Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror is essential viewing for film fans, history buffs, and horror hounds alike.
Although it’s been one of the most popular types of movies, the horror genre has been dominated by white actors, filmmakers, and subject matter. Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror, a documentary by Xavier Burgin, and based on the 2011 book, Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present by Robin R. Means Coleman, seeks to look at the genre from a completely black perspective.
Featuring interviews with black horror filmmakers like William Crain (Blacula), Ernest R. Dickerson (Bones), Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood), and Jordan Peele (Get Out), the film documents the portrayal of black people in horror films as it has transformed over the years from predominantly villains to heroes. Interviews with numerous black actors, including Tony Todd (Candyman), Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead), Rachel True (The Craft), and Keith David (The Thing,) help to further explain the types of roles black actors have been asked to play. Additionally, black scholars and film critics draw comparisons of historical events like the civil rights movement of the 1960s and Reagan-era policies with the types of films released during those times.
Burgin and writers Ashlee Blackwell and Danielle Burrows take you on a chronological trip from 1915’s Birth of a Nation and its depiction of black people as a source of fear to the massive mainstream appeal of 2017’s Get Out, a movie where not a single white person can be trusted.
As a white man, I had plenty of “aha” moments while watching the movie. In particular, when the documentary covers the absence of black people during the “atomic age” of horror in the 1950s, it was something that I never really thought before now. Movie studios refused to — or simply didn’t — cast black people in roles as scientists or educated people back then. It wasn’t until 1968s Night of the Living Dead that a black man (Duane Jones) was cast in an assertive lead role. To me, watching that movie as a youngster, it never struck me as odd that black man was taking charge in a situation. At the time of its release, though, it was something audiences didn’t see very often, particularly in a horror movie.
It was refreshing to get an entirely black perspective on a subject, especially one as familiar to me as horror films. (Aside from those found in the various film clips, there aren’t any white people in the documentary at all.) I would consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the history of horror films but I still learned a lot. For those that might not feel as familiar with horror or film history, Horror Noire covers a lot of ground at reasonable, easy-to-digest pace. Furthermore, the banter between the interviewees is lively and insightful and draws from a plethora of personal experience.
One downside to the movie, though, is that several films are spoiled in the discussion of their content. The most egregious spoiler is a dissection of Get Out‘s final scenes. Other films spoiled either by discussion or by crucial scenes in clip form are Tales from the Hood, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Attack the Block and Night of the Living Dead. I suppose it’s unavoidable to have a deep discussion of film without discussing major plot points but I just want to warn those that have not seen those films that spoilers are present.
That aside, Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror is essential viewing for film fans, history buffs, and horror hounds alike. As a result of seeing this movie, I have added quite a few films to my must-watch list that I either had no knowledge of prior to this film (Ganja & Hess) or ignored because they didn’t look appealing to me (Eve’s Bayou.) Any film that gets me to broaden my horizons and think about things a little differently is well-worth seeing.
4.5 out of 5.0 stars
Buy on Amazon!
