Bad Boys (and Girls): Black Horror’s Most Wanted Villains
Black people originated the slang of bad meaning good, but that doesn't mean they can't also be bad meaning bad. They've played some of the more memorable baddies in horror history. Here are some of the baddest black villains to grace a horror movie screen. Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?
Blacula, Blacula and Scream, Blacula, Scream
The poster child...
If Horror Movies Had Black Casts
Re-imagining your favorite horror movies with black casts.
Best Black Horror Movies of 2023
Cinema in 2023 boasted a slew of surprise hits and surprise flops, but one constant was the Black presence in horror. Not necessarily a year of earth-shattering accomplishments, 2023 was for Black horror more about consistency and variety, broadening the typical Black roles into period pieces, ghost stories, mad scientist tales, horror-comedies, and family-friendly fare. As with last year,...
Snakes on the Brain: Racial Representation in Snakes on a Plane
Like every other Internet gnome trolling the Web for treasure, I traced the progress of the film Snakes on a Plane for months, drinking in the online parodies and speculating on the possibility of sequels (Giraffes on a Speedboat) or even prequels (Dodos on a Frigate). I cheered when New Line Studios ordered five days of re-shoots to bump...
Rappers “Slash” Actors Appearing in Horror Movies
Rappers are busy people, what with all the ho juggling, money stacking, and ride pimping. That's why so few of them have time to fully devote to the craft of acting. And yet so many of them are doing it, mucking up our precious horror films with their half-assed performances. Now, the time has come to set them straight...
No Black People Were Harmed in the Making of This Film
Don't feel like seeing black blood spilled? Wanna see the black guy escape with his life (and a new respect for power tools)? Here are some films that have been rated NDN (No Dead Negroes)...
Movie
Actors Who Live
Year
Abby
Carter, Terry
1974
Cook, Nathan
1974
Cowden, Michael
1974
Kinchelow, Felice
1974
Marshall, William
1974
Moore, Juanita
1974
Ray, Joan
1974
Robinson, George
1974
Speed, Carol
1974
Stoker, Austin
1974
Alligator People, The
Dickerson, Dudley
1959
Goodwin, Ruby
1959
Townsend, Vince Jr.
1959
Amityville II
Gunn, Moses
1982
Ross, Ted
1982
Amityville 1992
Carpenter, Willie C.
1992
Amityville:...
The 40 Best Horror Movies Starring Black Actors and Actresses
It goes without saying that over the years, Hollywood has had some issues with adequate racial representation in starring roles, and horror is certainly not immune to that problem. However, that doesn't mean there haven't been some excellent "mainstream" (for lack of a better word) fright flicks starring black folk. For this list, I'm excluding all-black films (e.g., Blaxploitation, "urban,"...
22 “Heroic Deaths” by Black Characters in Horror Movies
Everyone knows that the "black guy" (or gal) usually dies in horror movies -- so much so, in some instances, the characters themselves seem to be aware of their inevitable fate. Thus, we have the phenomenon of black "heroic death," in which black characters (usually peripheral) voluntarily sacrifice themselves -- or at least, volunteer for tasks that mean certain...
Black Horror Movies Per Year: 1970-2023
How Much Have Black Horror Roles Increased?
Tracking the number of modern horror movies per year with significant* Black roles. For details on specific movies, refer to:
1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s
*Admittedly, "significant" is a subjective term that varies by era.
Types of Black Horror Movie Characters
Be they stereotypes or monotypes, they're the "types" that most black characters in horror films inevitably fall into...
The Spook
As the name implies, the spook is spooked by all things spooky. Typically the comic sidekick, he's often spared from death by his ability to make people laugh. The "classic spook" (most widely represented by Mantan Moreland and the catchphrase often...





























