Horror movies with predominantly Black casts have been underrated for decades. Most of the popular horror movies are promoted with an all-white cast. There is still plenty that is great for Halloween, here are five such films.
Candyman (1992)
Tony Todd created one of the most iconic Black villains in this horror classic. Grad student Helen Lyle researches the urban legend of “Candyman” for a project. She accidentally summons the murderous spirit at Chicago’s Cabrini housing projects. Lyle discovers that the urban legend is real and he begins to terrorize and haunt her. Candyman was lynched in the 19th century for having sex with a white woman. The legend is that if you say “Candy Man” five times in the mirror he comes to kill you.
Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning film Get Out changed the Black horror genre forever, with this race-based film. A Black man named Chris accompanies his girlfriend on a weekend getaway to meet her parents. Soon after arriving, eerie things start to happen to him. Peele uses white exploitation of Black people for this supernatural horror.
Us (2019)
Us is the second horror film that Jordan Peele directed. Adelaide Wilson is at a beach carnival with her family when she is separated and ends up in a house of mirrors. She studies her reflection as someone from the other side snatches her up and switches places with her. Twenty years later she returns to the beachfront home with her family. Haunted by her traumatic experience, her concern grows that something bad is going to happen. Adelaide’s worst fears become reality when four masked strangers break into her family’s home, forcing the Wilsons to fight for survival. When the masks come off, the family is petrified to learn that each attacker has the same appearance as them. The attackers began killing large masses of people across the United States. Peele uses the reality of identity to terrify his audience.
Sugar Hill (1974)
When nightclub owner, Langston, refuses to sell out his mob boss, he is beaten to death by the rival gang. His grief-stricken fiance nicknamed “Sugar” vows to avenge his death. She turns to an older lady who is a voodoo authority. Together they summon the demonic spirit of Baron Samedi, who agrees to help them. He raises an army of sadistic zombies and releases them on Landon’s killers. This old horror classic will surely give you the creeps.
Tales from the Hood (1995)
A creepy mortician, Mr. Simms, tries to scare two teenage drug dealers, Stack, and his friends by telling them four petrifying stories. The first story is about a cop that goes crazy after ignoring his corrupt partner. He then tells a story about a schoolboy who has supernatural powers. The teenagers are horrified, they desperately try to leave but he makes them stay so that they can hear all of the stories. Spike Lee uses his knowledge of racism to bring this horror-comedy to the big screen.
