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as a black woman who loves horror, it’s rare for me to see myself represented on screen. so every day this month, i’ll be spotlighting a black actress, writer, director, or other industry professional who has fought to keep us visible in the spooky genre. THREAD: 
MARLENE CLARK: though best known for her role as janet on sanford & son, she was one of the most prolific scream queens of the blaxploitation era. her experimental collab with bill gunn, GANJA & HESS, was the only american film screened during critics’ week at cannes in 1973.
recommended viewing: BLACK MAMBA, BEWARE! THE BLOB, LORD SHANGO (retitled Soulmates of Shango or just Shango), NIGHT OF THE COBRA WOMAN, THE BEAST MUST DIE!
ROSALIND CASH: starred alongside charlton heston in THE OMEGA MAN, one of the first mainstream genre films to prominently feature a black actress. she made her final big screen appearance as dr. cushing in the “hard-core convert” segment of TALES FROM THE HOOD.
recommended viewing: DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE (retitled The Watts Monster); FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM (also known as The Offspring); BUCKAROO BONZAI; DEATH SPA
KASI LEMMONS: made her directorial debut (!!) with 1997’s EVE’S BAYOU. the southern gothic staple launched the film careers of jurnee smollett-bell and meagan good, received NUMEROUS accolades, and has since been added to the national film registry at the library of congress.
recommended viewing: lots of people don’t know lemmons was an actress first! her on-screen appearances in horror include SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, CANDYMAN, and VAMPIRE’S KISS.
GERETTA GERETTA: one of many black actresses who found success in the italian film market during and following the blaxploitation era, including her turn as rosemary in the argento/bava film DEMONS. she went on to graduate from AFI and has since become an award-winning director!
recommended viewing: MURDER ROCK, RATS: NIGHT OF TERROR, BLOODY CHRISTMAS
JADA PINKETT SMITH: to this day, she is one of very few black women to adopt the “final girl” trope in a horror film, and her appearance and death in the opening of SCREAM 2 remain fan favorites within the franchise.
recommended viewing: SCREAM 2, TALES FROM THE CRYPT: DEMON KNIGHT, THE MATRIX RELOADED
SHIRLEY PIERCE: the accomplished disney screenwriter got her start in black horror, penning scripts for SPIRIT LOST (adapted from nancy thayer’s novel of the same name) and julie dash’s INCOGNITO.
ANGELA BASSETT: though not typically regarded as a scream queen, her forays into the genre have left significant marks. most notably, her portrayal of marie laveau on AMERICAN HORROR STORY earned her an emmy nomination, her first major award nod since 2002’s THE ROSA PARKS STORY.
recommended viewing: SUPERNOVA, CRITTERS 4, VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN, AMERICAN HORROR STORY (seasons 3-6 + 8, but 3 and 5 are her best imo)
bonus content: angela as ramona royale (AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL) in fictionalized blaxploitation horror films https://twitter.com/brimalandro/status/1162505708220375044
MARKI BEY: played the titular character in SUGAR HILL (1974) which flipped zombie tropes on their axes by painting the zombies as black revolutionaries intent on punishing white supremacy. she was also top billed (still a rarity for black women) in 70s slasher film THE ROOMMATES.
BIANCA LAWSON: has graced numerous occult tv franchises over the past 20 years, from BUFFY to THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, TEEN WOLF, and even AMERICAN HORROR STORY. her three episode arc as kendra on BUFFY was the longest for a black woman in the show’s history.
recommended viewing: BONES, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, WITCHES OF EAST END, DEAD & BREAKFAST
MADAME SUL-TE-WAN: the daughter of freed slaves, she was the first black actor to sign a formal contract and be a featured performer on film. she appeared in several pre-code horror films, and her career went on to span 5 decades.
recommended viewing: BLACK MOON, KING KONG, KING OF THE ZOMBIES, REVENGE OF THE ZOMBIES.
JANEE MICHELLE: appeared in several horror films during the blaxploitation era. most notably, she played the role of lorena christophe in cult classic THE HOUSE ON SKULL MOUNTAIN.
recommended viewing: THE MEPHISTO WALTZ, SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS (2016), GOTHIC HARVEST
GRACE JONES: queen of the strangé! though she has not made many forays into on-screen horror, she did steal the show in 1986 comedy horror VAMP, which is widely regarded as the inspiration for FROM DUSK TIL DAWN.
recommended viewing: VAMP & WOLF GIRL, but many of grace’s music videos also take cues from genre filmmaking, using distorted or layered imagery and other fantastic elements to create unique and vividly memorable visual art.
BEVERLY BONNER: best known for her contributions to comedic horror, she appeared in all of frank henenlotter’s feature films from 1982’s BASKET CASE to 2008’s BAD BIOLOGY.
recommended viewing: please watch all of her movies- FRANKENHOOKER and BASKET CASE are both currently available on prime- but also this really wholesome featurette for the cable tv show she had in the early 00’s. (she acted and directed!)
