Why read Horror Noire?

Book cover of Horror Noire: A History of Black American Horror from the 1890s to Present

Book description

- The first sustained scholarly study of black horror films, now updated to include the last decade.

- Tells a unique social history of African Americans through changing representation in horror films.

- Chronological, decade-by-decade survey of black horror films from mainstream Hollywood, to art-house and independent films.

Explore

Topics

Genres

Coming soon!

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Horror Noire as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Brandon R. Grafius

Author

Means Coleman’s book does what the best histories do – it takes familiar material and asks us to look at it in new ways, see patterns we’d never noticed before, and re-evaluate what we think we know.

It’s a magisterial tour through the history of American horror films, focusing on the role black Americans have played in these movies.

While engaging with the now commonplace trope that “the black guy dies first,” Means Coleman goes far beyond these generalities to look at places of resistance, the frustration of talents that went wasted through the racism of American culture and the…

From Brandon's 3 favorite reads in 2023.