Race in horror films

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Judith O'Dea and Duane Jones in Night of the Living Dead (1968). The casting of a black actor in the lead role of an American film that did not explicitly explore ethnicity is often considered notable for its time.[1][2]Part of a series on
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Depictions of race in horror films have been the subject of commentary by fans and academics. Critics have discussed the representation of race in horror films in relation to the presence of racist ideas, stereotypes and tropes within them. The horror genre has conversely also been used to explore social issues including race, particularly following popularization of social thrillers in the 2010s.

Throughout the history of the horror film genre, especially in American-produced horror films, racial minorities have not received as much representation as white people, often being relegated to lesser roles. For most of the 20th century, minorities were often subject to tokenism, being frequently cast as supporting characters or villains.[3]

## "The Brother Always Dies First"

[edit]

"The Brother Always Dies First," coined by film critic Roger Ebert, references the popular misconception that black characters are the first victims in horror films.[4] While it is not true that minority characters are always the first victims, black characters have a significantly high mortality rate in horror films. This includes minor, non-speaking, sometimes nameless roles that might not warrant death within the narrative. In an informal study of nearly one thousand horror movies with at least fifteen hundred appearances of black characters, scholar Robin R. Means Coleman and author Mark H. Harris found the mortality rate was around 45%.[5] This perceived phenomenon is satirized in the 2022 horror-comedy The Blackening, in which a group of black characters attempt to be the least-black to avoid death.

The consistent killing of black characters was in part popularized by a lack of significant roles in early horror films, making them easier to kill in comparison to their white counterparts. Black characters were relegated to the status of largely undeveloped expendable victims.[6] For example, Mantan Moreland's unnamed character in Spider Baby (1967) is killed-off for shock and comedic effect.[5]

## Themes and plot devices

[edit]

Much of the attention that minorities get within horror films is through the use of their culture as plot devices and structures to scare or trigger guilt among the white protagonists.[7][unreliable source?] References to such things as the "Indian burial ground" or the "medicine man" are commonly used in the horror genre to create a stereotype of "the other" and frighten white audiences.[7] Many of the themes and plots relate to forcefully taking land from aboriginal peoples and the horrific outcomes that follow.[8]

Horror films often rely on minority cultures and their signifiers being reduced to a mythical standpoint. The films do not portray these minority cultures sufficiently as an active part of the world, or in the lives of the main characters. Instead the cultures are cast as part of the mythological background of the evil that threatens the protagonist's life. American horror films have attacked the substance of both Native American and African American cultures, using them as devices and ultimately pinning them down as aspects of the past that are no longer a part of the current American culture. The "Indian burial ground" motif, heavily featured in horror film cycles of the 1970s and 1980s, is an example of how mainstream cinema renders Indigenous people as both hyper visible and invisible."[7]

> Native Americans are often hyper-visible in North American films [and] at the same time they [are] rendered invisible through plot lines that reinforce the trope of Indigenous people as vanishing or inconsequential. Native Americans stand at the center of the dominant culture's self-definition because Euro American identity submerged and formed upon the textual and visual culture register of the Indigenous other.[9]

### Mythical negro

[edit]

See also: Magical Negro

The "Mythical Negro" character is usually an older character who serves as an all-knowing aide to the main characters.[10] The "Mythical Negro" usually informs the protagonists of the realities of the horror they face, and guides them along the way. This character is set up to be sentimental and usually dies at some point giving the main character more cause to defeat the evil. They act as an outlet for exposition and their death is usually seen as necessary for the plot.[10] Movies like The Shining show this trope, with the only black character, Dick Halloran (Scatman Crothers), being the one who understands the protagonist's true powers and the evil surrounding the plotline. However, in line with his trope, he dies in an attempt to rescue the protagonist from the antagonist.[11]

### Zombies

[edit]

The concept of zombies has roots in slavery in Haiti. Zombies are seen as lifeless and live a life of constant despair, similar to the lives of slaves who were subjected to cruel environments and treatment, making them live a life of misery.[12] Suicide was common during slavery, but it was believed that if you died your spirit would be released back to Africa, though if one were to take their own life, this would not be. Because of this, zombies were a metaphor for being trapped in ones' body until death as committing suicide would mean that your soul would not be released back to Ian guineé.[13]

## Race as a theme

[edit]

Further information: Social thriller and Black horror

Director Jordan Peele's 2017 horror film Get Out received acclaim for its exploration of race in the United States.[14]

There are a handful of directors attempting to address issues of race and sexuality,[15][16] and the exploitative power that horror movies have. Many Native American and African American directors/screenwriters and actors have begun to use the horror genre to bring issues of racism and violence to audiences.[8][16]

## See also

[edit]

* Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror
* Blaxploitation horror films
* Indian burial ground trope
* Misogyny in horror films
* Disability in horror films
* Racism in early American film

