Description
Book SynopsisFrom King Kong to Candyman, the boundary-pushing genre of horror film has always been a site for provocative explorations of race in American popular culture. This book offers a comprehensive chronological survey of Black horror from the 1890s to present day.
In this second edition, Robin R. Means Coleman expands upon the history of notable characterizations of Blackness in horror cinema, with new chapters spanning the 1960s, 2000s, and 2010s to the present, and examines key levels of Black participation on screen and behind the camera. The book addresses a full range of Black horror films, including mainstream Hollywood fare, art-house films, Blaxploitation films, and U.S. hip-hop culture-inspired Nollywood films. This new edition also explores the resurgence of the Black horror genre in the last decade, examining the success of Jordan Peeleâs films Get Out (2017) and Us (2019), smaller independent films such as The House Invictus (2018), an
Trade Review
"Demons, ghosts, slavery, magic. These are just a few provocative subjects covered in Horror Noire. Means Coleman reveals that what scares some people the most is Black people imagining themselves as heroes, antiheroes, villains, and monsters. Attending to the ways Black people’s imagination is activated—that is the value and power of Horror Noire. "
John Jennings, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, University of California-Riverside, USA
Table of Contents1. The Birth of the Black Boogeyman: Pre-1930s 2. Jungle Fever—A Horror Romance: 1930s 3. Horrifying Goons and Minstrel Coons: 1940s 4. Black Invisibility, White Science: 1950s 5. A Night with Ben: 1960s 6. Scream, Whitey, Scream—Retribution, Enduring Women, and Carnality: 1970s 7. We Always Die First—Invisibility, Racial Red-Lining, and Self-Sacrifice: 1980s 8. Black is Back! Retribution and the Urban Terrain: 1990s 9. Growing Painz: 2000s 10. Representation, Recognition, and Renaissance: 2010s to present 11. Conclusion: Black Horror Today and Tomorrow
