When theme parks start overflowing with monsters and there’s nothing on TV but scary movies, that means it’s spooky season. Horror is a genre that hasn’t always been the most welcoming for Black characters, but there are some movies that feature prominent Black stories and heroes. Prepare to get scared with our list of the best Black horror movies and series.
Suggested Reading
The Blackening
The Blackening is a hilarious horror/comedy that turns the traditional tropes on their head. If you love the genre and want to have some fun with it, this is the perfect choice.
Talk to Me
Why do these teenagers never learn that opening a door to the other side is a bad idea? Nothing good ever comes from it.
Vampire in Brooklyn
\The 1995 cult classic starring Eddie Murphy and Angela Bassett is actually quite scary. It also offers a lot of laughs as Eddie plays multiple roles, and Kadeem Hardison is his bumbling lackey. And obviously, Queen Angela makes every scene she’s in infinitely better.
Get Out
Of course, we’re starting with Get Out. It’s the film that revitalized the horror/thriller story. Jordan Peele’s brilliant script used race to explore identity and the exhaustive nature of the white gaze. Before this movie exposed it, how many times had we all heard the Obama line? He won a well-deserved Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and created the Jordan Peele genre, some of which will pop up later.
Us
From the moment Jordan Peele hit us with the creepy refrain of “I Got 5 on It” in the trailer for Us, we knew this was going to be something different. What the Nope director does so well is unpredictability. We spent months trying to figure out where this story would take us, and almost none of us were right. Did anyone have the Tethered taking over as the credits roll?
Candyman (1992)
Shoutout to Tony Todd who scarred a generation of children for life with his unforgettable portrayal of the Candyman. He was so frightening that after this movie he became a horror legend. When Tony Todd shows up on-screen, you know bad things are about to happen. Fun fact: I once called my mom and left a sleepover early because the other girls kept saying his name over and over. Black people do not play with the Candyman.
Candyman (2021)
When Jordan Peele announced he was producing a new Candyman, we all instantly said, ‘Who could possibly be scarier than Tony Todd?’ And while Yahya Abdul-Mateen II did a great job with an updated story centering on police violence and gentrification, no one can really top the original. However, I did appreciate how the film refocused the story away from a random white woman.
Lovecraft Country
The sheer brilliance of Lovecraft Country sometimes overshadows just how scary this show is. The racist sheriffs and secret societies of rich white people who constantly work to keep Leti and Tic down are even worse than the actual monsters and demons. If you haven’t seen this limited series yet, stop what you’re doing, head to HBO Max and binge all 10 episodes. I will never forgive HBO of depriving us of a Season 2.
His House
His House takes the audience through so many emotions, you don’t even process them all until after the movie is over. Yes, it’s scary, but there’s also grief, frustration, anger, heartbreak and relief. Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu are effortless as they brilliantly move between all of these moments. Do not watch this before bedtime, because your brain will be up all night trying to figure out what you’ve just watched.
The Walking Dead
Let’s just talk about those early seasons where we got to see Danai Gurira using Michonne’s swords to kick ass. There was a stretch in the middle of the series where she was absolutely the best thing about it. Her character also seemed to be the only one with any actual common sense. Her character has been missed by fans since Gurira left to help rule Wakanda.
Night of the Living Dead
Yes, this is the film that all other zombie films are based on, but it’s also groundbreaking for the casting of Duane Jones as the hero. In 1968, Black actors didn’t get to play the hero when the rest of the cast was white. Honestly, they barely get to do that now.
Tales From the Hood
Sure this film is extremely ‘90s, which means it tries really hard to be cool and thought-provoking. The ‘90s weren’t known for subtlety. However, if you look a little deeper you can see the roots of films like Get Out and Candyman (2021) being planted in the intersection of race and horror.
Master
We usually see Regina Hall in wild comedic roles like Honk For Jesus, Save Your Soul, but in Master she reminds everyone that she can pull out her dramatic skills and tell a compelling story when she wants to. Once again, viewers are left to question whether the actual racists or supernatural threat is scarier, and frankly, we all know it’s not the mysterious ghosts we need to be worried about.
Atlanta - “Teddy Perkins”
The whole time Darius is hanging out with Teddy Perkins, you know it’s going to end badly, but LaKeith Stanfield and Donald Glover are so captivating, we can’t look away. Only a show as absurdly unique as Atlanta could deliver a full-fledged horror story, concentrated into a half hour of brilliant storytelling. Even after the episode comes to its bloody conclusion, it stays with you for a long time.
Swarm
“Swarm,” the original Amazon Prime series in which Dominique Fishback stars as Dre, is about a serial killer with a celebrity obsession that proves to be lethal. Dre’s infatuation centers around Ni’jah, a Beyoncé-like figure for whom she will do anything for. Once someone disparages her idol, however, their lives are violently cut short. “Swarm” also features appearances from Chloe Bailey and Damson Idris.
Ma
In the 2019 film Ma, Octavia Spencer is a lonely woman decides to make friends with a group of teens. She allows them to party in her basement but with rules. The only caveats are one of the kids had to be sober, they couldn’t swear and they could never go upstairs. They also had to call her “Ma.” Things quickly take a turn for the worst and “Ma” becomes obsessed with the adolescents— resulting in shocking violence.
Eve’s Bayou
The 1997 film Eve’s Bayou marked Kasi Lemmons’ directorial debut. The movie also featured a stellar cast with the likes of Diahann Carroll, Samuel L. Jackson, Jurnee Smollett and Meagan Good. During a Louisiana summer, Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollett) discovers that her family’s wealthy existence isn’t what it seems. Ultimately, she realizes there are supernatural and gothic forces at play.
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