recent horror movies changing what a typical horror movie cast looks like.
4. Blacula (1972)
“Blacula” stars a black actor named William Marshall and is directed by a black director named William Crain. The movie takes place in the 18th century and tells the story of a prince sent to Transylvania to enlist Dracula’s help in ending the slave trade.
Blacula is well-known for giving rise to the “Blaxploitation” film genres of the 1970s, a subgenre of films catered to black audiences and featured black casts and protagonists.
5. The Girl With all the Gifts (2016)
Based on the novel by Mike Carey, “The Girl With All the Gifts” is known for being one of the first horror films to star a young black actress. In the movie, Melanie (played by actress Sennia Nanua) is a zombie child who tries to restrain her urges for human flesh.
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6. Horror Noire (2019)
“Horror Noire” is not a horror film but a documentary by filmmaker Xavier Burgin detailing the evolution of black people’s roles within horror movies. The documentary includes several of the movies listed above and other iconic horror movies throughout history.
7. Ma (2019)
Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer stars in “Ma” as a woman who decides to seek revenge on the now-adults that bullied her in high school, along with their children. The film floundered and received low-scoring reviews by critics, but the film has become a popular meme and may be considered a cult classic in due time.
8. Ganja and Hess (1973)
“Ganja and Hess” has recently acquired a reputation as one of the best independent horror movies of the ’70s, thanks to a new Blu-ray release and a recent remake by director/filmmaker Spike Lee.
The original film is directed by playwright Bill Gun and stars actress Duane Jones. Ganja and Hess is an eerie love story about a rich anthropologist vampire and the widow of a man that he has just killed.
Gunn was given full creative control over the film during the height of the 1970’s “blaxploitation” craze, resulting in an oblique, haunting, and unconventional film that deals with race, class, and religious hypocrisy.