While most families spend their nights gathered around the TV watching the latest PG-rated family-friendly fodder, horror writer Akela Cooper's family was plotting something a little more sinister. “I watched a lot of R-rated horror movies with my brother, sister, and parents.” Cooper recalls with a laugh. Often unnervingly fascinated by the latest creature feature or pleasantly frightened by a sweater-wearing dream demon intent on terrorizing small-town teenagers while they sleep, Cooper finds herself eventually given the opportunity to rebel against her natural charm. She felt there was none. Her intention is to become a professional Hollywood horror writer.
“Horror speaks to me in a different way than other genres.” Cooper says: “And I think it’s because horror and sci-fi allow us to address real-world problems with a shiny veneer that can get the message across without people feeling preachy.” In particular, Cooper cites “A Town has Turned to Dust,” an influential episode written by Rod Serling from a 1950s CBS anthology series. Playhouse 90, a stepping stone in her tonality that balances sci-fi, horror, and social commentary. “Originally he wanted to make a TV movie about the murder of Emmett Till, but then CBS was like, ‘Fuck you, you’re not going to do that.’ So he took that story and set it up as a western centered around a Mexican kid. But it was still the same story, but stripped of the genre veil, so he still got the message that he wanted to get out anyway,” explains Cooper. “You can do crazy things in sci-fi and horror as long as there are rules you follow, and it’s fun.”
She has two viral cult hit features under her belt. malicious and M3GAN, Cooper, a collaboration with minimalist horror writer-director James Wan, is not only entertaining but also twists the rules of the clichéd horror genre, the B-movie. It's not common for B-movies to elicit emotion. Low-budget films were initially conceptualized for quick, consumable entertainment and horror rather than long-running films. But Cooper succeeds in pushing the boundaries of the genre while instilling and maintaining its essence.
Annabella Wallis malicious.
Ron Batsdorf/Warner Bros./Everett Collection
2021 malicious Gonzo is an ambitious and violent slasher inspired by the Giallo. The film revolves around the fury of murderous twin tumors emerging from the back of a woman's skull. Disturbed by the simultaneous launch of HBO Max's pandemic model malicious It was an underserved box office hit that found greater success and a cult following online. However, the following year saw great success with the release of Cooper. M3GAN. The AI-driven story serves as a glossy cautionary tale about the dangers of technology wrapped in the cute yet murderous hijinks of a perfect luxury companion doll for children. At the request of Wan, who longed for a modern version. children play For a new generation of horror fans who didn't grow up with the franchise, Cooper took the risk of treading familiar territory while also entertaining in the process. M3GAN It surprised and dominated the box office, grossing $180 million against a $12 million budget. Plus, the film's murderous dance moves have garnered $1.3 billion in views on TikTok, cementing her place in pop culture as a cult horror movie icon. From there, it was clear that the pair had a reaction from the audience. Perhaps in contrast to the more recent elevated horror of contemporaries like Jordan Peele and Ari Aster, it's a take on off-kilter horror that walks the line between B-movie quality, emotionality, and supernatural horror. It may be a desire to consume.
“Heightened fear is still acceptable fear. We drilled a few holes in it. malicious and M3GAN It was satisfying because it paved the way for B-movies,” explains Cooper. “You have the following savage and laugh, half classy, half B-movie, monster movie cool. The market right now seems to be split 60/40 between the traditional B horror movie trend and the highbrow trend.”
Although B-movies are not a new phenomenon, Cooper acknowledges the unique elements that make his projects not only box office successes but also leave a lasting cultural imprint. “I think people respond to the fun because the fear has been heightened for so long. And I'm by no means giving a shit about high-level horror. heredity It's a really good horror movie, but it's not funny. And what I was missing was the feeling of renting a video and watching it with friends at 2 a.m., giggling in horror and enjoying the craziness of the movie,” she says. “I think the audience responded. malicious and M3GAN That way, when you start watching M3GAN sing Titanium, you can experience fear in a fun, communal way, and because you won't be the only one in the theater saying, 'What is this?' 'This is fun.' The great thing about horror is that it's a community. And I think audiences are responding to the B-movie fun that I want to bring out in the scares.”
That's not the only thing that makes Cooper special. The fact that she is a black woman in a space where women rarely exist is what made her stand out. In the past three years, a handful of Black female horror writer-directors have released films backed by major studios, with Nia DaCosta's 2021 remake coming to a close. candy man And in 2022, two radical social thinkers were released from Mariama Diallo's book. master And of Nikyatu Jusu girl name. “There is a bit of surveillance by boys who make fear their space and only see women as victims or as the final girls to be slaughtered or rescued as they see fit on screen.” Cooper said this when asked why she thinks there are not enough women. A scene of horror. “I liken this to how society views female sexuality. When women own their sexuality, people get scared. Women creating fear is kind of a way of channeling our very violent impulses and fantasies, and society is always like, ‘Women shouldn’t have violent fantasies, so what the hell?’”
From left: Violet McGraw, M3GAN, Allison Williams M3GAN.
Jeffrey Short/Universal Pictures/Everett Collection
With Black Gaze at the top of the list of studios for horror projects alongside Wan's Atomic Monster creators Universal and Blumhouse, did Cooper ever feel pressured to make a horror film? “As a black writer, whenever I deal with white executives in general, and whenever I spread fear, the question is always, ‘How can this speak to social issues, how can it speak to the ills of society?’ And I think, 'It doesn't have to be that way.' Making a horror film with black characters is itself a radical act. We don't have to talk about racism or slavery or anything else. I think that's what a lot of black audiences crave: to go see a horror movie that only has black leads and has nothing to do with social commentary. we just A Nightmare on Elm Street Because we, like the white audience, deserve escape. So, sometimes I feel this pressure, but I’m still making the movie I want to make.”
Cooper's accomplishments have established her as a trailblazer, and she has already solidified her status as a force to be reckoned with within the horror genre. In doing so, she overcame her adversity, navigating the complexities of being black and a woman in a field that had long been male-dominated. She hopes it continues to “open the door for more people to have opportunities.” Cooper also said, “At this point, I shouldn’t be a trailblazer in the Hollywood industry.” It's sad that I'm that way, but I'm glad that I'm a trailblazer for people who want to do this as a career and know that it's possible to do it as a career if this is your passion. I've attended a few panel discussions at conventions where there were young black women in the audience who had no idea that I was a black woman like them. And then he came up to me later and said, 'I didn't know I could write a horror movie.' My heart always hurt when I had such encounters. I'm always encouraging people. ‘Yes, black people, black women, we can write whatever we want. Just write what you like.”