Who is Laya DeLeon Hayes? Meet the star of The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster ahead of on-demand release

Bomani J. Story's directorial debut, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, is a highly anticipated horror film that was released in U.S. theaters on June 9, 2023, and was aired for streaming on-demand on June 23, 2023, on the Microsoft Store, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Vudu, and DIRECTV online. Based on Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, Story brings to the screen a reimagination of the 19th-century classic.

This sci-fi horror film follows the life of Vicaria, who brings back her brother from the dead, but things take a dark turn when he comes back as a sinister and vengeful monster. The cast includes Laya DeLeon Hayes, Denzel Whitaker, Chad L. Coleman, Reilly Brooke Stith, Keith Sean Holliday, Amani Summer, and Edem Atsu-Swanzy.

The synopsis for the movie on Rotten Tomatoes reads,

"Vicaria is a brilliant teenager who believes death is a disease that can be cured. After the brutal and sudden murder of her brother, she embarks on a dangerous journey to bring him back to life."

It continues,

"Inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, The Angry Black Girl And Her Monster thematically challenges our ideas of life and death. Bomani J. Story, the film's writer and director, crafts a thrilling tale about a family that, despite the terrors of systemic pressure, will survive and be reborn again."

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster stars Hayes in the leading role of Vicaria and is currently streaming since June 23, 2023.

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Laya DeLeon Hayes - A rising talent and The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster

Laya DeLeon Hayes, a rising star in the entertainment industry, has landed the most significant role in the film. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Hayes has been featured in the hit CBS show The Equalizer alongside Queen Latifah, Tory Kittles, and Adam Goldberg. Following her recognition for the role of Robyn's 15-year-old daughter, she was cast in Crypt TV's upcoming show, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster.

With notable roles in television shows like Doc McStuffins and Raven's Home, Hayes has showcased her versatility and ability to connect with the audience. Director Story has taken the 1818 Mary Shelley novel and offered a view through the Black lens through his adaptation. The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is essentially a satire on how society deals with racism, drug addiction, gun violence, and deaths in the Black community.

It has a runtime of 1 hour and 31 minutes and was premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 11, 2023.

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More on The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster

The upcoming movie offers the audience the opportunity to witness Hayes's exceptional portrayal of the seventeen-year-old genius.

In an interview with ComingSoon, Laya DeLeon Hayes was asked what the most intriguing aspect of Vicaria was.

"I think as a black person in America, there’s just a very fine line between life and death as you move throughout the world. That inner horror is constantly in your head that you have to live with every single day. It was the fact that I was seeing this character that was in a sort of community or predicament that I was aware of and that I felt like I had often seen on screen, but that Vicaria kind of marched to the beat of her own drum, that she was original in the types of moves that she wanted to make."

She continues,

"She was constantly thinking of other ways to basically say, like we do in the movie, ‘F— the system,’ you know? I think that was the most interesting part of it, just the fact that she was so fascinated by death and you can’t be fascinated with death if you’re not fascinated with life. That’s something that I’m obviously fascinated about."

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Watch The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster on Microsoft Store, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Vudu, and DIRECTV online.