By Logan Langlois
NASHVILLE, TN — The world of Black cinema is far deeper and more diverse than what is usually exemplified in mainstream consciousness. Even when horror movies are made up of largely Black casts, the films are still usually directed by white filmmakers who for obvious reasons are limited in communicating the Black perspective. So, in the spirit of the spookiest season of the year, here are five horror movies directed by Black filmmakers who set out to do that very thing.
The Justin Simien 2020 film Bad Hair is a perfect example of a movie with a vintage-campy cinematic style that delivers far more than many would expect. We follow a young woman named Anna in 1989, as she is told to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards by trading her hair afro-style for a straight-haired weave by her boss, a Black woman who did the same. Anna does this out of interest in advancing her career, however after doing so finds out that her hair has a mind of its own. In the film, Simien analyzes the harsh beauty standards Black women are held to in order to survive in a society that praises whiteness. Packed with terror, emotion, and even some African mythology, Bad Hair is a must-watch for this Halloween Season.
However, if you’re looking for horror done poetically, director Remi Weekes has the perfect movie for you with his 2020 film His House which is set in the perspective of two South Sudanese refugees trying to recover from real-life horrors faced while attempting to assimilate into life inside the UK. While our two characters Bol and Rial struggle to preserve their way of life and culture in the face of the racism shown to them by their new neighbors, something much more sinister lurks inside their shabby house on the London outskirts. His House shows that witches and ghouls are not the only horror out there, and that trauma can be just as terrifying.
Another 2020 release in Black cinema, Spell, provides a new spin on movies centered around witchcraft by incorporating elements of its Black history. Director Mark Tonderai tells the tale of a man separated from his family following a devastating plane crash. He wakes up from the crash in the attic of an old woman’s house who then claims to be helping him, although her true intentions begin to hint at not being so pure.
It’s easy to see why the Writers Guild of America has claimed our next film, Get Out, to be one of the best movies of the twenty-first century. In 2017, director Jordan Peele looks at the dangers that colorblindness and neoliberalism pose to the Black community while we follow our Black main character as he meets his white girlfriend’s parents for the first time. Get Out is thrilling, horrifying, and even hilarious at times, and truly incorporates its slogan “Just because you’re invited, doesn’t mean you’re welcome.”
Lastly, no scary movie marathon would be complete without something a little cheesy, and Ernest Dickerson’s 2001 feature Bones gives us just that. This cult-classic stars Snoop Dogg in a story about a ghost coming back to seek revenge on those who have wronged him and if there’s one thing this movie has, it’s drama. As much as its shocking scenes will scare you, you will also be immersed in the relationships these characters have. Of course, you can expect the best (and by best, I mean worst) special effects of the early 2000s and a soundtrack so good you’ll listen to it on its own.
