Mark H. Harris, film critic and author of The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar

Mark Harris has enjoyed watching horror movies since the age of
about 10 or 12. Growing up in the 1980's with so few Black
characters on TV or in movies, he always noticed when there was a
person of color onscreen. It stood out even more in horror, and the
Black character would inevitably end up dead since they were never
the main character. As an African American horror movie fan, he
decided to start keeping track of the countless ways in which Black
characters were killed. In 2005, Mark started the website Black
Horror Movies, where he reviews the portrayal of Black characters
in genre movies all the way back to the beginnings of cinema.
Mark's website provided a lot of the background information he and
co-author Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman needed for their book, The
Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar.
While the subject matter is serious, The Black Guy Dies First is a
fun read, written with humor and insight. It includes lots of pop
culture references, timelines, photos and concrete examples of
Black representation in horror. Mark and Ben discuss many of the
topics and issues raised in The Black Guy Dies First. Horror movies
have always been seen as the ugly stepchild of Hollywood, and many
people still think of horror as inconsequential. But this also
allows horror movies to be transgressive, and push boundaries
because the expectations for it to perform with mainstream
audiences are low. Scary movies have a tendency to explore
different avenues and reflect society's fears and anxieties. Race
in America is one of the biggest touchstones as far as fear and
anxiety, so it's valuable to analyze it as part of the horror
genre. The trope of “the black guy dies first” is a history of how
Black characters have been marginalized in movies. Since they are
never the lead character, they are disposable. One of the
exceptions, Night of The Living Dead, was ahead of its time,
because it had a Black character in the lead. This made it an
outlier in the history of black characters dying. Other cliches and
stereotypes Mark sees that marginalize African Americans in horror
are: The Best Friend, The Voice of Reason, The Authority Figure
(such as a Black cop), The Sacrificial Negro (the character who
somehow decides not to save themselves, even if they could), and
The Magical Negro (who is just there to help the white main
character, such as in The Shining.) Mark does see the horror genre
finally changing for the better- Jordan Peele's Get Out was a
runaway smash, which has allowed for more Black leads in horror
movies and across all film genres. And he was genuinely surprised
that Peele's NOPE got any kind of Oscar buzz in 2023 (though it did
not receive any nominations.) Other recent films such as His House,
Master, and Nanny actively explore the social issues and history of
Black trauma. Mark agrees that the best way to increase diversity
in front of the camera is to increase diversity behind the camera.
When people of color are writing and directing, it empowers the
development of strong characters and provides opportunities for
diverse points of view. In Hollywood, there has always been the
excuse that too many Black leads in a movie would make it a “Black
movie” and therefore not appeal to all audiences or do well
internationally. But now, a lot of blockbusters have people of
color as the lead, which seems to prove that this attitude is
changing. At the same time, it's important for filmmakers to not
necessarily try to make the next Get Out- often, social commentary
can feel wedged into the storytelling, when it didn't need to be.
Mark feels that the key to Black horror is to show range in the
storytelling, but it doesn't always have to be so serious. As a
genre, horror is the most self-aware of its tropes and tendencies,
so it is constantly challenging itself to change things up and find
better ways to scare you. Find Mark Harris:
https://www.blackhorrormovies.com/ Twitter @blacula