Horror has deep roots in Justin Simien’s ’80s-set killer weave movie ‘Bad Hair’

Three years ago as “Dear White People” creator Justin Simien was developing his next film, Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” kicked open the door for the kind of story Simien wanted to tell: a horror film with an African American lead and something vital to say about the black experience in America. “It felt like with black hair in particular it was such an American story,” said Simien, whose “Bad Hair” opens the Sundance Film Festival’s Midnight section on Thursday night with an original blend of corporate intrigue, new jack swing-era bops and hair, so much hair. “She’s in a vulnerable place in her life where she has to decide whether she has to sacrifice these little bits of herself along the way,” said Lorraine, who makes her starring debut in “Bad Hair.” “She doesn’t realize how far she may have gotten from herself.” Filmed on location in Los Angeles on Super 16-millimeter using impressively tactile practical effects, Simien’s genre-blender is a wild ride with an ensemble that includes Vanessa Williams, Kelly Rowland, Jay Pharoah, Lena Waithe, Blair Underwood, Laverne Cox, Judith Scott, James Van Der Beek, Michelle Hurd, MC Lyte and Usher. — Elle Lorraine on her “Bad Hair” heroine, Anna Simien drew from assorted obsessions and influences including the 2005 Korean horror movie “The Wig” and Sion Sono’s 2007 horror film “Exte ” to write a twisted tale in which protagonist Anna discovers that, at least at first, her new weave brings the career success and attention she craves.