costumes for a while now, it’s very fitting. Why did you feel like you were the perfect fit to host AMC’s FearFest?
JANELLE MONÁE: I was just honored when AMC reached out because I think they, they do a great job of listening to true horror fans when it comes to programming. I know that I can watch AMC and get all my favorites. I think this is just such a natural pairing, as someone who loves horror films and who grew up watching them with my cousins. I watched A Nightmare on Elm Street and never went to sleep because I was so terrified that Freddy [Krueger] was coming to get me, and I also wanted more. I watched it over and over and over and over again. As a writer and storyteller who grew up writing short stories in the sci-fi and horror genre, I love being able to give people experiences and I love being able to partner with someone like AMC, who has great taste in movies. They’re gonna be showing films, like Children of the Corn, Puppet Master, The Fly, Hellraiser, American Werewolf, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Carrie, Child’s Play, Candyman, Christine. Come on now, these are classics. I just feel like this is a perfect marriage.
Janelle Monáe’s Love of Horror and Halloween Inspires Her as a Fan and Creator
Image via AMC
My love of horror started with books, before then progressing to movies and TV shows.
MONÁE: I remember passing by the book section in the grocery store with my mom and seeing Stephen King’s It for the first time. I was like, “Wow, this is incredible.” And then, when they turned it into a movie, I was just like, “Oh, okay, I can be a writer of horror, and I can also write horror films and star in them.” I have a film and TV production company, and I have a horror film that I’m developing with Akela Cooper, called Don’t Look, around the Medusa story, and I’m really excited about that. I love this season because people get an opportunity to cozy up and cuddle up and sit on the couch or go to the movie theater with your partner or your kids or your family, and you get an opportunity to share an experience and pass down experiences. Some people are watching these films with their kids for the first time. I love that it helps bond families together even more.
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I’ve always found psychological horror that feels like it could really happen to be more frightening than the nameless being that never seems to die or gore just for gore’s sake. How do you feel about horror based in real life and reality versus horror that comes more from the supernatural?
MONÁE: I love when psychological thriller meets horror. I love when those are mashed up together. I love a good twist at the end. I love when I don’t expect the killer to be the killer, or how they actually kill in the movie. I recently rewatched one of my favorites, Flowers in the Attic, which I think should be in the horror genre. That’s something that could have happened and was rooted in the evil grandmother and the mom forgetting thee kids. I remember me and my sister watching it when we were little and thinking, “Could you imagine if our mother and our grandmother locked us in an attic?” That is horrific. That’s no big, hairy monster coming out of the sea. That’s no Freddy Krueger level horror. But it’s horror for kids who don’t want to have to think about their parents abandoning them or their grandparents mistreating them. The interesting and intriguing thing about horror is that it’s such a spectrum. Depending on who you ask and where you sit in life, things can be horrific.
Atmosphere plays an important role in horror too because it creates a more full experience.
MONÁE: That’s why I’m so excited to have my first haunted maze experience. I have a haunted house maze experience (Monáe Manor) with the L.A. Haunted Hayride. I can’t even believe I’m saying it. It’s truly a scream come true. I love watching the jump scare moments. You can’t see in the fog, so you don’t know what’s coming behind you. They show up and they want more, so it’s something about being frightened and scared that maybe we should do a deeper dive on, psychologically. What does that do to you, to always run towards horror? I don’t know. Maybe they’ll study my brain later and find out why I love horror so much. Until then, we’ll just enjoy it.
"That was a moment that I remember going home and being like, these are really my friends."
What is the best horror movie that you watched because someone recommended it to you, that you might not have chosen to watch on your own or thought to watch on your own?
MONÁE: I don’t know. Usually, I’m the one recommending to people. I don’t know if anybody’s been able to beat my recommendations.
Is there a lesser-known horror film that you love, that you want to shine a light on and put some attention on, that you don’t think other people know about or have seen enough of?
MONÁE: Yeah, there’s one that I watched that’s part of the Criterion Collection, called Fade to Black, and I thought it was really interesting. It’s a cheap eighties slasher film that not a lot of people know about, but I thought it was interesting, and I watched it a few times.
Janelle Monáe Loves Transforming Herself Into Different Characters Every Halloween
Your Halloween costumes have consistently been absolute perfection. How much time, thought, and effort goes into pulling those looks off? And which one have you been most proud of actually pulling off, from concept to actually getting the look finished?
MONÁE: I have multiple Halloween costumes this year. I usually do two a year. I think I’m gonna do four this year. Why not? One of the costumes this year, I knew I wanted two years ago, so I’ve had that planned for two years. Sometimes my costumes take six hours, sometimes they take nine hours. It’s all about the process for me. Last year, I was a chameleon, and that took a good eight hours. I had to get all the scales on my skin. I wanted to wear it for my Halloween party, but I shot my content a day early, so I ended up sleeping in the chameleon costume so that I could not have to reapply it the next day. If that doesn’t tell you how dedicated I am to transforming and Halloween, I don’t know what else says it. I have to give a special shout out to my special effects team. I love sitting with them and dreaming up ideas and watching them bring them to life. I can have an idea, but it’s a different level when it comes to the painting, when it comes to picking out the material, when it comes to airbrushing, and all of it. I have so much respect and admiration.
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Does moving between your music, how you transform yourself as an actor with the characters you play, and your Halloween costumes feel like parts of the same whole, creatively?
MONÁE: Absolutely. My body is the host of a whole universe that is in concert and in harmony, working together, not apart.
You’ve also definitely perfected your horror cackle, as evidenced by the promos for AMC’s FearFest. Is that something that just came naturally for you, especially being a singer, or have you worked to perfect your horror laugh?
MONÁE: I’ve worked on it since I was two years old.
What Is the Horror Movie Janelle Monáe Likes To Kick Off the Halloween Season With?
Image via AMC
Is there one horror movie that you have to watch every year, that you feel is the thing that kicks off the Halloween season for you?
MONÁE: That’s a really tough one. You have to watch the original Halloween. I have to see Michael Myers. You kick it off with Michael. I’m actually not gonna go super dark with it. You have to watch my girls, the three sisters, in Hocus Pocus. That’s really great. But, I’m kicking it off with Michael Myers. It’s the theme music. I need to hear that music. I’m all about the music. I’ll also listen to Bernard Herrmann’s score for Psycho, as well. Musically, that’s what I’m listening to around the house.
AMC’s FearFest selections run on AMC throughout October. Check out the trailer:
Image via AMC 
Image via AMC 
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