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "How Casting a Black Actor Changed 'Night of the Living Dead'". August 31, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
2. ^ Wilkinson, Alissa (July 22, 2017). "The late George Romero didn't mean to tackle race in Night of the Living Dead, but he did anyway". Vox. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
3. ^ Benshoff, Harry M. (February 1, 2000). "Blaxploitation Horror Films: Generic Reappropriation or Reinscription?". Cinema Journal. 39 (2): 31–50\. doi:10.1353/cj.2000.0001. ISSN 1527-2087.
4. ^ Ebert, Roger (September 26, 1997). "The Edge". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
5. ^ a b Means Coleman, Robin R.; Harris, Mark H. (2023). The black guy dies first (1st ed.). New York: Saga Press. ISBN 978-1-9821-8653-1.
6. ^ Pinedo, Isabel Cristina (2016). Recreational Terror: Women and the Pleasures of Horror Film Viewing. SUNY series, INTERRUPTIONS: Border Testimony(ies) and Critical Discourse / s. Ithaca: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-3441-3.
7. ^ a b c "This Essay Was Not Built On an Ancient Indian Burial Ground". offscreen.com. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
8. ^ a b Smith, Ariel (2013). "Indigenous Cinema and the Horrific Reality of Colonial Violence". Decolonization Indigeneity, Education & Society. S.l.: Journal Publishing Services. ISSN 1929-8692. OCLC 848920283.
9. ^ Raheja, Michelle (2011). Reservation Reelism: Redfacing, Visual Sovereignty, and Representations of Native Americans in Film. University of Nebraska Press. OCLC 940646862.
10. ^ a b Complex, Valerie. "Will It Get Better For Black People In the Horror Genre?" Archived May 29, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Black Girl Nerds. 31 July 2015. Web. 11 April 2015.
11. ^ "Dick Hallorann's death in The Shining is both a WTF moment and tragically inevitable". SYFY Official Site. May 21, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
12. ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Eschner, Kat. "Zombie Movies Are Never Really About Zombies". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
13. ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Eschner, Kat. "Zombie Movies Are Never Really About Zombies". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
14. ^ Hiatt, Brian (January 29, 2019). "The All-American Nightmares of Jordan Peele". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
15. ^ Blackwell, Ashlee. "Black (Fear) On Both Sides: Thinking About Candyman, Blacula and Race in Horror Films." Archived May 29, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Shock Till You Drop. 10 February 2015. Web. 11 April 2016.
16. ^ a b "The woke undead: how zombie movies are taking on racial politics". the Guardian. November 29, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2022.

### Bibliography

[edit]

* Adjei-Kontoh, Hubert. "From Blacula to Get Out: the documentary examining black horror." The Guardian, 7 Feb. 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/07/horror-noire-documentary-black-horror.
* Barone, Matt. “Fact Check: Do Black Characters Always Die First in Horro...” Complex, 31 Oct. 2013, https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/matt-barone/black-characters-horror-movies.
* Benshoff, Harry M. “Blaxploitation Horror Films: Generic Reappropriation or Reinscription?” Cinema Journal, vol. 39, no. 2, 2000, pp. 31–50.
* Berlatsky, Noah. "Dick Hallorann's Death in The Shining is Both a WTF Moment and Tragically Inevitable." SYFY, 21 May. 2020, https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-shining-dick-hallorann-death-racism-40th-anniversary.
* Bernucca, Carolyn. "After 'The Walking Dead,' Steven Yeun Is Ready to Beat the Crap Out of Asian Stereotypes." Complex, 10 Nov. 2017, https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/carolyn-bernucca/steven-yeun-mayhem-interview.
* Blackwell, Ashlee. "Black (Fear) On Both Sides: Thinking About Race in Horror Films." Shock Till You Drop, 10 Feb. 2015, https://web.archive.org/web/20160529192851/http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/373995-black-fear-sides-thinking-race-horror-films/.
* Brooks, Kinitra D. Searching for Sycorax: Black Women’s Hauntings of Contemporary Horror. Rutgers University Press, 2018.
* Bruney, Gabrielle. "With Us, Jordan Peele Forces Audiences to Feel Black Characters' Pain." Esquire, 27 Mar. 2019, https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a26950006/us-jordan-peele-black-character-dies-first-analysis/.
* Cipriani, Casey. “Sorry, Ladies: Study on Women in Film and Television Confirms The Worst.” IndieWire, 10 Feb. 2015, https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/sorry-ladies-study-on-women-in-film-and-television-confirms-the-worst-65220/.
* Eschner, Kat. "Zombie Movies Are Never Really About Zombies." Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Oct. 2017, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/zombie-movies-are-never-really-about-zombies-180965321.
* Hiatt, Brian. "The All-American Nightmares of Jordan Peele." The Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2019, https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/director-jordan-peele-new-movie-cover-story-782743/.
* Hoad, Phil. "The Woke Undead: How Zombie Movies are Taking on Racial Politics." The Guardian, 29 Nov. 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/nov/29/zombie-movies-racial-politics-atlantics.
* Kane, Joe. “How Casting a Black Actor Changed ‘Night of the Living Dead.’” TheWrap, 31 Aug. 2010, https://www.thewrap.com/night-living-dead-casting-cult-classic-20545/.
* Means Coleman, Robin R., and Mark H. Harris. The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar. First Saga 1st ed., Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc, 2023.
* Pahle, Rebecca. “MPAA Statistics Break the Stunning News That Most of the People Who Go the Movies Aren’t White Men.” The Mary Sue, 27 Mar. 2014, https://www.themarysue.com/mpaa-2013-audience-demographics/.
* Pinedo, Isabel Cristina. Recreational Terror: Women and the Pleasures of Horror Film Viewing. State University of New York Press, 2016.
* Raheja, Michelle. Reservation Reelism: Redfacing, Visual Sovereignty and Representations of Native Americans in Film. Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 2011.
* Smith, Ariel. "This Essay Was Not Built On an Ancient Indian Burial Ground: Horror Aesthetics within Indigenous cinema as pushback against colonial violence." Off Screen, vol. 18, no. 8, Aug. 2014.

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