Horror Noire: A History of Black American Horror from the 1890s to Present 2nd Edition

Written by Robin R. Means Coleman

Narrated by Julienne Irons

From 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 US hip-hop culture-inspired Nollywood films. This edition also explores the resurgence of the Black horror genre in the last decade, examining the success of Jordan Peele's films Get Out and Us, smaller independent films such as The House Invictus, and Nia DaCosta's sequel to Candyman. Means Coleman argues that horror offers a unique representational space for Black people to challenge negative or racist portrayals, and to portray greater diversity within the concept of Blackness itself.

This book is essential listening for anyone seeking to understand how fears and anxieties about race and race relations are made manifest, and often challenged, on the silver screen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: May 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9798350809343

Robin R. Means Coleman

Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman is Northwestern’s vice president and associate provost for diversity and inclusion. An internationally prominent and award-winning scholar, Dr. Coleman’s work focuses on media studies and the cultural politics of Blackness. Dr. Coleman is the author of Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present and African American Viewers and the Black Situation Comedy: Situating Racial Humor. She is coauthor of Intercultural Communication for Everyday Life. She is the editor of Say It Loud: African American Audiences, Media, and Identity and coeditor of Fight the Power: The Spike Lee Reader. She is also the author of a number of other academic and popular publications. Dr. Coleman is featured in, and executive produced, the critically acclaimed documentary film Horror Noire which is based on her book Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present.