Diversity in Horror Fiction

Formats: Print, audio, digital

Publisher: Erewhon Books

Genre: type here

Audience: Adult/Mature

Diversity: type here

Takes Place in: type here

Content Warnings (Highlight to view): content warnings

To celebrate the release of the Horror Noire on Shudder last month, and the recent premiere of Jordan Peele’s sophomore film Us, I decided to read Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman’s book on which the documentary is based. I’ve already reviewed the documentary over at Morbidly Beautiful, so I won’t rehash it too much here, but suffice it to say it’s a MUST watch for any horror fan. With interviews from Black horror directors, writers, actors, and academics, it’s wonderful to see so many Black voices all sharing their experiences and voicing their opinions on famous Black horror films. The only downside is the limitations of the medium, that is, the documentary just doesn’t have the time to go into the full history of Black horror or discuss every Black horror movie. Which is why you should definitely read the book! Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present (or at least the aughts, when the book was published) gets to fully explore all the fun details that couldn’t be included in the documentary, from the birth of zombie movies to the evolution of Black women in horror from eye candy to demon slayers.

Using Dr. Coleman’s book as a basis, I’ve created a timeline of over thirty Black horror films that I feel best illustrate the evolution of Black representation in American horror films. For a more in-depth study into the topic (and a list of recommended viewing and reading), check out this great Horror Noire Syllabus created by Dr. Coleman, Tananarive Due, and the Graveyard Shift Sisters.

The Undertaker’s Daughter (1915) – The Lubin Manufacturing Company used Black actors in their horror comedy short, The Undertaker’s Daughter. Prior to this, Black characters were almost exclusively played by White men in Blackface who portrayed them as lazy, foolish, and cowardly for comedic effect. These racist caricatures, commonly known by the dehumanizing slur “coon”, were a mainstay in minstrel shows, and appeared in films produced and written by Whites for White audiences.

Birth of a Nation (1915) – In 1915 the White supremacist propaganda film Birth of a Nation was released with president Wilson’s endorsement. This time Black men were not merely portrayed as lazy buffoons, but violent, lecherous creatures who preyed on White women, a dangerous stereotype that had already resulted in the murders of thousands of Black men and children. Lynching for “eye rape” would continue well into the 1950s [1]. The image of the predatory Black man popularized by Birth of a Nation would continue to appear as a horror film “monster” for decades to come as White men lived out film fantasies of violently protecting damsels in distress.

Shadowed by the Devil (1916) –  In response to the blatantly offensive depictions of African Americans in Birth of a Nation Black-owned film studios like the Lincoln Motion Picture Company and Frederick Douglass Film Company were founded to tell positive Black stories by and for Black people. Called “race films,” these movies featured all Black casts portraying complex, realistic characters. One such race film, the now lost Shadowed by the Devil, is a frightening morality tale that focused on what it means to be a good person. Sadly, most of these studios would go under during the Great Depression.

Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled

Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled (1918) – The Ebony Film Corporation, a White-owned company, attempted to cash in on Black audiences by producing their own “race films” which included five comedy horror shorts. Unfortunately, Ebony relied on tired, racist tropes for their humor which outraged Black viewers and prompted complaints in the Chicago Defender, a popular Black newspaper.

A Son of Satan (1924) – Oscar Micheaux, founder of the Micheaux Film Corporation, was the first Black feature filmmaker in America. He made over forty films during his thirty-year career. His “fright films” more closely resembled “true” horror movies. Micheaux cleverly booked and advertised A Son of Satan without approval from the Virginia film board (who objected to scenes of Black men “carousing,” murder, and the killing the leader of “a hooded organization,” a thinly veiled allusion to the Klan), in order to avoid censorship of his movie and maximize profit.

Black Moon (1934) – From 1915 to 1934 the US military forcibly occupied Haiti. White Marines ignorantly viewed the Haitian’s religious practices as primitive and evil, and shared outlandish stories about human sacrifice, cannibalism, and raising the dead when they returned home. These fantastical accounts would inspire the “Voodoo” and jungle films of the 1930’s where “savage natives” controlled zombies and threatened the virtue of beautiful White women.  In Black Moon, the White Juanita is so corrupted by Black culture that she goes insane and her husband is forced to kill her.

Chloe, Love is Calling You

Chloe, Love is Calling You (1934) – In the Voodoo horror film Chloe, Love is Calling You the titular White-passing Chloe is cast as a tragic heroine because she’s biracial. She’s often threatened by the Black men who either want to rape or sacrifice her, and is so disgusted by her own alleged Blackness that she frequently flies into hysterics and throws herself into danger. The moment Chloe discovers she’s actually White she abandons the Black “mammy” who raised her without a second thought. Even though the film does not shy away from discussing racial violence and lynchings, it still implies Whiteness as superior and condemns any Black people who desire revenge for the treatment they’ve received.

The Devil’s Daughter (1939) – “Jungle Films” portrayed Black Americans as more intelligent, sophisticated and “loyal” to Whites than Voodoo practicing Africans and Caribbeans. The Devil’s Daughter, which was targeted towards Black audiences, pit the Jamaican daughter of a Voodooist against her Harlemite half-sister for control of their family plantation. The sister from Harlem is cosmopolitan and bourgeois, but gullible and out-of-touch with her roots, while the Jamaican sister is rough around the edges but more down-to-earth. In the end the two women come to a mutual understanding and respect.

