Janelle Monáe is the HalloQUEEN of AMC’s FearFest!
The network has named the actor and singer to host its annual horror-focused programming block, “featuring over 700 hours of iconic horror franchises, new series, specials and more,” according to an official AMC press release.
PEOPLE has an exclusive look at the trailer for FearFest, which stars Monáe, 38. Dressed in her signature black-and-white costume — a tuxedo at that, giving off shades of her 2010 “Tightrope” music video — the award-winning channel artist expertly The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock.
“Behind these doors is the month-long noise of your favorite fears: FearFest,” she begins, before launching into some of his programming, from Halloween to Child’s play, Carrie, Radiation and more.
Talking to PEOPLE about her gig, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery the actor and self-proclaimed Halloween/horror fanatic says, “It feels like an organic fit, especially if you know me and my love of Halloween and horror.”
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Janelle Monáe hosts and stars in the trailer for AMC’s FearFest.
AMC networks
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“When they asked me to host and be their HalloQueen, I said, ‘This is so good, because every movie you show I watch, and I’ve watched it since I was little,'” Monáe continues, adding that AMC “made outstanding work and has become a source of joy for all horror enthusiasts like myself.”
The Dirty computer the singer also curated her own list of movies from the block called “Janelle Monae’s ‘FearFest’ Favorites,” which includes An American Werewolf in London, Candyman (1992)The Fly, Killer Clowns from Outer Space, Puppeteer, Carrie, Jeepers Creepers and more.
Halloween and Child’s play is also at the top of her list, she tells PEOPLE — and she even dressed up as the latter franchise’s killer Chucky doll as a child, down to the Good Guy-style jumpsuit, striped shirt and mask.
“I would walk around the school [the mask] and then I would go home and sleep in it,” she recalls. “And then someone stole it and I don’t know what happened after that. I never got it back.”
And while she was a child at the time, “I wasn’t young enough to not I know what I was doing,” Monáe says. “I thought, ‘Yeah, this is what I want to do. I want to wear this all day.’ I never took it off.”
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Janelle Monáe hosts and stars in the trailer for AMC’s FearFest.
AMC networks
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Monáe has been open about her love of Halloween and dressing up for the spooky holiday, putting together impressive costumes over the years, from a colorful chameleon to Johnny Depp’s version of Willy Wonka, The Blue Lagoon Diva The fifth element and Jim Carrey’s Grinch.
“Halloween, and dressing up, brings me joy,” the Before the war the actor tells PEOPLE. “I can work, and move and travel, and try to solve problems, and I haven’t gotten a chance to really understand the lyrics to this song. But whenever people want to talk to me about Halloween, my cortisol levels just drop, and I’m happier.”
She also believes that “the rest of the world is finally getting it and giving yourself permission to be silly, gory, scary, angelic — whatever it is, you’re giving yourself permission to experiment.”
“And that’s what I love about it. So I let myself do that,” adds Monáe.
The full schedule for AMC’s FearFest, which runs through October 31, is available at amc.com.
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