Black Horror before and after Get Out

Black writers and filmmakers are bringing life (and beyond) to the horror genre. After the incredible success of ‘Get Out’, the Black horror genre swept over our screens, and director Jordan Peele rightfully received much of the praise for this subversive genre. But as many film fanatics would know, Black horror is a genre which has existed long before Get Out, and has evolved stylistically since the movie’s release in 2017. The genre and its fusion of dark, horror narratives as well as social commentary are exactly what gets its audience going. Certain storylines are familiar and often comforting, whilst their graphic and abstract portrayals distort our sense of reality and safety – all making for an excellent horror movie. In this list, we share 8 Black Horror movies, before and after Get Out, which will have you scrambling for the pause button for some relief, but right back to the play button to find out what happens next.

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Them (2021)
Directed by Little Marvin
Released by Amazon Prime Video on April 9, 2021

“A Black family moves to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood where malevolent forces, next door and otherworldly, threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy them.”

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US (2019)
Written and directed by Jordan Peele
Released by Universal Pictures on March 22, 2019

“Adelaide Wilson and her family are attacked by mysterious figures dressed in red. Upon closer inspection, the Wilsons realise that the intruders are exact lookalikes of them.”

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Blacula (1972)
Directed by William Crain
Released by American International Pictures on July 26,1972

“Dracula turns Mamuwalde, an African prince, into a vampire and imprisons him in a coffin. Two centuries later, Mamuwalde, now Blacula, wakes up and begins wreaking havoc in 1970s LA.”

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Eve’s Bayou (1998)
Directed by Kasi Lemmons
Released by Trimark Pictures on August 14, 1998

“What did little Eve see–and how will it haunt her? Husband, father and womanizer Louis Batiste is the head of an affluent family, but it’s the women who rule this gothic world of secrets, lies and mystic forces.”

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Ma (2019)
Directed by Tate Taylor
Released by Univeral Pictures on May 31, 2019

“Sue Ann, a middle-aged woman, allows a group of teenagers to party in her basement but on some conditions. Though the friends are elated with the idea, they soon discover her true character.”

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Tales From the Hood (1995)
Directed by Rusty Cundleff
Released by 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks on May 24, 1995

“A funeral director tells four strange tales of horror with an African American focus to three drug dealers he traps in his place of business.”

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Spell (2020)
Directed by Mike Tonderai
Released by Paramount Pictures on October 30, 2020

“Marquis gets trapped in the attic of a hoodoo practitioner after his plane crashes. He finds out that he needs to break free and reach his family before it is too late for them.”

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Candyman (2021)
Written and directed by Nia DaCosta
Released by Universal Pictures on August 27, 2021

“Anthony and his partner move into a loft in the now gentrified Cabrini. After a chance encounter with an old-timer exposes Anthony to the true story behind Candyman, he unknowingly opens a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence.”

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