Five of the Best Black Directed Horror Movies
February is Black History Month, despite what the puppet of Elon Musk claims. So, with that in mind, here is my list of the five greatest horror movies directed by Black filmmakers.
Tales from the Hood (1994) - Directed by Rusty Cundieff, Written by Rusty Cundieff & Darin Scott
This movie did suffer from poor marketing as many studios didn’t fully embrace a movie discussing the every day horrors seen in the Black community. However, there are many horror fans that would put the 1994 movie in their top ten of all-time horror. It was haunting, beautiful, and raw all at the same time. This movie is still one of those that finds its way on my screen when I’m having a bad day.
Ganja & Hess (1973) - Written and directed by Bill Gunn
Duane Jones (Night of the Living Dead) is an esteemed anthropologist who is turned into a bloodsucking ghoul after he is stabbed with a ceremonial dagger from Africa. The beautiful widow of the doctor’s late assistant becomes his lover and partner in supernatural crime. Obviously, this classic was overshadowed by Blacula, released a year prior, but this movie is a very good education on colonialism in a very entertaining way. For more of Gunn’s work, check out Da Sweet Blood of Jesus.
Get Out (2017) – Written and directed by Jordan Peele
This one hit home with me, and served as a great reminder that even well minded white people still have unconscious bias from a society that has put them on top since its founding. The message behind the film is a wake up call for many white liberals, and I love that Chris has become a symbol of hope to stop the gaslighting that we’re in a post-racial world. Seeing who’s back in the White House, and many liberals trying to figure out how, this is a great movie to go back and watch.
His House (2020) – Directed by Remi Weekes, Written by Remi Weekes, Felicity Evans & Tony Venables
This is a hard watch, I have to admit. The movie is brilliant, the subject matter did its job, it made me uncomfortable. This movie does an amazing job of talking about what immigrants from war-torn countries have to go through. It’s not just the flashbacks of the horrors they have seen in their home country, it’s also the racism and discrimination from another culture, it’s the stress of having to assimilate in another culture. This movie is a must watch for everyone.
Blacula (1972) – Directed by William Crain, Written by Joan Torres & Raymond Koenig
Was there any other choice? The movie that kicked off the Blaxploitation of the 1970s, which would give us a whole new world Black directors and stars. Sure, many people will dismiss this movie today thinking that it plays into way too many stereotypes and tropes. However this movie is still worth your time. Fun fact about this film: it was William Marshall who insisted that the prince had an African name, and the backstory that he was protesting the slave trade.
great selection