Poltergeist OD — The Edmonton Artist Blending Horror Movies & Battle Rap

Name: Corey Clarke

Location: Edmonton, Alberta

Talent Name: Poltergeist OD

Category: Battle Rapper / Hip-Hop Artist

Facebook: Facebook

Instagram: @poltergeist_od 

YouTube: Poltergeist OD - YouTube

⚰️ INTRODUCTION

I write songs based on horror movie villains — from their own twisted perspective. I’m always asking myself: What if Leatherface was a battle rapper? What would he say when he steps into the ring? That’s the headspace I go to when I create those types of tracks.

I make more general hip-hop as well, but the horror-inspired bars are what people know me for. That lane has actually opened some wild doors — including multiple movie deals where a custom Poltergeist OD track plays during the credits. I’m super grateful for the chance to work with some incredible indie filmmakers who share the same love for the darker side of storytelling.

🔥 THE PASSION

I started rapping shortly after meeting my best friends — together we formed a group called Obscene Division. At first, the music wasn’t tied to horror movies at all. But when I began focusing on solo projects, a fan approached me with an idea: write a track about Michael Myers for a fan-made Halloween documentary.

The documentary never ended up happening — but by the time it fell through, I already had the song recorded. So I released it independently… and the response was way bigger than I expected.

That moment flipped the switch. I realized I could take iconic villains and give them a voice, a flow, a mic to murder with. So I kept going — diving into more characters, more films, more stories — and that ultimately led to filmmakers reaching out to include my music in their movies. What started as one fun experiment turned into a whole lane of its own.

🇨🇦 COMMUNITY & CANADIAN PRIDE

It’s definitely a big part of my identity. A lot of my fans are spread across the world, and they always get super excited when they find out I’m Canadian. There isn’t a huge built-in market here for the kind of horror-inspired hip-hop I make, so it can be more of a challenge — but I actually enjoy that. It pushes me to work harder, think creatively, and prove that this style can thrive on Canadian soil.

🧠 BUILDING THE DREAM

The first time I got asked to work on a song for a movie was a huge moment for me. The film was called CarousHELL 3 — exactly the type of indie horror I love — so stepping into that project felt natural and insanely exciting. Creating a track for an actual film and then hearing it play in the credits? That was a “level-up” moment I’ll never forget.

Most recently, diving into Battle Rap has been a massive shift in my journey. People have been asking me to do it for years, and I always turned it down to stay focused on music — but now that I’m in it, I’m kicking myself for waiting so long. It takes tons of time, strategy, and preparation, but the rush of stepping into that ring makes every second worth it, no matter how it plays out.

🦴 NETWORKING SPOT

I think for obvious reasons, I’d love to work with artists like Junk, Merkules, Snak The Ripper, and others in that circle. They’re incredibly talented, and I’ve done a lot of shows with them over the years — but getting the chance to actually collaborate on a track together would be a blast.

As for the battle rap world, I’m still getting my foot in the door. Right now I’m taking any opportunity that comes my way — every battle is a step forward, and I’m hungry for more.

⚡ CLOSING

I'm just about to finish a full-length solo album that has a lot of experimental stuff which I'm very excited about. I'm testing out some new styles, there's some Drum & Bass, Dubstep, slow songs, some introspective stuff. It's going to throw a lot of my core fans off but I think there will be something on it for everyone. I just recorded a song for an upcoming film called The Dead Place starring David Howard Thornton, best known as Art the Clown in the Terrifier franchise. I recently joined R.A. the Rugged Man and the Diss-or-Daps crew on tour — with the next leg kicking off this Wednesday!

I believe I will have another battle in March but nothing has been locked in just yet. My battle with Canadian Battle Rap legend Nekkbone is about to drop and I have an EP with Obscene Division in the works that should be finished early next year.

Lots to do!

🦇 COMETS QUESTIONS

COMET: For anyone new to your work — how did you first get into battle rap, and what drew you to the scene here in Edmonton?

POLTERGEIST OD: I wasn't entirely into the idea of battling until this year actually, when I attended my first live event with the Freezerburnt league. It's one of those things that I think you just have to see it live and feel the energy in the room to truly understand.

COMET: Your style’s wild — mixing horror, nostalgia, and bars. What inspired you to start rapping about Goosebumps and give it that eerie twist?