DANAI GURIRA: like marki bey before her, danai has changed the scope of what it means to be a black woman in the zombie genre. her 7-year arc as the badass michonne on THE WALKING DEAD was the longest for a black character in the show’s history & the second-longest for a woman.
NAOMIE HARRIS: before her appearances in MOONLIGHT and the 007 franchise, she turned heads as selena, the heroine in danny boyle’s 28 DAYS LATER... and one of the few black final girls in genre history.
TERESA GRAVES: though most notable for being the first black woman to lead an hourlong network drama (GET CHRISTIE LOVE!), she also gave us a peak camp performance in OLD DRACULA (originally titled VAMPIRA), a spoof that imagined dracula’s wife reincarnated as a black woman.
REGINA HALL: starred alongside anna faris in the SCARY MOVIE series. the two were the only actors to consistently appear in the first four films. meme culture has brought the films a resurgence in popularity, mainly thanks to hall’s iconic portrayal of brenda meeks.
DEBBI MORGAN: won an independent spirit award for her portrayal of mozelle batiste delacroix in EVE’S BAYOU. she later recurred on CHARMED as the seer, the first female villain to be integral to the show’s overall storyline and the longest-running black female character.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: won an oscar for her turn as the iconic oda mae brown (GHOST). she followed up with appearances on TALES FROM THE CRYPT, a 5 season arc on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, & fearnet series STREAM. she will star in the 2020 adaptation of stephen king’s THE STAND.
MAIDIE NORMAN: made several genre appearances throughout her career (including THE TWILIGHT ZONE AIRPORT ‘77 & HALLOWEEN III), but was best known as elvira stitt, the quick-thinking housekeeper in WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?
TANEDRA HOWARD: won the first season of SCREAM QUEENS, a vh1 competition show designed to spotlight the next great american horror actress. she went on to star in SAW VI & VII (also known as SAW 3D)
CYNTHIA BOND: made her film debut starring as the temptress (a succubus) in DEF BY TEMPTATION, an urban horror classic and the only feature directed by james bond iii. she is now a new york times bestselling novelist!
CAROL SPEED: starred in blaxploitation horror ABBY, which was pulled from theaters and remains out of print due to a lawsuit from warner bros. claiming that it stole elements from THE EXORCIST. it made $4 million at the box office on a $100,000 budget.
MICHAEL MICHELE: made her film debut in DEF BY TEMPTATION, but went in to make several other genre appearances, including stephen kay’s THE HUNT FOR THE BTK KILLER and the emmy-nominated miniseries CREATURE. (not horror-related, but: she’s dominique deveraux on the new DYNASTY!)
RUTINA WESLEY: known to most as tara thornton, the impenetrable best friend of TRUE BLOOD’s sookie stackhouse. following the show’s success, she went on to recur on nbc’s HANNIBAL. she now leads the cast of OWN’s QUEEN SUGAR!
AKOSUA BUSIA: though she has made several on-screen genre appearances, including THE SEVENTH SIGN and the 1985 TWILIGHT ZONE, her most notable contribution was penning the adapted screenplay of toni morrison’s gothic horror BELOVED, which earned her a satellite award nomination.
JURNEE SMOLLETT-BELL: received awards and critical claim for her portrayal of the titular eve batiste in EVE’S BAYOU. she later appeared as a main character in the final two seasons of TRUE BLOOD & will star in the upcoming LOVECRAFT COUNTRY adaptation from jordan peele and hbo!
PAULA JAI PARKER: one of her earliest film roles was a starring turn in the “boys do get bruised” segment of TALES FROM THE HOOD. she went on to appear on anthology series FEAR ITSELF and recur in the final season of TRUE BLOOD.
LUPITA NYONG’O: her dual performances as adelaide and red in jordan peele’s US were critically acclaimed, with many citing potential for an oscar nomination. she also stars in zombie comedy LITTLE MONSTERS, now available on hulu!
AALIYAH: her iconic portrayal of queen akasha in QUEEN OF THE DAMNED has inspired countless homages and references in fashion, film, music, and cosplay. she won three posthumous awards for the performance.
PAM GRIER: many don’t know that her supreme reign over blaxploitation films included horror as well. she has appeared in over half a dozen horror films over the course of her career & was the primary inspiration for angela bassett’s ramona royale on AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL.
recommended viewing: SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM, THE TWILIGHT PEOPLE, BONES
RACHEL TRUE: her performance as rochelle in THE CRAFT remains one of the most iconic black roles in horror to this day. she has since appeared in several other genre films and, in the true spirit of rochelle’s magic, offers tarot readings, with a memoir & tarot deck soon to come.