Son of Ingagi

Son of Ingagi (1940) – The original Ingagi was a racist exploitation film billed as an African documentary that implied that Congolese women bred with gorillas to produce monstrous hybrid offspring. African American actor Spencer Williams Jr. wanted to create a film with better representation for Black audiences so he wrote and starred in Son of Ingagi, the first science fiction horror film to feature an all-Black cast [2]. Unlike its “prequel,” the gorilla in Williams’ film was just a monster, not a metaphor, and the movie’s Black stars were cast in more distinguished roles. Williams plays a detective, while actress Laura Bowman portrays Dr. Helen Jackson, a brilliant and wealthy researcher.

The Blood of Jesus (1941) –  In addition to writing and producing several race films, Spencer Williams Jr. also directed the religious morality horror movie The Blood of Jesus. In it, the pious Martha is tempted by a demon who shows her the excitement of Northern city life. She ultimately rejects the flashy clothing and jive in favor of her more modest and virtuous Southern lifestyle, thus saving her soul from damnation. The moral superiority of Southern Blacks compared to their “sinful” Northern cousins was a frequent theme in religious horror movies.

King of the Zombies

King of the Zombies (1941) – As the popularity of horror films was waning, most likely due to the very real horrors of WWII, so too were opportunities for Black actors in film. Many found themselves choosing between playing a comedic coon archetype in roles reminiscent of Minstrel Shows or going without work. Mantan Moreland was one of many Black actors who made a successful career out of playing such characters in horror comedies like King of the Zombies, and he was frequently cast in central roles, receiving top billing next to his White costars. But his fame came at the cost of furthering harmful Black stereotypes.

Monster from Green Hell (1957) – Xenophobia and Cold War fears shaped the horror films of the 1950s, which were filled with extraterrestrial invaders and science experiments gone wrong, but very few Black characters. Even though roles were scarce, Black actors like Joel Fluellen still advocated for better representation in film and TV. In Monster from Green Hell, Fluellen’s character, Arobi, is an intelligent and well-spoken African man whom the White scientists respect and consult for advice. While the film is still deeply problematic Fluellen proved that Black actors could play important roles in horror movies without relying on tired, racist tropes.

The Leech Woman (1960) – As hard as it was for Black actors to find work, it was even harder for Black actresses. It was especially rare for Black women to land a central role in a White film. In The Leech Woman, Estelle Henry plays Malla, a 152-year-old former slave whose people hold the secret to eternal youth and long life. Malla’s character was still saddled with stereotypes, being African made her “exotic” and knowledgeable about magic, but she was also progressive in her own right. A smart, tough, fierce feminist, Malla protested the ageism shown to older women and convinced a sleazy White doctor to pay for her trip back to her homeland.

Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead (1968) – The same year the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, George Romero released his revolutionary zombie film, Night of the Living Dead. The low-budget flick starred African-American actor Duane Jones as its protagonist Ben, the very first Black lead in a horror film not targeted solely to Black audiences. Ben was no frightened Stepin Fetchit or voodoo priest, but a charismatic and confident survivor whose quick thinking and coolness under pressure keep him alive until the end of the film. Equally remarkable, the zombies Ben fights aren’t the result of Voodoo or African magic, but were instead reanimated by space radiation. When Ben finally does meet his demise, it’s at the hands of a White (living) mob, an all too familiar image for Black audiences, especially during the 1960s. The film was a box office success, largely due to its popularity with Black moviegoers.[3] This would lead to a series of sequels, which also featured Black characters in important roles.

Blacula

Blacula (1972) – During the 70’s a sub-genre of the exploitation film emerged called Blaxploitation. These movies, often created by White writers and directors for Black audiences, drew inspiration from Black power ideologies and frequently centered around overcoming White oppressors.  Unfortunately, the genre was also deeply homophobic, exploitative of women, and condemned by many Black organizations for its use of criminal stereotypes. Blacula was the first, and most famous blaxploitation horror film, about an erudite African prince who is transformed into a vampire and ironically begins to prey on Black communities. The film’s success lead its production company, AIP, to continue creating Black horror films.

Ganja and Hess (1973) – The art house film Ganja and Hess starred Duane Jones –of Night of the Living Dead fame — as Dr. Hess Green, a wealthy archaeologist. Dr. Green’s sophistication and elegance made him the polar opposite of the hypermasculine, violent men in Blaxploitation films who earned their money through illegal means. Despite winning the critic’s choice prize at the Cannes film festival, Ganja and Hess’ producers were unhappy with the movie and suppressed it. They had wanted something similar to Blacula, and weren’t sure what to do with a vampire story about addiction that lacked the Blaxploitation tropes with which audiences were familiar.

Scream, Blacula, Scream

Scream, Blacula, Scream (1973) –  While White “final girls” were portrayed as virginal and pure, Black heroines were hypersexualized for a straight, male audience. So it was unusual when Pam Grier, who was frequently cast as a seductive sex idol in other Blaxploitation films like Foxy Brown and Coffy, got to play a conservatively dressed heroine named Lisa in Scream, Blacula, Scream. Lisa is elected leader of her Voodoo group, and uses her skills to try and free Blacula from the curse placed on him by the White Dracula. She is also a protector who saves her boyfriend from the angry vampire.

Abby (1974) – Abby is a low-budget Exorcist knock-off that was, as the New York Times put it, “more silly than shocking” and never quite reached the levels of cult classic that Blacula did. The titular Abby, a pious minister’s wife, becomes possessed by a being claiming to be the Yoruba Orisha, Eshu. Unlike Pazuzu from The Exorcist, Eshu seems more interested in sex and swearing than destruction, which leads to some very silly scenes. Even though the being possessing is supposedly Yoruba in origin, African religious beliefs are never condemned or portrayed as evil, and the film makers clearly put effort into their research. Eventually, the heroes use a combination of Christian and Yoruba beliefs to free Abby.

