Nikyatu Jusu talks us through her stylish and emotional debut horror feature.
I love elevated horror.
I love psychological horror.
I love an unreliable protagonist.
I usually start every project with imagery.
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The mundane is horrific for so many of us, she says.
The more time Aisha spends in the sleek New York apartment, the more darkness seems to surround her.
Nightmares and visions become a regular occurrence and often feature creeping spiders and deep, cold water.
Toni Morrison talks about water all the time in her work.
She said water has perfect memory, and I just think thats so profound based on our histories.
Aisha feels she is being haunted by both.
The crossover of cultural stories, myths, and legends is expertly done.
I saw a lot of Aishas, notes Jusu.
But I was always rooting for Anna to kill her audition.
And she really did.
Once I got her, it was a matter of putting the other pieces of the puzzle together.
So much so that a couple of the times she appears onscreen unexpectedly work as little jump scares.
Nannywill be available onAmazon Prime Videofrom Dec. 16.
