12 Best Black Horror Movies, From the 1970 to 2019 – Oprah Mag

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When you hear "Black scary movies," you most likely think of Get Out, Jordan Peele's 2017 film that won an Oscar for best screenplay. The modern thriller quickly became an iconic piece of cinema, thanks to its unique story that both made you laugh and sit on the edge of your seat. But it wasn't just searching for screams. It offered a deep reflection on racism in America. However, as great as Get Out was, Peele wasn't the first to create a fantastic Black horror film that made a statement. If you fancy yourself a fan of African American cinema (romance anyone?) or you're simply looking to add something scary to your repertoire as Halloween approaches, and ghost movies aren't going to cut it, we've got a list of the best Black horror films below, including some haunting vampire flicks, spanning from the 1970s to 2019.

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1Night of the Living Dead (1968)

The 1968 horror classic, directed by George A. Romero, follows a group of seven who are trapped in a remote farm house that's under the attack of undead corpses. With Duane Jones as the lead actor, the film is groundbreaking for its positive and heroic portrayal of a Black man in a role that wasn't centered around his race.

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2Blacula (1972)

An African prince travels to Transylvania where he's bitten by Dracula himself. He's sealed in a coffin for hundreds of years, only to awaken in 1970s L.A.

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3Ganja & Hess (1973)

Duane Jones stars again in this spell-binding indie horror film as Hess Green, a doctor who's stabbed by his research assistant with a cursed African dagger. The wound turns Hess into a vampire, but despite his transformation, he can't help but fall in love with his assistant's beautiful wife.

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4Sugar Hill (1974)

A film from the 1970s Blaxploitation-era, Sugar Hill follows a a grief stricken widow who seeks the help of a voodoo priestess in order to avenge the murder of her husband.

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5Candyman (1992)

While researching the urban legend of "Candyman" for her thesis, grad student Helen Lyle accidentally summons the hook-handed murderous spirit at Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing project. She discovers that Candyman is very real, as he soon begins to haunt her.

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6Tales From the Hood (1995)

Executive produced by Spike Lee, this horror anthology film begins with three drug dealers buying product from a strange funeral director. He then tells four different scary stories, each drawing on themes from African American life.

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7Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)

After being on the run for 90 years, Franky Braykerthe protector of an ancient key that can unlock terrible evildecided to finally confront the Collector, a demon who's after the very treasure he guards. Jada Pinkett Smith stars as Jeryline, a demon-slayer who defies the stereotypes that often come with women and Black people in horror movies.

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8Eve's Bayou (1997)

When 10-year-old Eve (Lovecraft Country's Jurnee Smollett) discovers that her father is cheating on her mother, her family's privileged life is threatenedbut she finds solace in a quirky, psychic aunt.

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9Bones (2001)

Snoop Dogg is Jimmy Bones, a once beloved and admired leader of his thriving neighborhood who is betrayed and killed by those closest to him. Years later he rises from the dead to seek revenge on his community which is now ravaged by drugs.

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10Get Out (2017)

Jordan Peele's Oscar-winning Get Out was an instant horror classic, as it followed Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) , a man who accompanies his girlfriend (Allison Williams) on a seemingly harmless weekend getaway to meet her parents (Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener). But as time goes on, it's revealed that the initially accommodating family have shocking sinister intentions.

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11Ma (2019)

Though not loved by critics, Ma marks Octavia Spencer's first foray into horror as she plays a troubled middle-aged woman who befriends a group of teenagers, letting them drink and party in her basement. But as time goes on, it's revealed that her kindness is a facade, allowing her to seek revenge on those that hurt her in the past.

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12Us (2019)

In this much-anticipated second film from Jordan Peele, Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) and her family return to her childhood beach house. But her traumatic past catches up with her, as four masked strangers appear at the home and turn a family vacation into a fight for survival.

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12 Best Black Horror Movies, From the 1970 to 2019 - Oprah Mag