The Curse of Bridge Hollow Star Priah Ferguson Talks New Halloween Movie The Talks Today

May 2024 · 6 minute read

A modern-day Halloweentown, anyone? Netflix seems to be paying a friendly homage to the throwback Disney Channel Original Movie with its upcoming spooky family film, The Curse of Bridge Hollow. October’s landmark holiday is fast approaching, and Stranger Things star Priah Ferguson takes the lead in a fun new film that will surely get laughs from any age group and join the ranks with other spooky classics.

The Curse of Bridge Hollows follows 14-year-old Sydney (Ferguson), who isn’t thrilled about leaving her big-city life in Brooklyn for small-town living in Bridge Hollow. That is, until she learns that Halloween is the biggest day of the year in her new community. Unlike her father (Marlon Wayans), an overly logical science teacher, Sydney is inquisitive with a passion for the unknown — and when she hears a strange sound in her new home, she discovers her house may be haunted. Her curious nature leads her on a road of discovery, and in the process, she accidentally releases an ancient spirit. With the support of her mother (Kelly Rowland) and new friends at the school, Sydney and her father must put aside their conflicting beliefs and join forces to take on the supernatural.

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The fun-filled movie also stars familiar comedic talents like Rob Riggle and John Michael Higgins, but we recently spoke with Ferguson about her role as the story’s true protagonist. Read our exclusive interview below.

Playing The Heroic Lead Character

MW: Congrats on being the star of the film. Could you talk about your character Sydney?

Priah Ferguson: Sydney is a young teenager who is from Brooklyn, but she moved to Bridge Hollow, which is a suburban small town that is being into Halloween. And Sydney finds something that she’s interested in, and that is the supernatural festivities and stuff that goes on Bridge Hollow. And that kind of causes her to butt heads with her dad because her dad is very much a logical thinker and thinks that everything needs an explanation. But Sydney, on the other hand, is not. She thinks that everything does not need an explanation, and that she can explore and figure out why these things are happening and how to stop them. And along that way, she meets a group of kids who are cool with her, who are her friends, who she bonds with to help stop these supernatural things in Bridge Hollow from happening. And her dad joins the journey as well.

MW: Are you a fan of the Halloween holiday?

Priah Ferguson: I am a fan of Halloween. I think every holiday I’m pretty much a fan of, just because I like how it brings people together. So Halloween is definitely one of the holidays that I am a fan of.

MW: Any fun plans this coming Halloween?

Priah Ferguson: I do have some plans, but I haven’t really organized them yet. So hopefully, some things will become organized and I can plan everything out [laughs].

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Sharing The Screen With Marlon Wayans

MW: You share a lot of scenes with Marlon Wayans. What was it like working with him?

Priah Ferguson: It was great working with Marlon. He gave me advice on and off set. He was cool and kind of like a father figure off set. We had really great chemistry. And the family as well, like with Kelly [Rowland] and the whole cast. We all had very great chemistry. [Marlon] was super funny, which I’m sure everyone knows that Marlon will make you laugh, and I was there to laugh at all his jokes, which was always great.

MW: The movie is also hilarious. Were there certain scenes that were so funny that it was hard to keep a straight face while shooting?

Priah Ferguson: I don’t know a scene that sticks out in my head, but definitely all the times working with Marlon. He would always kind of crack a joke. But I would try my best to hold myself together until after the director says “cut,” so that when the director says “cut,” I could then let all my laughter out.

Related: Explained: Michael Myers Needs to Die in Halloween Ends, and Here’s Why

Favorite Scenes And Future Projects

MW: There are tons of fun, action-packed scenes in this movie. What was your favorite scene to shoot?

Priah Ferguson: One of my favorite scenes to shoot would probably be where I was beating up the clown and kicking the clown. That was really fun to shoot and really fun to film. Also, going through the maze because when we were going through the maze, the actors and scary people who would pop up at us, they wouldn’t really scream. They would do like a light scream, so going through the maze with my crew was super-duper funny.

MW: There are a lot of special effects in the movie. Was it challenging working with them?

Priah Ferguson: I guess that’s kind of my job, pretending that these supernatural things, or these fake things that aren’t really real, are there. So most of the time, everything was kind of edited in. So most of the time, when I was on set, it would be like a tennis ball on a stand that I would have to scream at and act like it was a big monster. But sometimes on set, you did have people or stunt guys actually in those costumes fighting, so we could do those stunts with [them].

MW: The ending of the movie is kind of open-ended. Will there will be a sequel down the line?

Priah Ferguson: I don’t know! I thought it was open-ended too, so I guess we’ll just have to wait to see and find out!

MW: Having already worked on a scary show like Stranger Things, did you feel extra-prepared to star in this movie?

Priah Ferguson: Yeah I think Stranger Things because it was like my big, first role. It kind of prepared me for any of my roles in the future. So because they share that similar supernatural stuff going on, I kind of did put a little bit of that into this role, but Erica (from Stranger Things) and Sydney (in The Ritual of Bridge Hollow) have some differences as well, such as the era. And Sydney’s a teenager, and Erica’s like a pre-teen. So I put a little bit more of myself into Sydney, as where I had to make myself younger to play Erica.

MW: What can you tell us anything about the upcoming season of Stranger Things?

Priah Ferguson: I can’t! I can’t really say anything. I don’t really know too much for myself, but I guess it will be a fun season for you guys to check out, and I can’t wait for you all to see it.

MW: Are there any upcoming projects you’re working on that you’d like to mention?

Priah Ferguson: I have a voice-over that I’m on [for] Hansel and Gretel. And I’m also on My Dad the Bounty Hunter, that’s on Netflix, so those are really great animated shows that you all can look out on. And I’m also have my own stuff with my production company that are in the works that you all can be looking forward to seeing.

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