Library Journal - Audio
06/10/2024
Media studies scholar Coleman (Northwestern Univ.; Horror Noire) and entertainment journalist Harris explore Black roles and stories in horror cinema as well as the tropes and stereotypes that are still prevalent today. The coauthors are thorough in their examples of Black representation, from depictions as a fearsome "other" in film's early days to Black characters' now cringe-inducing "comic" roles to stories that perpetuated an assortment of Black stereotypes. All this culminates in an analysis of modern Black horror movies that some might derisively call "woke" (the writers also explore that term) but reflect Black people's unique experiences. For those fearing a dry, academic treatise on Black cinema, the book's prose, as well as the down-to-earth voice of narrator Jaime Lincoln Smith, inject enough humor to keep the book's overall tone conversational and engaging. VERDICT The book explores nearly every aspect and example of Black horror cinema, from recurring one-dimensional archetypes to surgical dissections of relevant films, but its overall message resonates. Black voices and creatives in cinema have made strides in representation, but there is clearly more work to do.—James Gardner
Publishers Weekly
12/12/2022
“Unlike ‘The Black Guy,’ Black horror has managed to not only survive, but thrive,” contend Coleman (Horror Noire), vice president and associate provost for diversity and inclusion at Northwestern University, and journalist Harris in this animated chronicle. The authors examine how Black representation in horror films has changed since the 1960s, beginning in 1968 with the releases of Spider Baby and Night of the Living Dead, the former of which is an early example of the “Black guy dies first” trope. A particularly strong chapter dissects Black horror stereotypes, noting that witch doctors from such films as Child’s Play (1988) “have African origins that lead” to their portrayal as “primitive, uncultured savages,” and that the selflessness typical of the “Magical Negro” (The Stand, The Green Mile) is usually in service of a white protagonist. The authors bring appropriately sharp humor to their examination of contemporary satirical fare inspired by the success of Get Out (2017) and remark that The Forever Purge (2021), in which Black characters struggle to survive “against rich White elitists who view them as expendable,” is “like the NFL.” Coleman and Harris’s encyclopedic knowledge of horror astounds and their critiques yield fresh insights. Horror aficionados will want to take note. Photos. (Feb.)
Library Journal
★ 01/01/2023
Black filmmaker Jordan Peele's Oscar-winning film Get Out signaled the mainstream horror cinematic arrival of Black actors and creators on their journey from bargain-basement projects and stereotypical bit parts, explains media studies scholar Coleman (assoc. provost, Northwestern Univ.; Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present) and entertainment journalist Harris (creator of BlackHorrorMovies.com). Chronicling the treatment of Black characters in horror movies, they name names and mark milestones of groundbreaking, innovative Black writers, directors, and performers who set the scenes for bold, unapologetic for-us-by-us Black cinema to produce horror projects that increasingly revolve around Black people in front of and behind the camera. They place the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead and the 1967 Spider Baby as ahead-of-their-time cinema with Black characters that undermined social mores of violence, sexuality, and general decorum and inspired entire subgenres within horror. VERDICT A must-have reference with a near encyclopedic, yet readable, survey of nearly 1,000 horror movies containing more than 1,500 appearances by Black characters, from minor, nonspeaking roles to the exploration of Black films that have progressively broadened Black roles in horror and in cinema as a whole.—Thomas J. Davis
Kirkus Reviews
2022-11-09
An engaging look at “the wild, wicked, waggish journey of Blacks in modern horror cinema.”
As horror movies have moved into the artistic and commercial mainstream, the genre has attracted interest for its social meaning and racial inclusiveness. Coleman’s academic work focuses on media studies and cultural politics, and Harris is an entertainment journalist and horror movie buff; both bring expertise to their collaboration. They note that for a long time, the main function of Black characters was to get the narrative rolling by being the first victim of the murderer/monster/alien/etc. In fact, the actor Tony Todd holds the record for the most screen deaths, at 24 (and counting). Coleman and Harris identify various other stereotypes, always in secondary positions. There were some outlier films, like Night of the Living Dead (1968), which had a Black man in a leadership role. That movie became the source code for the zombie genre, although it did little to help Black actors. Eventually, after decades of effort, Black actors began to break into big-budget movies in prominent roles. When they did, there was a receptive audience. Will Smith’s I Am Legend (2007), for example, made more than $256 million in the U.S. These movies were not really about the Black experience, and there were still few Black creatives in the film industry. The real turning point, however, was Get Out (2017), which won numerous awards for director/writer Jordan Peele and also earned $176 million in the domestic market. The rise of direct-to-video movies and streaming also opened new opportunities for Black filmmakers. The authors often write with their tongues firmly in their cheeks, but they make serious points about representation and depiction. They acknowledge the level of improvement but emphasize that there is still much to be done.
Coleman and Harris write with keen observation, a satirical eye, and a genuine love for their subject.
