Great Black (African American) Horror Movies

Quite possibly the epitome of black horror icons, the titular Candyman (played with great presence by Tony Todd)remains as potent a character as he ever was. Not only that, but director Bernard Rose's adaptation of the Clive Barker short story gave the material a prodigious social heft with the added weight of America's sketchy racial issues.

Despite its incisive take on white privilege, poverty, and the social divide, the film never feels preachy or heavy-handed. Instead, it retains it's effectiveness as a pure horror experience that resonates powerfully.

It goes without saying that this movie would make it onto the list. Mad science meets wicked history turn this modern horror trip into a satirical, nightmarish hellscape. Playing off of the idea of patronizing stereotypes and this country's dubious past with black folk, it manages to stir up a very uncomfortable atmosphere laced with double meaning for the horror fan and for the socially astute. The results are impressive.

Wes Craven's second foray into black horror is possibly the most renown of the bunch and rightfully so. The film smacks of satire and has plenty to say about the problem of gentrification and the economic conditions that feed the racial divide but it also carries along one of the strangest families in horror ever in the comically twisted Robeson couple and the terrors that lay in wait in their household.

A tongue-in-cheek ode to old school EC comics' morality tales that is cleverly modernized by attacking social issues concerning black communities. The macabre mirth of the source material that inspired it is retained despite the serious issues being tackled. The result is that the film is both replete with messages that open the eyes of those that don't have first hand experience and affect those that do while simultaneously providing a nostalgic horror fix for those who fondly remember the twisted morality tales.

The film overcomes some minor hurdles (sketchy effects, dubious acting, etc) with its cumulative charm and reverent, if cheeky, approach. A cult classic for a good reason.

Wes Craven's take of the true story of Wade Davis' excursions into Haiti caused a negative reaction for what essentially amounted to a horror reimagining of reality. This partially contributed to it being largely ignored, even into the present day.

What would be the first of several of Craven's collaborations with largely black casts, "The Serpent and the Rainbow" has always been one of my favorites. Though the star is Bill Pullman, he is but a traveler in a world of culture and mysticism largely unknown to him and laden with terror and danger at every corner. A fantastic and refreshingly different (even if it hearkens back to the origins of the subject) take on zombies in a post Night of the Living Dead world.

Romero's film changed the genre forever for a variety of reasons but one of the greatest among those was how clearly social commentary was laced into its narrative fabric. Most notable was that aimed at racial tension in America, embodied by African-American lead Duane Jones and his counterpart Karl Hardman, playing Harry Cooper, a man with a serious chip on his shoulder. the startling conclusion of this film says tomes about a casting choice Romero swears had nothing to do with race. Intentional or not, the statements made are palpable throughout. A timeless classic.

Two mysterious travelers bring their supernatural feud to a small town and its denizens in this wild comedy romp from African-American director Ernest Dickerson. Jada Pinkett becomes the unlikely heroine of the picture. Effects are top notch, the creativity is on high, and the fun dial is set to 11. An overlooked classic.

A stylish blend of action, horror, and blaxploitation, "Blade" was Stephen Norrington's first big studio film and Snipes' most iconic role. A reworking of the classic Marvel Comics' horror character, "Blade" transcends the source material while honoring it's roots and giving us a version that has become THE definitive form of the character.

Though it features a black actor as its lead zombie, "Land of the Dead" is not exclusively a "black horror film". That being said, Romero's penchant to say something about society comes sharply through and the casting of the hulking Eugene Clark as Big Daddy is part of that stab at class warfare and disparity. Choosing a black working man as the head representative of the afflicted was a purposeful choice, something made evident by the less than subtle approach Land of the Dead took to its criticism of Bush's America.

Denzel takes the lead as a Detective pursuing a body hopping demon that exited his last quarry. An overlooked film starring possibly the most prolific black actor of our time.

One of the standout titles of the blaxploitation era, Blacula is not particularly as great as it is important. Riddled with plot and production trappings of the sub-genre, the film is what it sounds like, a reworking of Dracula with a black lead. However, it's influence is undeniable and it's a milestone in black horror cinema for being among the prominent early examples of its kind.