The faithful servant. The African tribesman. The Voodoo priestess. The buffoon. The Magical Negro. And, of course, the hapless guy who dies first. For much of the history of horror, black American characters have been confined to a limited number of tropes.

But that’s changing.

Based on the book of the same name, HORROR NOIRE: A HISTORY OF BLACK HORROR is an entertaining and incisive exploration of black characters in horror, from The Birth of a Nation to the Oscar-winning Get Out. Our guides include University of Michigan professor Robin R. Means Coleman, who wrote the book Horror Noire, UCLA professor Tananarive Due, and writer Ashlee Blackwell, who runs a website for black women who love horror. They are joined by a who’s who of black horror writers, directors, and actors, including William Crain (Blacula), Tony Todd (Candyman), Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood), Rachel True (The Craft), Tina Mabry (Mississippi Damned), and Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead).

Starting with The Birth of a Nation, HORROR NOIRE traces the history of African Americans in horror, from roles as passive victims, to terrifying monsters, to full-fledged protagonists. Filled with clips, sometimes juxtaposed with powerful images from civil rights marches to Rodney King, to Black Lives Matter protests, the film shows how popular horror films of each era reflect changing social norms.

The faithful servants of the 1940s disappear during the science-based atomic horror of the 1950s. The Blaxploitation era brings greater visibility, but new problems with representation. Then come the Reagan years — during which horror reflects the wider trend of black Americans demonized as gangsters and welfare queens, followed by a renaissance in the 1990s and 2000s that saw the emergence of black filmmakers and hip-hop stars appearing in horror.

HORROR NOIRE lingers on particularly significant films, including Night of the Living Dead, Blacula, and Candyman. “It was probably the first time I saw somebody black in a movie, and they weren’t a criminal, they weren’t a gangster – they were the hero,” says actor Rachel True of the role played by Duane Jones in Night of the Living Dead.

With the rise of a new generation of filmmakers, horror is finally embracing black characters, and telling stories aimed directly at black audiences.

Ways to Watch

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Select Accolades

• Toronto International Film Festival
• Overlook Film Festival
• Salem Horror Fest
• Cinema Detroit
• Black Bottom Film Festival