Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror

Great commentary and interviews by respected actors, filmmakers, writers and intellectuals on the history of Blacks in cinema and the horror genre. Fun to watch too.

They say any good book, movie, play, TV show, etc. should leave you wanting more, but Horror Noire left me wanting so much more that I wish it was twice as long as it was. It does a great job of showcasing the seldom appreciated black horror films and performances, but at less than 90 minutes, it could have used an extra half hour at least.

This is all due to the care that was obviously put into this documentary. The reason I wanted more is because it's so good and so informative and well put together. I highly recommend horror historians and fans of black film check this one out.

Probably my biggest criticism of "Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror" is one I don't like in other movies: the length.

This fantastic documentary needed to be longer!!

Still, at only 83 minutes, it's incredibly paced, well shot and includes so many WONDERFUL movies and performances that the mainstream audience may never have heard of or seen without a mention here. To that/them I say: BRAVO. One in particular was Jada Pinkett Smith.

Just to give an example, way back in the day, I first saw her in Demon Knight on the big screen and LOOOVED her. Thought that very little known actress would go far after this horror movie. And she did. And they mentioned this movie/role in a nice little segment. If the rest of the doc didn't impress me (and it did,) this definitely was high on my list.

I've seen at least one, maybe a couple or more documentaries on Queer representation in cinema. It's nice to hear from another, very predominate group in horror films and their evolution. While I did see it with my own eyes, it's really nice to hear many different and important points of views. From incredibly well spoken experts in this field to actors/directors that I definitely admire.

Again, I just wish there was more. Here's hoping to probably the first ever documentary sequel for more content!*

***

Final thoughts: *I did NOT research that. So maybe there's already a documentary sequel. But, I'd still love to see one to this and learn even more and hear more intimate stories!

Playing YouTube channel Double Toasted review of Soul Plane in background, they mentioned about the video being sponsored by Shudder,and gave a free 30 day code. Being in lockdown and having wanted to sign up to the service for ages, this looked like the perfect time to sign up. Being a title I saw get praised by RedLetterMedia, I decided my first Shudder viewing would go back to the history of Horror.

View on the film:

Going right back to the horrors of The Birth of a Nation (1915) in his feature film debut, director Xavier Burgin lays out a fascinating canvas on the progression of black Horror cinema history, from Spencer Williams kicking against the system to get the first "Black Horror" made in Son of Ingagi (1940) and the ground breaking work of George Romero, to the wave of Blaxploitation and black Horror cinema of the 2012.

Criss-crossing the clips with interviews of the cast/crew from some of the films and academics, Burgin combines production tales with fascinating academic interpretations of highlighted films. From the Tuskegee syphilis experiment being referenced in Blxploitation films and Bill Gunn using the Horror genre for the deeply personal Ganja & Hess (1973), to Candyman (1992) and the magnificent The Girl with All the Gifts (2016-also reviewed), in bringing to light the history of black Horror.

Look I'm a big fan of horror, especially when it has to do with the history for horror. And I also enjoy documentaries that dive into the behind of making such a film, and how it came to be whatnot. And "Horror Noire" does that properly, describing the history moments what the predominant black people went through. Although, there's few of these interviewees that sounded so sour, like a someone yapping, complaining. I mean I guess some film directors didn't want black people to come out in films or I guess these "monsters" were interpreted as blacks. Why not just think of those creatures, just creatures. All these subtext and metaphors that they're trying to dive in too deeply. How come when it comes to black movies, why's it all the time it revolves around racism, slavery, gang, absent of parent?? Just like what Jordan Peele said about not being stuck in a bubble anymore, okay, then use that analogy of talking about something else besides slavery, racism. There's other things that are as important to dive in like sexual abuse, child trafficking, sicknesses etc.