POLTERGEIST OD: I've always been a massive Goosebumps fan. I used to go to those Scholastic book fairs and browse through them. It was an easy decision to write about the series and I knew I wanted to do it with the guys in Obscene Division. We wrote all the book titles down on pieces of paper and drew them from a hat, so we had to structure our writing from the titles we each got. It was so much fun the first time that we decided to do a part 2 which you can find on YouTube.

COMET: If you had to describe your sound in three words, what would they be?

POLTERGEIST OD: Aggressive, Vulgar, Cheesy.

COMET: Edmonton’s got a small but strong battle rap community. What’s the energy like out here right now, and what makes it different from other cities?

POLTERGEIST OD: What's fun about doing it here is that it's all my friends. I've known a lot of the rappers in the scene here for a long time and it's exciting to watch them develop their skills and go up against each other in the ring.

COMET: Battle rap takes confidence and control — what goes through your mind before stepping into the ring?

POLTERGEIST OD: "Don't choke, don't choke, don't choke".

COMET: You pull from pop culture and storytelling in a way most rappers don’t. Do you see your tracks more like short stories, movies, or lyrical battles?

POLTERGEIST OD: I treat it like I'm an actor who has to play the character. I watch all of the movies, listen to the soundtracks, read up on their lore and history. In my mind,

I AM Chucky,

I AM Ghostface

and these verses are how I'm going to take down my invisible opponent.

COMET: What’s a moment in your career that made you feel like, “Yeah — I’m really doing this”?

POLTERGEIST OD: I can't exactly pinpoint a specific moment because it's a feeling I have all the time. Every time I step into the battle ring or onto the stage, I feel like I'm right where I'm supposed to be.

COMET: If you could collaborate with any horror or nostalgia icon — rapper, actor, or even a movie character — who would it be and why?

POLTERGEIST OD: John Carpenter. He's just the best and that's my extremely simplified reason why.

COMET: What do you think people misunderstand most about battle rap or lyricism in general?

POLTERGEIST OD: That we hate each other. People misunderstand aggressive styles of art. I've been a Death Metal fan most of my life and they're some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Unless there's some personal issues with each other, most battlers are giving it their all in the ring because they respect their opponent and know if they don't come correct, they're going to get slaughtered.

COMET: Outside of music, what are some hobbies or passions you have that most people wouldn’t know about?

POLTERGEIST OD: Sleeping. Besides that, I love documentaries and retro video games. I still play SNES and N64 all the time.

COMET: Edmonton’s full of hidden gems — what’s your favourite food spot in the city?

POLTERGEIST OD: Chianti. No explanation, you just have to try it.

COMET: What’s a core memory from growing up that shaped who you are today, and that you’d like to share?

POLTERGEIST OD: I grew up in a town called Carbonear in Newfoundland close to a video store called Family Video.

They had an entire upstairs section for Horror and I would spend hours in there looking at the cover art on all the VHS tapes on the shelves. I don't know why. Maybe I'm crazy. It was just so cool to me. When I was about 8 years old, I watched my first Horror movie with my dad. Stephen King's IT. I loved it. I was immediately hooked and wanted to see as many movies as I possibly could. Now I own thousands in my collection and I even get to write songs that are going to be in them so I'm very blessed to have the Horror community show so much love for something I love as well.

🧬 ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO INCLUDE?

I just want to thank anyone who took the time to read this, you for offering the interview, and everyone who has supported my journey throughout the years. It means the world to me that I can do something I truly enjoy that resonates with so many people.

There’s something hauntingly fitting about shining the Halloween spotlight on an artist who doesn’t just watch horror — he lives it through rhythm, rhyme, and razor-sharp storytelling. Poltergeist OD has built his own universe where villains spit verses, fear becomes fuel, and creativity has no ceiling.

From Carbonear to Edmonton, from VHS aisles to battle stages, he’s proven that horror and hip-hop can share the same heartbeat — pounding loud enough to wake the underground.

As he steps into a new chapter — touring with R.A. the Rugged Man, locking in battles, and dropping cinematic tracks for films — it’s clear Poltergeist OD isn’t just making music for Halloween. He’s carving his name into the genre’s spine year-round.

💀 Follow his journey:

FACEBOOK: Facebook

INSTAGRAM: @poltergeist_od

YOUTUBE: Poltergeist OD - YouTube