So this looks fun! Hulu's upcoming horror-comedy BAD HAIR has just unleashed a new, stylish trailer, which you can watch at the top of the article! Here is the official synopsis:
In 1989 an ambitious young woman gets a weave in order to succeed in the image-obsessed world of music television. However, her flourishing career may come at a great cost when she realizes that her new hair may have a mind of its own.
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And here's what director Justin Simien had to say about the project:
Fear is a primordial emotion. It’s perhaps what drives the "survival of the fittest." Our ancient ancestors stayed safe out of fear, long enough to pass along their fears to us. This might be why fear, when harnessed to serve a story with something to say about the human condition, can leave one breathlessly awake. Some of my favorite stories like this include Rosemary’s Baby, the original Stepford Wives, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (‘56 & ‘78), The Shining, Alien, and Get Out to name a few.
My first experience with the power of fear in film was thanks to my aunt Zora, who introduced me to A Nightmare on Elm Street at an age that might seem reckless if in fact I had had any sense of what was happening. At five I didn’t exactly have a handle on what was at stake for the characters; I was in it for the cool glove. But there was something powerful that stayed with me about that series. As I’ve matured as a storyteller and a story lover, the horror inspired films that stick with me most are psychological thrillers – like those I noted above – that have something on their minds. Not only do these films thrill us with their perhaps far-fetched central concepts wrapped in deft storytelling, they also leave us with something long after the credits roll. That gnawing feeling that we must apply the lessons unlearned by the not so lucky protagonists in these stories, lest we meet their proverbial fates.
It’s that feeling that encapsulates why psychological thriller and satire complement one another so well; the urgency to consider implications and consequences beyond the context of the film. This is why the best horror films make us laugh one minute, then shriek the next, only to wake up in a cold sweat some nights later; our subconscious, through nightmares, taunts us with their hidden meanings.
This is why I wrote Bad Hair, a satirical psychological thriller centered around a dark skinned girl from Compton named Anna, who has everything she needs to succeed in the burgeoning music television field of Los Angeles, 1989, apart from the right "look." A look decided centuries before she was born by forces beyond her control and understanding. All of this takes place against the backdrop of the New Jack Swing era, a dramatic acceleration of the assimilation of urban black culture into pop. Like my first film, a satire called Dear White People, which I’ve since spun off into a series for Netflix, I’m making this because I have much to say about the hidden costs and quiet personal deaths one feels when trying to thrive in a world not built with them in mind.
Meanwhile, BAD HAIR – directed by Justin Simien and starring Zaria Kelley, Corinne Massiah, and Elle Lorraine – will premiere on Hulu October 23rd!
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