Sugar Hill

Sugar Hill (1974) – Diana “Sugar” Hill is the perfect example of the regressive treatment Black women often received in Blaxploitation films. After the murder of her boyfriend at the hands of a “Whitey” crime boss, Sugar is desperate for revenge, but unable to seek it without help. She makes a deal with Baron Samedi, the Vodou loa (god) of death and sex, offering herself in exchange for the murders of those responsible for “killing her man.” Sporting tight, revealing outfits, Sugar seduces and tempts her victims before Samedi’s zombies kill them off, wielding her sexuality like a weapon. She also spends most of the film flirting with her ex-boyfriend implying Sugar cannot be without a man.

The Shining (1980) – By the eighties, blaxploitation had fallen out of favor, and when Black actors did appear in film, they were surrounded by Whites and White culture, and paired up with White actors in “buddy films”. Horror films were no exception, and Black characters were reduced to sacrifices so their White friends could survive. An example of this is Dick Halloran, played by Scatman Crothers, in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining who is pointlessly killed while attempting to aid the film’s White family. Even worse, Dick is also a “Magical Negro” a wise Black man with magical powers who exists only to help the White characters with their problems. Magical negroes arose from a misguided attempt by White writers and filmmakers to counter traditional racist tropes. Unfortunately, all this did is create new stereotypes.

The Thing

The Thing (1982) – In John Carpenter’s The Thing, Keith David’s character, Childs, shares many similarities to Ben from Night of the Living Dead. Instead of being a “scared negro” or self-sacrificing Black, both characters are distrustful, resourceful hot-heads who question the authority of the White men they’re trapped with and live to the end of the film. But while Ben has only just met his fellow zombie survivors and has no reason to trust them, Childs has presumably worked alongside and lived with his colleagues for months, yet is still cold to them. The hostility amongst the group could be explained by both racial and class tension. By the end of the film, Childs and Kurt Russell’s character, MacReady, are presumably the only two survivors and now on equal footing.

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) – Although The Serpent and the Rainbow does have a more accurate representation of Vodou than most movies (at least the ones not targeted to Black audiences), its portrayal of Haitians is hardly a step up from the jungle films of the 30s. Despite taking place in Haiti and centering around a Black religion, the protagonist is a White man named Dennis who plans to take “zombie powder” back to the States for a pharmaceutical company. Dennis is perfectly willing to appropriate a cultural practice for profit, which he has no intention of sharing with the Haitians who aid him, yet he’s still cast as a hero. Throughout the film “evil” Haitians use Vodou to harass and threaten Dennis in an attempt to make him return home without the drug.

People Under the Stairs

The People Under the Stairs (1991) – In the eighties, urban areas were portrayed as violent, drug stricken, impoverished, and largely inhabited by Black Americans, which led to White flight to wealthy suburbs and a new form of segregation. In Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs, a Black child from the ghetto becomes trapped in a suburban mansion belonging to a pair of serial killer slum lords. The incestuous couple, known only as Mom and Dad, are able to conceal their crimes and depravity because they are wealthy and White. Even when police are called to investigate the couple’s home, they perform only a precursory search and leave without suspicion, never noticing the basement full of dead bodies and kidnapped, tortured children.

Candyman (1992) – Clive Barker’s Candyman film was another movie that exploited fears of the inner city, combined with the threat of a supernatural killer like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. The Candyman, played by Tony Todd, was the vengeful spirit of a Black artist from the late 1800s who was tortured and lynched after falling in love with a White woman. Strangely, he chooses to prey on a poor, Black community rather than seek revenge on wealthy Whites like the ones who killed him. Unlike other Black monsters, Candyman was suave, sophisticated, and even sympathetic, but he still played on fears of the Black Boogeyman by lusting after the White female protagonist. Equally problematic, the White woman gets to be the film’s hero, saving the poor, Black characters who literally turn to her as a saint and savior.

Tales from the Hood

Tales from the Hood (1995) – While the name of the anthology brings to mind the campy and often humorous TV series Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Hood is actually a sobering, social commentary in the same vein as other morality horror films about retribution. In a subversion of the Voodoo films from the thirties, zombies and Vodou are used as protection against the real monsters, racist politicians, corrupt cops, violent gangs, and abusers. While the movie does contain plenty of strange creatures and cheesy special effects, it’s the real-world imagery that’s truly frightening; a Black man getting violently beaten and murdered by cops while Billy Holiday’s Strange Fruit plays hauntingly in the background, flashes of grainy photos showing lynchings, or a child cowering as his mother is beaten bloody by her boyfriend.

Beloved (1998) – Based on the Pulitzer prize book of the same name and boasting an all-star Black cast including Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover, the Southern Gothic film Beloved was praised by critics and audiences alike, a rare feat for a horror film. Instead of relying on zombies or supernatural killers for cheap thrills, the movie’s terror came from its uncompromising depiction of slavery and the painful legacy it leaves. Previously, Voodoo films had simply glossed over the cruelty that had brought Blacks to America and the Caribbean, preferring to further a colonial fantasy of Whites “civilizing” Africans.

Bones (2001) – Rap music has long been influenced by, and paid tribute to, horror from Will Smith’s family friendly Nightmare on My Street in 1988 to the successful horrocore hip hop band Geto Boys in the 90’s. Rappers, like Ice-T and Coolio, even began acting in horror films.[4] So it should come as no surprise that the music genre would eventually inspire horror. One of the few hip-hop horror movies to have a theatrical release was Snoop Dogg’s Bones, directed by Ernest Dickerson of Juice fame. The movie was an homage to Blaxploitation films, and boasted Pam Grier as the love interest of Snoop’s “gentleman pimp” character, Jimmy Bones.

