To avoid being a contributor to the rhetoric that "there is no original horror out there", I want to do my part in sharing the following voices in horror.
While doing some research for an article about race horror (that I hope to have ready in the coming days), I ran across some really amazing horror shorts made by Black filmmakers that deserve some shine.
And I'd love to say that this was an easy list to put together but it wasn't. I watched more shorts that featured Black one or a couple Black characters but weren't made by Black filmmakers.
This is a short list of 12 horror shorts by Black filmmakers but I am sure there are dozens more out there. Feel free to send them to me on Twitter (X) or share in the comments below so I can keep this list updated!
Hair Wolf by Mariama Diallo
In a Black hair salon in gentrifying Brooklyn, the local residents fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture.
Cabbage by Destinee McCaster
While recovering from the grief of a miscarriage and a dry, dying farm, Mabel and Abraham are visited by a strange traveler who offers them a chance to wager their true love for each of their deepest desires.
The Dark Strums by New Urban Mythology
It is rumored that Robert Johnson sold his soul to learn how to play the guitar. It is believed he was poisoned. But what became of his guitar? This gothic narrative sees a haunted guitar traveling through generations, wreaking violent havoc to the players and audiences it encounters.
Suicide by Daylight by Nikyatu Jusu
Valentina, a day-walking Black vampire protected from the sun by her melanin, is forced to suppress her bloodlust to regain custody of her estranged daughters.
Mama Agnes by Alexanderthetitan
A doppelgänger is a biologically unrelated look-alike, or a double, of a living person.
The Dummy by NellyVidz
A couple find themselves in a horror movie while watching a horror movie in this horror comdedy.
You're Not Home by Derek Ugochukwu
When an ominous mold appears in their room, two African brothers seeking asylum are faced with a dark entity lurking within their direct provision center.
Knock Knock by Kennikki Jones-Jones
Sinia tries to help the kids next door, but when their mother becomes a true danger, she does nothing. Stricken by guilt, she decides to check on the kids, and what she discovers pushes her over the edge into a chilling reality.
Blood Runs Down by Zandashé Brown
When a mother undergoes a frightening transition, her daughter must decide between saving her or protecting herself in this haunting account of inheritance, daughterhood, and demons.
Skintight by Ciara Boniface
Set in a small Texas town, a young Black woman becomes the prey of a cult built on a secret that is skin-deep, with a Southern virtuous figure at its forefront.
Wake by Bree Newsome
Charmaine uses “root work” to conjure up a demon who helps her create the man of her dreams.
Paralyis by R. Shenea Williams
A photographer with a sleep disorder fears she may be haunted by a supernatural entity.
Shenea is also the director & writer of Contamination about a young woman who suffers from a severe form of OCD and germaphobia, which can be viewed here.
The hope is for this list to grow. So please, send me all the horror shorts you come across made by Black filmmakers.
Which one is your favorite? Comment down below with any suggestions!