Interview with Knight Light Co-Host, Prince Jackson
Hello, can you please introduce yourself and tell readers about your role in the horror community?
Hi! I am Prince Jackson, the host of Knight Light: A Horror Movie Podcast on the Bloody Disgusting Podcast Network. My role in the horror community is to promote positivity surrounding the genre. I am all about celebration for all the good, bad, and ugly in horror. Even if I don't like a film, I work to look for something that I enjoy. So looking at you, It Follows!
You are one of the co-hosts of The Knight Light podcast, what have been some of the highlights you’ve experienced since launching the show?
One of my major highlights was joining Bloody Disgusting back in 2020. Before that, we were clawing to get our name out there. It was honestly a little rough for us to get our name out there because we didn’t really know where our listeners were on the internet. But we knew that horror has a nourished community. Still, I’ve always been the loner kid who enjoyed horror and didn’t have anyone else to connect with until recently.
Everything changed on June 2nd, 2020! Bloody Disgusting tweeted that they were boosting Black horror-content creators. So naturally, I hopped on the opportunity! I knew what we had was some good shit that I felt like folks would really enjoy. I was amazed at the outcome of that tweet. Thousands of people saw it, allowing us to skyrocket on the Film and TV charts for Apple Podcast. A couple of days after that, Tom Owen, Co-founder of Bloody Disgusting, reached out to me to see if we would like to join their podcast network. The rest is history.
Was there a moment or encounter that you can look back on and say “that’s when I fell in love with horror?”
Absolutely! Growing up, I was terrified of horror yet so fascinated by it. Walking down the horror aisles in Blockbuster and Hollywood Video just to look at the covers. I couldn’t watch them until much later in my life, yet they all stuck with me and scared the shit out of me. However, what made it all stick was finding representation in horror films. I grew up in the ‘90s when “hood” movies ran rampant, which was the only representation I had as a Black kid growing in the hood of San Francisco. Yet, I didn’t feel connected to them. But when I saw Fool in The People Under the Stairs, that’s where it all clicked for me. From that point on, I wanted to be surrounded by the genre.
What horror movies have had a significant impact on your love of horror?
SO MANY! I would say Doctor Sleep, Get Out, Martyrs, Horror Noire, Def by Temptation, Sugar Hill, Eve’s Bayou, Scream, the list literally can go on!
Who have been some of the biggest influences on your content and love of horror? How has horror contributed to shaping who you are as a person?
There are many people that I can thank for being huge influences. Chelsea and James from Dead Meat have been great inspirations to allow me to keep pushing. Also, all of Bloody Disgusting has been amazing with support, and seeing them grow has given me the drive to continue pushing!
I think horror has contributed so much nutrition in my life. It’s allowed me to see life through a different lens. I also honestly believe that it has made me way more empathetic. I’ve always had a love for the genre, but as I stated earlier, I never had anyone to chat about it with until just a few years ago. So it is exciting to find my group of people who want to talk about horror and challenge the genre.
You have previewed very small teasers of a screenplay that you are currently working on. Can you tell us about your project?
I knew this question would pop up! I can share a tiny detail. Everyone that follows me on Twitter, @theheadknight, knows it has something to do with Brian Yuzna’s Society, but people don’t know that the script is in the hands of some great folks! It is not the right time to say who those people are, but all in good time!
What have you learned about the process throughout your time writing?
I’ve learned that I have quite the knack for it. I never thought about writing until I teased on Twitter almost a year ago. I never thought about building my world with rules, and I enjoyed it. However, I wish I had all the resources I needed to make it with the entire vision that I wrote. I know once studios get involved, my full picture will most likely not be there, but I’ve accepted that.
What plans and projects do you have for 2022?
2022 is all about building up and nourishing what I already have right in front of me. I decided to take a step back from film festivals and reviewing films to focus on my projects and family. I also started building out the Ghoulish Knights’ community to focus on creating events and such for them. The podcast is in a perfect spot, and I grew it over an extra 5000 monthly listeners last year. I am incredibly proud of that, but now I want to focus on the people who choose to support the show and allow the show just to continue to grow organically.
As far as projects go, focusing on my feature is the main project. However, I am planning to set up a monthly column with Bloody Disgusting soon, and I am also planning some collaborations with other podcasts.
