We Need More Films Like Black Box — Fearless & Favoured

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How many times have you watched a horror film and the first person to go was the black character? They somehow just couldn’t keep up with their white friends or took a wrong turn down an unassuming hallway. Or maybe there was no black character at all (like in Tim Burton movies because he said his movies don’t call for black characters). Maybe you’ve watched films like “Get Out” or “Antebellum”, where the horror revolved around the character’s blackness. The horror was being black in America.

These race-based horror films have merit of course. “Get Out” made people see the dangers that lie within white “woke” liberalism, something most people are hesitant to discuss head-on. “Antebellum” discussed the well-known fact that there are still people who want to see black people in chains. Both speak truth to the state of America right now, but man, sometimes I just want to watch horror and the monster not be so realistic.

The Horror/Thriller genre for me has become one of my favorite genres during the pandemic because it provides the perfect amount of escapism in a tight 90 minutes. As I began to dive into black horror, I noticed a common theme—racism. Again, nothing wrong with these films, they just don’t allow me to escape my everyday reality.

Most recently, my dad and I discovered a new Blumhouse film, “Black Box”, featuring the iconic Phylicia Rashad and relative newcomer, Mamoudou Athie. We had heard about it through critics’ reviews and were excited to see black people as the stars of a thriller film. I will admit, I expected the film to revolve around systemic oppression/racism as that is what I am accustomed to, but was pleasantly surprised.

The film opens with a man clearly dealing with amnesia after a major accident that has killed his wife. He is struggling to be a father to a daughter he does not remember and maintain a life he isn’t sure was ever his. He goes to see a brain specialist, played by Rashad, who claims she can help him remember his life using a technology called, Black Box. Using the technology, he begins to discover that something more sinister than amnesia is happening to him.

If it isn’t clear, you NEED to watch this film on Amazon Prime. Not only was it a good movie with twists and turns, but it was also a black horror film that featured a monster other than racism. The all-black cast was stellar and, Athie in particular did an amazing job at playing a man whose brain is fighting unknown demons. I say all of this to say that it felt good to see black people being people, experiencing horror not focusing on their race. Escapism at its finest!

Next up on my black horror film list is “Bad Hair” on Hulu. I am excited to see a movie revolving around black women specifically! I am hoping that as we move towards more complex roles being given to black actors that we will see an expansion in genres such as horror. Another movie that comes to mind is Jordan Peele’s “Us” (about a black family who are being hunted by their doppelgängers) but I want to see more. We live in a scary world and sometimes after I turn off my tv, I want the comfort of knowing the monster stays in the movie and not right outside my door.

I love watching horror/thriller movies during the month of October. Do you know of other non-race related black horror films? Give me some recommendations in the comments.

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