Black Horror is Killing It

From “Candyman” to “Get Out,” Black filmmakers are escaping “the sunken place” to lead a renaissance in horror.

Episode Notes

For decades, it has been a running joke that Black characters were the first to die in horror movies. But movies like Nia DaCosta’s Candyman and Jordan Peele’s Get Out are rewriting the script, and creating horror villains and heroes who represent the real Black experience. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Tananarive Due, an award-winning author and producer who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA, to discuss the past and future of Black horror.

Guest: Tananarive Due, award-winning author, and producer who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

About the Show

America doesn’t need another conversation about race. At least, not the kind we’ve been having … the ones that are sparked by a crisis and move quickly from shock to empty promises to forgetting. No. What America needs are REAL conversations about race—ones that shine a light on the facts, the history, and the reality of how race plays out in our politics and society. That’s what Slate offers each week on A Word … with Jason Johnson. A veteran political commentator, Johnson will bring his incisive wit to thoughtful discussions with leaders, journalists, and other change-makers who will tell the truth about America’s challenges around race and offer ideas on the way forward.

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Host

Jason Johnson is a political contributor at MSNBC, host at Sirius XM, politics writer at theGrio.com, professor of politics and journalism at Morgan State University, and author of the book Political Consultants and Campaigns: One Day to Sell.

A Word … With Jason Johnson