Priah Ferguson Talks The Curse Of Bridge Hollow - Exclusive Interview
Moving to a new town is hard enough on a teen — accidentally unleashing a curse that brings an entire town's Halloween decorations to life is just the icing on the cake. Priah Ferguson stars in "The Curse of Bridge Hollow" as Sydney, a teen girl who has been dragged by her parents from Brooklyn to a small town in New England. She's not happy about the move, but she tries to make the best of it by getting into the Halloween spirit, a holiday that Bridge Hollow seems to take extremely seriously, much to the consternation of Sydney's no-nonsense father (Marlon Wayans). Things take an unexpected turn when the spirit of Stingy Jack is unleashed, transforming all the fake skeletons and zombies and homicidal clowns in town into the real things.
Ferguson has previously been seen in "Stranger Things," playing the fiery Erica Sinclair, and will be starring in the upcoming 2023 animated series "My Dad the Bounty Hunter." In "The Curse of Bridge Hollow," she brings a spirited, confident energy to the role of Sydney, teaming up with her father to save the town from supernatural ruin.
Favorite Halloween memories
In "The Curse of Bridge Hollow," your character is all in on Halloween, where[as] the character of your dad is more of a skeptic. Growing up, were you a big Halloween person? Do you have any favorite childhood memories of Halloween?
I really enjoyed dressing up on Halloween and getting candy and going out. Those are my favorite parts about Halloween. The favorite memory would be me and my cousins going out on Halloween and doing something on Halloween. That's one of my favorite memories.
Do you have a favorite Halloween costume that you wore when you were a kid?
Yes. The one that I remember would probably be a Sleeping Beauty costume. It was like a dress. It was super cute. My sister [and I were] twinning!
How was it working with Marlon Wayans and Kelly Rowland, having them play your character's parents?
That was really cool. I learned a lot from them both. They were super sweet. I actually knew Marlon would play my dad before I got cast for the movie, or before I did the producer's calls. When I found out he was going to be my dad, I was super excited because I was a fan of his work. Kelly Rowland — I didn't find out she was going to be my mom until I saw her picture up in the director, Jeff [Wadlow]'s, office, and I was like, "Wow, that's cool. She's going to be my mom." So I enjoyed it a lot.
A taste for horror
Between this and "Stranger Things," you've had some pretty spooky storylines. When you're off the clock, are you a horror movie fan, or is that something you leave at the office?
I became more of a horror movie fan when I started doing more scary stuff, such as "Stranger Things" and "Boo!," because I knew it wasn't real. I became more of a horror fan then. But I like doing horror experiences such as haunted houses or fright fests, those kind[s] of things.
In the movie, your character inadvertently causes all these Halloween decorations in town to come to life. Is there any monster or creature that, if it were to come to life, would make you the most terrified?
Clowns are super scary to me. I'm terrified of clowns, or probably urban myths. Those scary myths that people ... You don't know if they're real; you don't know if they're fake. Experiencing one of those myths would be pretty scary.
This feels like this would've been a really fun movie to have worked on. Did you have a favorite day on set or any specific set piece that stands out in your mind as one of your favorite parts of it?
A piece that probably stands out in my mind would be that witch costume. That witch costume was a lot. It was a lot to put on, and it was a lot to take off, but I enjoyed wearing it. It was a super-cute costume. Especially when I first saw it and I saw the sketches of it, I was super excited for it. A favorite day on set — I don't know, I kind of enjoy every day on set.
Working with an ensemble cast
I know there's a nice group, an ensemble of people that you're working with. Did you guys develop a friendship, or how was it working with the whole group?
Especially with the group who were my friends in the movie, I enjoyed working with them a lot. It was really fun working with them. They were great. We laughed all the time on set. Even with Marlon, we also laughed. I think I formed bonds with a lot of them.
You've been keeping busy, and I noticed branching out into some voice acting with "Hamster & Gretel" and "My Dad the Bounty Hunter." Was it difficult to make that transition going [from] live-action projects to animation?
Actually, I thought it would be more difficult, but it wasn't, and I like it a lot. I like doing voice acting a lot because I can come as I am, and I like imitating people's voices. That's always super fun and funny to me. It wasn't a hard transition. I enjoy it and I love voice-over acting.
"The Curse of Bridge Hollow" is available on Netflix now.
This interview has been edited for clarity.