Somewhere, Maila Nurmi is smiling. The woman behind Vampira – the character credited with being the first-ever television horror host, the trailblazer for others like Elvira, and undoubtedly the old school Queen of Halloween – would be proud of Ashley Everett’s spine-tingling appearance in Ghostluvme’s new music video. Named after the 1950s icon (and star of Plan 9 From Outer Space), “Vampira” sees Ghostluvme live out his full Addams Family fantasy in a house that could double for the Haunted Mansion. On the haunting song, Ghostluvme yearning for a past lover, and it seems he’s about to do something dark to get her back at the end of the video. It’s an eye-catching visual and inspiration for how to decorate your place once October rolls around. But, perhaps the real star of “Vampira” is the eighteen-foot-long python who shares the screen with Ashley in the video.
“It definitely was a really cool experience for me,” she tells HollywoodLife. Ashley — who may be best known as the choreographer and dance captain for Beyonce, but has worked with everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Tina Turner to Ciara to Usher – turned out to be the perfect person for the job of “Snake Goddess” on the shoot. “We went in, I was put straight into hair and makeup and wardrobe. Everybody was really sweet. Everything went really smoothly, and we got the job done quick and painless.”
“Of course, you know, getting there, I’m getting asked questions like, ‘are you comfortable with snakes?’ And, y’ know, like ‘a garden snake or a huge snake?’ They said, ‘python.’ And it was eighteen feet long!” she says. “If they had said a tiny little spider, I probably would have freaked out even more. But, I guess, for whatever reason, I’m apparently not afraid of big snakes because I was so fearless that day. I don’t even know where that came from because I’ve never been around animals like that, especially that size.
The results are evident in the video, as Ashley and her costar steal every scene they’re in. “There was the professional explaining to us, like ‘She’s young. She’s only three-years-old. Her name is Goldie. She’s basically a sweet as a puppy,'” she tells HollywoodLife. “It made me feel more comfortable. But, I was very just surprised at my own natural reaction. I didn’t have nerves. I was just comfortable and cool, calm, and collected.”
“Now when she wrapped around me around my hips at one point, I got a little nervous — I’m not gonna lie — but she didn’t squeeze or anything. She’s very heavy, but those kinds of animals are such beautiful creatures,” adds Ashley. “Their scales are beautiful, like, even just the way she breathes with her tone and the hissing it sounds creepy, but it’s a really, really cool thing. And it was just cool to be in the presence of an animal like that and work with one like that. I think I worked with her more than, you know, a lot of other people on set. So it was cool. It was an honor to be called the snake goddess, you know, I will happily wear that title, and I would do it again for sure.”
If Ghostluvme films a sequel, he knows who to call. The Broward County rapper is working on a debut album, Fear Of Luving In Las Vegas. Featuring production by Scott Storch (who worked with Beyonce and Christina Aguilera), Zaytoven (Usher, Migos), Statik Selektah (Mac Miller), Ronny J (Post Malone) and newcomer Paqboyfrazi, Fear Of Luving In Las Vegas promises to be a bass-heavy blend of R&B and trap. It will also spawn a few more singles, so Ghostluvme better keep Ashley and Goldie’s numbers handy.