Alien vs Predator

Alien vs Predator (2004) – Black women were beginning to appear more frequently in horror films, and not just as the Seventies sex pots or victims, but as surviving women who fought monsters. In Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, another Ernest Dickerson movie, Jada Pinkett defied audience expectations by not only surviving but becoming the movie’s heroine despite pressure from the studio to cast a white actress as the “final girl.” In the first crossover film of the Alien and Predator franchises Lex, played by Sanaa Lathan, is not only a “final girl,” surviving attacks from both alien species, but a bad-ass action heroine. Lex becomes the first human in the Predator films to earn the honor of being marked as a warrior by a Predator after she helps him to kill three Xenomorphs, something not even Schwarzenegger could accomplish.

Bloodz vs Wolvez (2006) – The aughts would see the release of dozens of low-budget, direct-to-DVD hip hop horror movies. The films were aimed at younger audiences and often used postmodern spelling like Vampz or Cryptz.  In one such movie, Bloodz v. Wolvez a vampire king named Asiman is attempting to broker a peace between two rival gangs, the working class werewolves (Wolvez) and the wealthy vampires (Bloodz). The sophisticated vampires look down on the Wolvez while also envying their ability to walk in the daylight, while the werewolves view the Bloodz with contempt for assimilating with humanity and acting superior. But even with the all the wealth and power Asiman has acquired since escaping slavery centuries ago, he is still seen as “lesser” by Whites, as is highlighted when a White patron of the vampire king’s club asks him to caddy for him in a golf game.

Attack the Block

Attack the Block (2011) – At first glance it appears that John Boyega’s character in Attack the Block, Moses, will be a threatening “Black boogeyman” type character after he robs a White woman, or perhaps a Blaxploitation-style glamorized criminal. Instead, Moses is a complex, flawed character who cares deeply about his “block,” is protective of his friends, and struggles with his anger and impulsiveness. A Black girl rightfully calls Moses out for robbing an unarmed woman, but also confronts his victim about her privilege and calling the police on Black teenagers. The two end up cooperating to defeat an alien attack that threatens their impoverished neighborhood.

The Girl with all the Gifts (2016) – The film takes place in a near-future dystopia where humans have been driven underground by a pathogenic fungus that turns people into zombies called “Hungries.” A group of hybrid children, who crave living flesh like the Hungries but retain their human intelligence and emotions, are being used to create a cure. While Melanie, an especially intelligent and gifted hybrid child is initially happy to cooperate with the soldiers and scientists who hold her captive, she refuses to let herself be killed to develop a cure. While the older generation sees the hybrid children as monsters to be cured or controlled, Melanie realizes that she and the others are merely a new species, who have just as much right to live and thrive as humans. Like with Night of the Living Dead, the role of Melanie in The Girl with all the Gifts was not specifically written for a Black actor, it just so happened that Sennia Nanua had the best audition, but by casting a Black lead the film gained added social commentary.

Get Out

Get Out (2017) – Jordan Peele became the first Black person to win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with his groundbreaking Black horror film, Get Out. Rich with imagery, the movie centers around racism in America and Black fears, making subtle references to past and present atrocities such as slave auctions, medical experimentation on Black people, and police brutality. It also turns the “Black buck” trope on its head. The protagonist, Chris, is never portrayed as sexually aggressive. Instead, it’s the sociopathic White woman who preys upon Black men by seducing them and hunts Chris down with a shotgun. This inversion of horror movie cliches is further underlined by the dead deer (aka Bucks) displayed around the White family’s luxuriant home. The film also introduced audiences to “The Sunken Place,” a literal pit of despair that leaves its victims trapped, silenced, and powerless, the perfect metaphor for the feeling of helplessness Black people experience living in a world where they’re constantly oppressed and surrounded by racism[5].

The First Purge (2018) – The Purge franchise is about a near-future totalitarian America where once a year all crime, including murder, is legal for a 12-hour period. The First Purge, the prequel to the series, focuses on the initial experiment which eventually leads to a Nationwide Purge. With echoes of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, the detached, white scientists purposely target low income minorities for their unethical study. When the White men running the political party funding the purge sees that the Staten Island residents aren’t killing each other like they’d hoped, they send in masked mercenaries dressed as Klansmen and Nazis to slaughter the poor to make their experiment seem successful. They even enter a Black church to slaughter everyone seeking shelter inside.

Us (2019) – Jordan Peele’s sophomore film was another critical and commercial success for the director, proving once again that Black stories can be just as loved and popular as White ones. Peele not only produced another unique horror film, but demonstrated that Black horror isn’t limited to racial commentary. Black history and Black horror are inextricably linked, and many popular Black horror films like Get Out, Beloved, Tales from the Hood, etc. draw on the very real horrors of White supremacy to elicit terror from their audiences. In many ways, Black horror is a form of catharsis, vividly depicting Black pain but also showing its heroes fighting back and even defeating more tangible monsters. But limiting Black stories to tales of American racism and oppression can also be problematic. Us is still very much a Black narrative, steeped in Black culture, but without Whiteness defining the characters or story.

All the films on this list are available to own, rent and/or watch online with the exception of The Undertaker’s Daughter, Shadowed by the Devil, and A Son of Satan which are, sadly, lost films. Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled can be viewed on YouTube, but is badly degraded.

