10 Blackity Black Horror Movies to Watch After Kendrick Lamar Served at the Super Bowl
Share
"The revolution will be televised." -Kendrick Lamar
The shade is real. Kendrick Lamar served the pettiest, Blackest, loudest Super Bowl halftime show; and we loved it. Along with Samuel L. Jackson, SZA, DJ Mustard and THE Serena Williams, Lamar's halftime show made hip hop center stage at one of the largest events on television.
Hip hop has been featured in horror films for years. One of the first films to include a rap song was in the end credits of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. While initially it was DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince's song, "Nightmare on My Street" that was being considered, New Line Cinema went with the Fat Boys song, "Are You Ready for Freddy?" instead. They released their song on their own label that included a music video but it was sued and buried by New Line. The video wasn't released until 30 years later.
Since 1988, hip hop has been infused in horror. Whether through music or rap artists appearing in films, we can see how its presence in cinema has grown over the years.
If you are still on the halftime show high like I am, and are looking for some Black horror frights to keep you in the mood, check out the following films which feature Black folks either in front of the camera or behind it that are currently streaming
Black Horror Films with Hip Hop Vibes
The Alchemist Cookbook (2016) dir. Joel Potrykus
Streaming on tubi
Synopsis: Self-made chemist Sean, a recluse living in an old trailer in the woods, suffers from pill-popping delusions of fortune. When his manic attempts at cracking the ancient secret of alchemy go awry he unleashes something far more sinister and dangerous.
Def by Temptation (1990) dir. James Bond III
Streaming on tubi
Synopsis: An evil succubus is preying on libidinous black men in New York, and all that stands in her way is a minister-in-training, an aspiring actor, and a cop that specializes in cases involving the supernatural.
Kuso (2017) dir. Flying Lotus
Streaming on amc+
Synopsis: Broadcasting through a makeshift network of discarded televisions, this story is tangled up in the aftermath of Los Angeles’s worst earthquake nightmare. Travel between screens and aftershocks into the twisted lives of the survived.
Thriller (2018) dir. Dallas Jackson
Streaming on tubi
Synopsis: Years after a childhood prank goes horribly wrong, a clique of South Central LA teens find themselves terrorized during Homecoming weekend by a killer hell-bent on revenge.
Tales from the Hood (1995) dir. Rusty Condieff
Streaming on Starz
Synopsis: A strange mortician tells four horrific tales to three drug dealers that he traps in their local funeral parlor.
Bones (2001) dir. Ernest Dickerson
Streaming on tubi
Synopsis: Over 20 years after his death, local legend and benefactor Jimmy Bones returns as a ghost to get revenge on those who killed him and restore his neighborhood.
BladeII (2002) dir. Guillermo del Toro
Streaming on Peacock
Synopsis: A rare mutation has occurred within the vampire community - The Reaper. A vampire so consumed with an insatiable bloodlust that they prey on vampires as well as humans, transforming victims who are unlucky enough to survive into Reapers themselves. Blade is asked by the Vampire Nation for his help in preventing a nightmare plague that would wipe out both humans and vampires.
Candyman (2021) dir. Nia DaCosta
Streaming on Prime
Synopsis: Anthony and his partner move into a loft in the now gentrified Cabrini-Green. After a chance encounter with an old-timer exposes Anthony to the true story behind Candyman, he unknowingly opens a door to a complex past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrifying wave of violence.
Hood of Horror (2006) dir. Stacy Title
Streaming on tubi
Synopsis: A hip hop horror anthology of three tales of terror told by the Hound of Hell (Snoop Dogg) that revolve around the residents of an inner-city neighborhood whose actions determine where they will go in the afterlife.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) dir. Darren Bousman
Streaming on Hulu
Synopsis: Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran, brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks and his rookie partner take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
