From “Brat” star, to horror film star
Charli XCX steps into the world of horror with cult director Takashi Miike, shaping pop rebellion through horror cinema
Images courtesy of Flickr
In a move no one saw coming, but perhaps everyone should have, Charli XCX, the self-proclaimed “brat” of pop music, is trading synth hooks for blood splatter in her horror film debut. Teaming up with Japanese horror director Takashi Miike, the visionary behind Ichi the Killer and Audition, Charli is genre hopping to the next level.
If you haven’t seen Miike’s work, brace yourself: from provocative themes to sexual taboos, his films are infamous for their extremity. As horror journalist Zoë Rose Smith explains, “I’ve always been a fan of Takashi Miike’s work, especially Audition, Visitor Q, and Ichi the Killer, which are all bizarre and depraved movies.”
Image of “Ichi the killer”, courtesy of Flickr
We all had our fair share of a Brat girl summer. Now that era has come to an end, are we ready to see Charli XCX in this role? For Charli XCX, whose music career has been defined by disruption, irony, and transformation, this genre pivot makes more sense than it seems. Her albums challenge mainstream appeal and experiment with chaos. Much like Miike’s films, her work takes bold leaps and experimental angles.
The project, still under wraps, will be helmed by Miike in what’s being described as a “surrealist horror thriller” starring Charli in the lead. But while headlines will no doubt focus on the shock value of this collaboration, the real story is what it signals: a new wave of pop artists using horror not as a detour, but as a deeper expression of their public selves.
Horror has become fertile ground for female pop stars to deconstruct their own images. Think Lady Gaga’s blood-soaked stage theatrics, and Paris Hilton in the disturbing movie, House of Wax (2005).
But Charli’s turn feels different, not just an aesthetic choice, but a strategic one. She is also reportedly appearing in Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex, A24’s Mother Mary and Romain Gavras’ Sacrifice (alongside Yung Lean).Clearly, Brat is taking a turn to the world of horror, she’s walking into the fire, it’s a bold move, and that’s Charli XCX.
“I think she’ll perform very well, she’s a very well-rounded professional person,” says Fred Lillywhite, a longtime fan of Charli. “She was never a conventional pop artist and that was obviously something she never wanted to be, so what she’s done has sort of broken the boundaries.”
Miike, whose films often explore identity through body horror and grotesque transformations, could be the perfect foil for Charli’s long-standing obsession with digital identity and artificiality. Her lyrics are full of android metaphors, synthetic emotion, and self-branding. It’s easy to imagine a film where her pop-star image is not just challenged, but literally dismantled.
“I think the collaboration between the two is almost a melding of two generations and two worlds,” says horror journalist Zoë Rose Smith. “Miike will bring with him an old generation of horror fans… whereas Charli XCX will bring a younger audience of fans with her.”
The move also reflects a shift in how audiences perceive authenticity. In the hyper-curated world of music stardom, horror offers a space to lose control. It’s raw, messy, and visceral, everything pop music often hides under production gloss.
“My interest in her as an artist, musically, would bring me to be a viewer of any sort of film work that she did,”adds Lillywhite. “So, I think I would watch it, purely because she’s in it.”
“I’m always a little nervous when big-named stars are in films that are supposedly meant to be more independent,” admits Smith, “but equally it’s always exciting to see what the collab will look like.”
It’s not yet clear what the film will be about, or even when it will release. But one thing’s certain: Charli XCX is no longer content to play the pop game by its rules. But it’s safe to say that this film is going to be one that will change the narrative for many pop girls out there.