References
1. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-lynching-america/
2. https://www.allmovie.com/movie/son-of-ingagi-v45617/review
3. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1225699?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
4. http://www.blackhorrormovies.com/rappers/
5. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/get-out-what-black-america-knows-about-the-sunken_us_58c199f8e4b0c3276fb7824a

Formats: Print, audio, digital

Publisher: Erewhon Books

Genre: type here

Audience: Adult/Mature

Diversity: type here

Takes Place in: type here

Content Warnings (Highlight to view): content warnings

To celebrate the release of the Horror Noire on Shudder last month, and the recent premiere of Jordan Peele’s sophomore film Us, I decided to read Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman’s book on which the documentary is based. I’ve already reviewed the documentary over at Morbidly Beautiful, so I won’t rehash it too much here, but suffice it to say it’s a MUST watch for any horror fan. With interviews from Black horror directors, writers, actors, and academics, it’s wonderful to see so many Black voices all sharing their experiences and voicing their opinions on famous Black horror films. The only downside is the limitations of the medium, that is, the documentary just doesn’t have the time to go into the full history of Black horror or discuss every Black horror movie. Which is why you should definitely read the book! Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present (or at least the aughts, when the book was published) gets to fully explore all the fun details that couldn’t be included in the documentary, from the birth of zombie movies to the evolution of Black women in horror from eye candy to demon slayers.

Using Dr. Coleman’s book as a basis, I’ve created a timeline of over thirty Black horror films that I feel best illustrate the evolution of Black representation in American horror films. For a more in-depth study into the topic (and a list of recommended viewing and reading), check out this great Horror Noire Syllabus created by Dr. Coleman, Tananarive Due, and the Graveyard Shift Sisters.

The Undertaker’s Daughter (1915) – The Lubin Manufacturing Company used Black actors in their horror comedy short, The Undertaker’s Daughter. Prior to this, Black characters were almost exclusively played by White men in Blackface who portrayed them as lazy, foolish, and cowardly for comedic effect. These racist caricatures, commonly known by the dehumanizing slur “coon”, were a mainstay in minstrel shows, and appeared in films produced and written by Whites for White audiences.

Birth of a Nation (1915) – In 1915 the White supremacist propaganda film Birth of a Nation was released with president Wilson’s endorsement. This time Black men were not merely portrayed as lazy buffoons, but violent, lecherous creatures who preyed on White women, a dangerous stereotype that had already resulted in the murders of thousands of Black men and children. Lynching for “eye rape” would continue well into the 1950s [1]. The image of the predatory Black man popularized by Birth of a Nation would continue to appear as a horror film “monster” for decades to come as White men lived out film fantasies of violently protecting damsels in distress.

Shadowed by the Devil (1916) –  In response to the blatantly offensive depictions of African Americans in Birth of a Nation Black-owned film studios like the Lincoln Motion Picture Company and Frederick Douglass Film Company were founded to tell positive Black stories by and for Black people. Called “race films,” these movies featured all Black casts portraying complex, realistic characters. One such race film, the now lost Shadowed by the Devil, is a frightening morality tale that focused on what it means to be a good person. Sadly, most of these studios would go under during the Great Depression.

Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled

Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled (1918) – The Ebony Film Corporation, a White-owned company, attempted to cash in on Black audiences by producing their own “race films” which included five comedy horror shorts. Unfortunately, Ebony relied on tired, racist tropes for their humor which outraged Black viewers and prompted complaints in the Chicago Defender, a popular Black newspaper.

A Son of Satan (1924) – Oscar Micheaux, founder of the Micheaux Film Corporation, was the first Black feature filmmaker in America. He made over forty films during his thirty-year career. His “fright films” more closely resembled “true” horror movies. Micheaux cleverly booked and advertised A Son of Satan without approval from the Virginia film board (who objected to scenes of Black men “carousing,” murder, and the killing the leader of “a hooded organization,” a thinly veiled allusion to the Klan), in order to avoid censorship of his movie and maximize profit.

Black Moon (1934) – From 1915 to 1934 the US military forcibly occupied Haiti. White Marines ignorantly viewed the Haitian’s religious practices as primitive and evil, and shared outlandish stories about human sacrifice, cannibalism, and raising the dead when they returned home. These fantastical accounts would inspire the “Voodoo” and jungle films of the 1930’s where “savage natives” controlled zombies and threatened the virtue of beautiful White women.  In Black Moon, the White Juanita is so corrupted by Black culture that she goes insane and her husband is forced to kill her.

Chloe, Love is Calling You

Chloe, Love is Calling You (1934) – In the Voodoo horror film Chloe, Love is Calling You the titular White-passing Chloe is cast as a tragic heroine because she’s biracial. She’s often threatened by the Black men who either want to rape or sacrifice her, and is so disgusted by her own alleged Blackness that she frequently flies into hysterics and throws herself into danger. The moment Chloe discovers she’s actually White she abandons the Black “mammy” who raised her without a second thought. Even though the film does not shy away from discussing racial violence and lynchings, it still implies Whiteness as superior and condemns any Black people who desire revenge for the treatment they’ve received.

The Devil’s Daughter (1939) – “Jungle Films” portrayed Black Americans as more intelligent, sophisticated and “loyal” to Whites than Voodoo practicing Africans and Caribbeans. The Devil’s Daughter, which was targeted towards Black audiences, pit the Jamaican daughter of a Voodooist against her Harlemite half-sister for control of their family plantation. The sister from Harlem is cosmopolitan and bourgeois, but gullible and out-of-touch with her roots, while the Jamaican sister is rough around the edges but more down-to-earth. In the end the two women come to a mutual understanding and respect.

