Fall is lurking just around the corner, and with it come changes in the leaves, cooler weather, and the festive Halloween season.  This typically introduces a new lineup of horror films, with several Black-led scary movies gearing up for their debut. In early September, Brandy Norwood ushered in a new selection with The Front Room. The film follows her character, Belinda, who battles a difficult mother-in-law with more sinister problems than just her nasty attitude. 

This new cinematic rollercoaster is just the latest in a string of Black horror movies, which have seen a promising rise in recent years.  In the past, while many of these frightening movies included a character of color, there were not many mainstream selections in the category that featured a predominantly Black cast or prominent leading Black role. The space is becoming more diverse thanks to directors such as Jordan Peele. Keep scrolling to learn which Black horror films should be included on your must-watch list.

Spell (2020)

This 2020 supernatural thriller follows Marquis Wood, portrayed by Omari Harwick. While traveling to rural Kentucky to attend his father’s funeral, the plane carrying his family crashes following an intense storm. Marquis awakens to find himself alone without his family in the attic of a creepy home belonging to an even weirder woman named Ms. Eloise. Portrayed by Loretta Devine, this mysterious lady promises to nurse Marquis back to health using her hoodoo remedies.  However, it doesn’t take long before he realizes he and his family are in imminent danger. 

Bones (2001)

In this 2001 horror flick, Snoop Dogg tackles the character of Jimmy Bones. In Bones, a popular numbers runner is killed in the late 1970s by a corrupt police officer and drug dealer from the neighborhood.  Two decades after his death, four young adults purchase his old home to transform it into a nightclub.  However, they encounter a dog, who, unbeknownst to them, is Bones reincarnated.  The animal soon becomes violent, killing victims one by one, resurrecting Bones back to full form.  His manifested evil spirit then begins his plan of revenge, getting even with those who brutally killed him. 

Us (2019)

One of Jordan Peele’s multiple entries into Black horror movies, Us is a must-see. In this 2019 twisted thriller, viewers meet Adelaide Wilson, portrayed by Lupita Nyong’o.  In childhood, she undergoes a traumatic experience at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk after wandering away from her parents.  Upon entering a funhouse, she encounters an evil version of herself known as Red.  This situation changes her life, and over thirty years later, while on vacation with her husband, Gabe, played by Winston Duke, and their children, Zora and Jason, she encounters Red and several other terrifying versions of her family.  The youngsters, played by Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex, must work with their parents to outsmart their “tethers.” However, it’s Adelaide who seems to have been living an alternate life the entire time. 

Black Box (2020)

Black Box is a 2020 psychological horror movie that focuses on Nolan Wright, captured by Mamoudou Athie.  After surviving a severe car accident, Wright is suffering from amnesia and grief, having lost his wife in the wreck.  Now a single dad of ten-year-old Ava, portrayed by Amanda Christine, Wright undergoes treatment to regain his memory under the care of Dr. Lilian Brooks, played by Phylicia Rashad.  She uses her “black box” method to try to restore his memory, but Wright quickly learns this treatment is causing more harm than good when he begins to experience unexplained and terrifying visions and “memories.” 

His House (2020)

Another 2020 Black horror film release, His House focuses on Sudanese refugees Bol and Rial, who flee their country with their daughter Nyagak to settle down in an English town.  However, during the treacherous journey, Nyagak and numerous others do not survive the sea.  As the couple, portrayed by Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku, grapple with the tragic loss, the home they are assigned to live in begins exhibiting strange occurrences that the couple desperately tries to survive.