BACARDÍ is going full spooky-season—but the headliner isn’t a bat, it’s Janelle Monáe. The multi-hyphenate artist is curating “FearFest Favorites by Janelle Monáe” on AMC+, hosting AMC’s FearFest on air, and pulling the brand straight onto the dance floor as title sponsor of her legendary Wondaween bash.
Expect a couture-meets-creepshow vibe—and the debut of a Rave Yard Mojito—at a party where music, fashion, and fearless self-expression collide. “Halloween is my favorite time of the year,” says Monáe. “I’m excited to welcome BACARDÍ to the Wondaween festivities this year… we’re excited to bring you something truly fangtastic.”
Monáe has also curated a list of her favorite horror films for a special collection on AMC+, available to stream during October. FearFest’ Favorites by Janelle Monáe includes The Birds, Carrie (1976), Child’s Play (1988), Halloween (1978), Jeepers Creepers, Late Night with the Devil, Leprechaun, The Others, Psycho, Rear Window, The Rule of Jenny Pen, Speak No Evil, Vertigo and more.
“Halloween is a time to investigate fears, transform them, and celebrate the unknown,” adds the Grammy winner. “Horror has always been a space to honor the horror classics, like the films that shaped me, while championing bold new voices and reinventing the way stories are told. I’m thrilled to return as the HalloQueen with AMC Networks and FearFest to share my favorite films, spotlight iconic franchises, and share this Halloween season with all my fellow horror enthusiasts!”
“We’re thrilled to welcome back the iconic Janelle Monáe to headline this year’s FearFest,” said Kim Granito, Chief Marketing Officer for AMC Networks. “Janelle’s passion for horror and boundless creativity has fans excitedly awaiting her return for this month-long carnival of frights.”
Orbiting Monáe’s marquee moments is BACARDÍ’s glow-up of the season: a limited-edition, glow-in-the-dark skeleton bottle of BACARDÍ Superior, now on shelves nationwide. The collectible doubles as a centerpiece and mood light, anchoring a brand takeover spanning music, film, nightlife, and spectacle.
Biggest spectacle for the rum brand? Las Vegas. For the first week of October, Sphere’s Exosphere becomes a pulsing billboard for “Spirits in Motion,” a hypnotic 60-second loop of skulls, skeletons, and winged bats riffing on the bottle and the brand’s logo, a “Sphere of Fear” you can spot from the Strip. On TV, the classic BACARDÍ Zombie gets hero treatment throughout FearFest, including during The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (yes, the finale too).
The cultural crawl continues online with “Whispers From The Feed,” a cheeky Remezcla social series hosted by Harvey Guillén, pairing painfully familiar digital cringe (hello, accidental double-tap) with easy Halloween cocktail recipes across @bacardi, @remezcla, and @harveyguillen. Out IRL, CASA BACARDÍ returns to Insomniac’s Escape Halloween on Oct. 31 with a stage inside CRAZY TOWN, a stacked DJ lineup, frozen cocktails, photo ops, costume contests, and bat-winged giveaways.
And because the drinks do the haunting, BACARDÍ’s rolling out a cauldron of seasonal mixes—the Zombie, Blood Moon, Goblin and a bobbing-for-appletinis riff, to keep the party undead till last call. Monáe brings the vibe; BACARDÍ brings the boo-ze.
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