Son of Ingagi

Son of Ingagi (1940) – The original Ingagi was a racist exploitation film billed as an African documentary that implied that Congolese women bred with gorillas to produce monstrous hybrid offspring. African American actor Spencer Williams Jr. wanted to create a film with better representation for Black audiences so he wrote and starred in Son of Ingagi, the first science fiction horror film to feature an all-Black cast [2]. Unlike its “prequel,” the gorilla in Williams’ film was just a monster, not a metaphor, and the movie’s Black stars were cast in more distinguished roles. Williams plays a detective, while actress Laura Bowman portrays Dr. Helen Jackson, a brilliant and wealthy researcher.

The Blood of Jesus (1941) –  In addition to writing and producing several race films, Spencer Williams Jr. also directed the religious morality horror movie The Blood of Jesus. In it, the pious Martha is tempted by a demon who shows her the excitement of Northern city life. She ultimately rejects the flashy clothing and jive in favor of her more modest and virtuous Southern lifestyle, thus saving her soul from damnation. The moral superiority of Southern Blacks compared to their “sinful” Northern cousins was a frequent theme in religious horror movies.

King of the Zombies

King of the Zombies (1941) – As the popularity of horror films was waning, most likely due to the very real horrors of WWII, so too were opportunities for Black actors in film. Many found themselves choosing between playing a comedic coon archetype in roles reminiscent of Minstrel Shows or going without work. Mantan Moreland was one of many Black actors who made a successful career out of playing such characters in horror comedies like King of the Zombies, and he was frequently cast in central roles, receiving top billing next to his White costars. But his fame came at the cost of furthering harmful Black stereotypes.

Monster from Green Hell (1957) – Xenophobia and Cold War fears shaped the horror films of the 1950s, which were filled with extraterrestrial invaders and science experiments gone wrong, but very few Black characters. Even though roles were scarce, Black actors like Joel Fluellen still advocated for better representation in film and TV. In Monster from Green Hell, Fluellen’s character, Arobi, is an intelligent and well-spoken African man whom the White scientists respect and consult for advice. While the film is still deeply problematic Fluellen proved that Black actors could play important roles in horror movies without relying on tired, racist tropes.

The Leech Woman (1960) – As hard as it was for Black actors to find work, it was even harder for Black actresses. It was especially rare for Black women to land a central role in a White film. In The Leech Woman, Estelle Henry plays Malla, a 152-year-old former slave whose people hold the secret to eternal youth and long life. Malla’s character was still saddled with stereotypes, being African made her “exotic” and knowledgeable about magic, but she was also progressive in her own right. A smart, tough, fierce feminist, Malla protested the ageism shown to older women and convinced a sleazy White doctor to pay for her trip back to her homeland.

Night of the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead (1968) – The same year the Civil Rights Act was signed into law, George Romero released his revolutionary zombie film, Night of the Living Dead. The low-budget flick starred African-American actor Duane Jones as its protagonist Ben, the very first Black lead in a horror film not targeted solely to Black audiences. Ben was no frightened Stepin Fetchit or voodoo priest, but a charismatic and confident survivor whose quick thinking and coolness under pressure keep him alive until the end of the film. Equally remarkable, the zombies Ben fights aren’t the result of Voodoo or African magic, but were instead reanimated by space radiation. When Ben finally does meet his demise, it’s at the hands of a White (living) mob, an all too familiar image for Black audiences, especially during the 1960s. The film was a box office success, largely due to its popularity with Black moviegoers.[3] This would lead to a series of sequels, which also featured Black characters in important roles.

Blacula

Blacula (1972) – During the 70’s a sub-genre of the exploitation film emerged called Blaxploitation. These movies, often created by White writers and directors for Black audiences, drew inspiration from Black power ideologies and frequently centered around overcoming White oppressors.  Unfortunately, the genre was also deeply homophobic, exploitative of women, and condemned by many Black organizations for its use of criminal stereotypes. Blacula was the first, and most famous blaxploitation horror film, about an erudite African prince who is transformed into a vampire and ironically begins to prey on Black communities. The film’s success lead its production company, AIP, to continue creating Black horror films.

Ganja and Hess (1973) – The art house film Ganja and Hess starred Duane Jones –of Night of the Living Dead fame — as Dr. Hess Green, a wealthy archaeologist. Dr. Green’s sophistication and elegance made him the polar opposite of the hypermasculine, violent men in Blaxploitation films who earned their money through illegal means. Despite winning the critic’s choice prize at the Cannes film festival, Ganja and Hess’ producers were unhappy with the movie and suppressed it. They had wanted something similar to Blacula, and weren’t sure what to do with a vampire story about addiction that lacked the Blaxploitation tropes with which audiences were familiar.

Scream, Blacula, Scream

Scream, Blacula, Scream (1973) –  While White “final girls” were portrayed as virginal and pure, Black heroines were hypersexualized for a straight, male audience. So it was unusual when Pam Grier, who was frequently cast as a seductive sex idol in other Blaxploitation films like Foxy Brown and Coffy, got to play a conservatively dressed heroine named Lisa in Scream, Blacula, Scream. Lisa is elected leader of her Voodoo group, and uses her skills to try and free Blacula from the curse placed on him by the White Dracula. She is also a protector who saves her boyfriend from the angry vampire.

Abby (1974) – Abby is a low-budget Exorcist knock-off that was, as the New York Times put it, “more silly than shocking” and never quite reached the levels of cult classic that Blacula did. The titular Abby, a pious minister’s wife, becomes possessed by a being claiming to be the Yoruba Orisha, Eshu. Unlike Pazuzu from The Exorcist, Eshu seems more interested in sex and swearing than destruction, which leads to some very silly scenes. Even though the being possessing is supposedly Yoruba in origin, African religious beliefs are never condemned or portrayed as evil, and the film makers clearly put effort into their research. Eventually, the heroes use a combination of Christian and Yoruba beliefs to free Abby.

