A look at Black Horror

The history of African Americans in horror might be longer than what people think. The first horror film to feature a black lead actor was the 1968 film, Night of the Living Dead, starring Duane Jones. However prior to that the horror genre often depicted African Americans in a racist light. In the early twentieth century all the way up till about the 1930's, Black people were portrayed in horror films by white actors in black face embodying racial stereotypes. As this trend faded out it was replaced by another in which black actors fulfilling supporting roles in which they either die first or their sole purpose being to ensure the survival of their white counterparts.

Since then the genre otherwise known as Horror Noire has become rich with different characters and examinations of the human psyche as well as the history of Black Americans. Despite the wide generalization that black people are always killed off first in horror movies, the world is now in the golden age of Black Horror. Directors such as Jordan Peele, the mind behind films such as Get Out (2017) and Us (2018), have pioneered this genre by allowing his characters to take center stage as not only the protagonist, but villains as well. As the golden age of horror continues, it will be exciting to see what films will be birthed from this era.