Best Black Horror Films… Or At Least With A Lil’ Color

Halloween is here and we are all looking for a good horror flick. Of course there are horror classics like The Exorcist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and A Nightmare on Elm Street. But, what about horror flicks with an urban twist?  In no particular order — check out the list below!

Saw II (2005)

Jigsaw added some color to his killing spree in the sequel to Saw. The film included a diverse cast, which would be an ongoing theme throughout the Saw series.

Angel Heart ...

(1987)

Starring Robert De Niro and Lisa Bonet, a detective goes to New Orleans to find a man named Johnny Favorite.  He falls into the world of voodoo and comes across Lisa Bonet’s character, who is the child of a dead voodoo priestess.  The Cosby kid went nude and bloody for the role, shocking fans of the wholesome show.  Angel Heart was a commercial and critical disaster, but now has a cult following.

28 Days Later (2002)

Starring the beautiful Naomie Harris, a virus wiped out all of Britain, leaving only a few survivors to fight for their life. Harris was Selena — and this sista was not playing with the “infected” — she hacked away and didn’t die in the first five minutes like most black folks in horror flicks.

Queen of the Damned (2002)

We can’t forget Aaliyah!  Her performance as Akasha in Queen of the Damned was excellent and even praised by Anne Rice, the writer of the book. Akasha was the queen of all vampires, killed with no remorse and munched on human heart. The Akasha costume has been a favorite for Halloween ever since.

Bones (2001)

Starring Snoop Dogg, Bones was surprisingly good, especially with Pam Grier as the lead. Bones is the story of a gangster from the dead seeking revenge.

Candyman (1992)

You can’t ask for much more with a film based in the projects. Slightly political but still pure horror, Candyman was lynched for having sex with a white woman — say his name five times and he comes back to slash anyone in sight. 

Blacula (1972)

At the height of the blaxploitation era, Blacula was released. Blacula was an African prince who was morphed into a vampire by Dracula. On a rampage, Blacula is sticking it to the man, horror movie style. In retrospect, the film is ridiculously campy but garnered a cult following and was the first film to win Best Horror Film at the Saturn Awards. Several other blaxploitation horror films came out after Blacula, like Sugar Hill, The Zebra Killer and Fight for Your Life.

Tales from the Hood (1995)

Executive produced by Spike Lee, Tales from the Hood was a take on Tales from the Crypt. The movie told five stories which revolved around child abuse, racism and black on black crime. Socially poignant but with a good scare. The film is an urban classic and went on to gross nearly 12 million.

People Under The Stairs (1991)

Directed by horror legend, Wes Craven, this classic follows Fool, a young boy who seeks out his slumlord after his family was evicted. Scary, funny and it racked in over 30 million worldwide. There has been some buzz about a sequel.  The People Under The Stairs airs right here on BET tomorrow, October 30th at 1 PM.  Click here to take a quiz of the urban horror classic!

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

This iconic zombie flick was classic for its time and still ranks high as one of the best horror films.  But, there are many reasons why this film is considered a black horror film.  Subtly, the film dealt with politics, war and racism.  However, one of the biggest shockers in the film is when the lead character, Ben (Duane Jones), who was Black, hauled off and smacked a white woman. In 1968, this shocked the world — just a few years before, a Black man could get lynched for even looking at a White woman.  Check out the seven second clip of the slap heard around the globe!

What are some of your favorites?

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