Sugar Hill

Sugar Hill (1974) – Diana “Sugar” Hill is the perfect example of the regressive treatment Black women often received in Blaxploitation films. After the murder of her boyfriend at the hands of a “Whitey” crime boss, Sugar is desperate for revenge, but unable to seek it without help. She makes a deal with Baron Samedi, the Vodou loa (god) of death and sex, offering herself in exchange for the murders of those responsible for “killing her man.” Sporting tight, revealing outfits, Sugar seduces and tempts her victims before Samedi’s zombies kill them off, wielding her sexuality like a weapon. She also spends most of the film flirting with her ex-boyfriend implying Sugar cannot be without a man.

The Shining (1980) – By the eighties, blaxploitation had fallen out of favor, and when Black actors did appear in film, they were surrounded by Whites and White culture, and paired up with White actors in “buddy films”. Horror films were no exception, and Black characters were reduced to sacrifices so their White friends could survive. An example of this is Dick Halloran, played by Scatman Crothers, in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining who is pointlessly killed while attempting to aid the film’s White family. Even worse, Dick is also a “Magical Negro” a wise Black man with magical powers who exists only to help the White characters with their problems. Magical negroes arose from a misguided attempt by White writers and filmmakers to counter traditional racist tropes. Unfortunately, all this did is create new stereotypes.

The Thing

The Thing (1982) – In John Carpenter’s The Thing, Keith David’s character, Childs, shares many similarities to Ben from Night of the Living Dead. Instead of being a “scared negro” or self-sacrificing Black, both characters are distrustful, resourceful hot-heads who question the authority of the White men they’re trapped with and live to the end of the film. But while Ben has only just met his fellow zombie survivors and has no reason to trust them, Childs has presumably worked alongside and lived with his colleagues for months, yet is still cold to them. The hostility amongst the group could be explained by both racial and class tension. By the end of the film, Childs and Kurt Russell’s character, MacReady, are presumably the only two survivors and now on equal footing.

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) – Although The Serpent and the Rainbow does have a more accurate representation of Vodou than most movies (at least the ones not targeted to Black audiences), its portrayal of Haitians is hardly a step up from the jungle films of the 30s. Despite taking place in Haiti and centering around a Black religion, the protagonist is a White man named Dennis who plans to take “zombie powder” back to the States for a pharmaceutical company. Dennis is perfectly willing to appropriate a cultural practice for profit, which he has no intention of sharing with the Haitians who aid him, yet he’s still cast as a hero. Throughout the film “evil” Haitians use Vodou to harass and threaten Dennis in an attempt to make him return home without the drug.

People Under the Stairs

The People Under the Stairs (1991) – In the eighties, urban areas were portrayed as violent, drug stricken, impoverished, and largely inhabited by Black Americans, which led to White flight to wealthy suburbs and a new form of segregation. In Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs, a Black child from the ghetto becomes trapped in a suburban mansion belonging to a pair of serial killer slum lords. The incestuous couple, known only as Mom and Dad, are able to conceal their crimes and depravity because they are wealthy and White. Even when police are called to investigate the couple’s home, they perform only a precursory search and leave without suspicion, never noticing the basement full of dead bodies and kidnapped, tortured children.

Candyman (1992) – Clive Barker’s Candyman film was another movie that exploited fears of the inner city, combined with the threat of a supernatural killer like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. The Candyman, played by Tony Todd, was the vengeful spirit of a Black artist from the late 1800s who was tortured and lynched after falling in love with a White woman. Strangely, he chooses to prey on a poor, Black community rather than seek revenge on wealthy Whites like the ones who killed him. Unlike other Black monsters, Candyman was suave, sophisticated, and even sympathetic, but he still played on fears of the Black Boogeyman by lusting after the White female protagonist. Equally problematic, the White woman gets to be the film’s hero, saving the poor, Black characters who literally turn to her as a saint and savior.

Tales from the Hood

Tales from the Hood (1995) – While the name of the anthology brings to mind the campy and often humorous TV series Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Hood is actually a sobering, social commentary in the same vein as other morality horror films about retribution. In a subversion of the Voodoo films from the thirties, zombies and Vodou are used as protection against the real monsters, racist politicians, corrupt cops, violent gangs, and abusers. While the movie does contain plenty of strange creatures and cheesy special effects, it’s the real-world imagery that’s truly frightening; a Black man getting violently beaten and murdered by cops while Billy Holiday’s Strange Fruit plays hauntingly in the background, flashes of grainy photos showing lynchings, or a child cowering as his mother is beaten bloody by her boyfriend.

Beloved (1998) – Based on the Pulitzer prize book of the same name and boasting an all-star Black cast including Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover, the Southern Gothic film Beloved was praised by critics and audiences alike, a rare feat for a horror film. Instead of relying on zombies or supernatural killers for cheap thrills, the movie’s terror came from its uncompromising depiction of slavery and the painful legacy it leaves. Previously, Voodoo films had simply glossed over the cruelty that had brought Blacks to America and the Caribbean, preferring to further a colonial fantasy of Whites “civilizing” Africans.

Bones (2001) – Rap music has long been influenced by, and paid tribute to, horror from Will Smith’s family friendly Nightmare on My Street in 1988 to the successful horrocore hip hop band Geto Boys in the 90’s. Rappers, like Ice-T and Coolio, even began acting in horror films.[4] So it should come as no surprise that the music genre would eventually inspire horror. One of the few hip-hop horror movies to have a theatrical release was Snoop Dogg’s Bones, directed by Ernest Dickerson of Juice fame. The movie was an homage to Blaxploitation films, and boasted Pam Grier as the love interest of Snoop’s “gentleman pimp” character, Jimmy Bones.

Alien vs Predator

Alien vs Predator (2004) – Black women were beginning to appear more frequently in horror films, and not just as the Seventies sex pots or victims, but as surviving women who fought monsters. In Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, another Ernest Dickerson movie, Jada Pinkett defied audience expectations by not only surviving but becoming the movie’s heroine despite pressure from the studio to cast a white actress as the “final girl.” In the first crossover film of the Alien and Predator franchises Lex, played by Sanaa Lathan, is not only a “final girl,” surviving attacks from both alien species, but a bad-ass action heroine. Lex becomes the first human in the Predator films to earn the honor of being marked as a warrior by a Predator after she helps him to kill three Xenomorphs, something not even Schwarzenegger could accomplish.

Bloodz vs Wolvez (2006) – The aughts would see the release of dozens of low-budget, direct-to-DVD hip hop horror movies. The films were aimed at younger audiences and often used postmodern spelling like Vampz or Cryptz.  In one such movie, Bloodz v. Wolvez a vampire king named Asiman is attempting to broker a peace between two rival gangs, the working class werewolves (Wolvez) and the wealthy vampires (Bloodz). The sophisticated vampires look down on the Wolvez while also envying their ability to walk in the daylight, while the werewolves view the Bloodz with contempt for assimilating with humanity and acting superior. But even with the all the wealth and power Asiman has acquired since escaping slavery centuries ago, he is still seen as “lesser” by Whites, as is highlighted when a White patron of the vampire king’s club asks him to caddy for him in a golf game.

Attack the Block

Attack the Block (2011) – At first glance it appears that John Boyega’s character in Attack the Block, Moses, will be a threatening “Black boogeyman” type character after he robs a White woman, or perhaps a Blaxploitation-style glamorized criminal. Instead, Moses is a complex, flawed character who cares deeply about his “block,” is protective of his friends, and struggles with his anger and impulsiveness. A Black girl rightfully calls Moses out for robbing an unarmed woman, but also confronts his victim about her privilege and calling the police on Black teenagers. The two end up cooperating to defeat an alien attack that threatens their impoverished neighborhood.

The Girl with all the Gifts (2016) – The film takes place in a near-future dystopia where humans have been driven underground by a pathogenic fungus that turns people into zombies called “Hungries.” A group of hybrid children, who crave living flesh like the Hungries but retain their human intelligence and emotions, are being used to create a cure. While Melanie, an especially intelligent and gifted hybrid child is initially happy to cooperate with the soldiers and scientists who hold her captive, she refuses to let herself be killed to develop a cure. While the older generation sees the hybrid children as monsters to be cured or controlled, Melanie realizes that she and the others are merely a new species, who have just as much right to live and thrive as humans. Like with Night of the Living Dead, the role of Melanie in The Girl with all the Gifts was not specifically written for a Black actor, it just so happened that Sennia Nanua had the best audition, but by casting a Black lead the film gained added social commentary.

Get Out

Get Out (2017) – Jordan Peele became the first Black person to win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with his groundbreaking Black horror film, Get Out. Rich with imagery, the movie centers around racism in America and Black fears, making subtle references to past and present atrocities such as slave auctions, medical experimentation on Black people, and police brutality. It also turns the “Black buck” trope on its head. The protagonist, Chris, is never portrayed as sexually aggressive. Instead, it’s the sociopathic White woman who preys upon Black men by seducing them and hunts Chris down with a shotgun. This inversion of horror movie cliches is further underlined by the dead deer (aka Bucks) displayed around the White family’s luxuriant home. The film also introduced audiences to “The Sunken Place,” a literal pit of despair that leaves its victims trapped, silenced, and powerless, the perfect metaphor for the feeling of helplessness Black people experience living in a world where they’re constantly oppressed and surrounded by racism[5].

The First Purge (2018) – The Purge franchise is about a near-future totalitarian America where once a year all crime, including murder, is legal for a 12-hour period. The First Purge, the prequel to the series, focuses on the initial experiment which eventually leads to a Nationwide Purge. With echoes of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, the detached, white scientists purposely target low income minorities for their unethical study. When the White men running the political party funding the purge sees that the Staten Island residents aren’t killing each other like they’d hoped, they send in masked mercenaries dressed as Klansmen and Nazis to slaughter the poor to make their experiment seem successful. They even enter a Black church to slaughter everyone seeking shelter inside.

Us (2019) – Jordan Peele’s sophomore film was another critical and commercial success for the director, proving once again that Black stories can be just as loved and popular as White ones. Peele not only produced another unique horror film, but demonstrated that Black horror isn’t limited to racial commentary. Black history and Black horror are inextricably linked, and many popular Black horror films like Get Out, Beloved, Tales from the Hood, etc. draw on the very real horrors of White supremacy to elicit terror from their audiences. In many ways, Black horror is a form of catharsis, vividly depicting Black pain but also showing its heroes fighting back and even defeating more tangible monsters. But limiting Black stories to tales of American racism and oppression can also be problematic. Us is still very much a Black narrative, steeped in Black culture, but without Whiteness defining the characters or story.

All the films on this list are available to own, rent and/or watch online with the exception of The Undertaker’s Daughter, Shadowed by the Devil, and A Son of Satan which are, sadly, lost films. Mercy, the Mummy Mumbled can be viewed on YouTube, but is badly degraded.

References
1. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-lynching-america/
2. https://www.allmovie.com/movie/son-of-ingagi-v45617/review
3. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1225699?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
4. http://www.blackhorrormovies.com/rappers/
5. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/get-out-what-black-america-knows-about-the-sunken_us_58c199f8e4b0c3276fb7824a