We all know the rules about certain characters in horror movies. Virgins live. Black people die first. As a horror fan, it used to bother me so much when the black character would be taken out first. It’s one of the reasons I started writing black horror. I wanted people who looked like me to make it to the end. Below are seven horror movies where the black character survives the movie and sometimes even makes it to the sequel! This list is not in any particular order. Also, sorry for the SPOILERS.
1. Deep Blue Sea (1999)
I love a good shark movie, and while Jaws is perhaps the best shark movie ever made, Deep Blue Sea takes the number two spot. It has one of the best horror movie monologues (sorry Samuel L. Jackson, but that scene was brilliant!). And besides being just a great shark movie, the only other black character (played by LL Cool J) survives to the end. It was the 90s which was not only a big year for horror but was a turning point in the “black guy dies first” movie trend.
2. Chain Letter (2010)
Chain Letter is probably the lesser known movie on this list. It’s about a group of high schoolers who are murdered when they refuse to pass on chain mail. Chain Letter feels super nostalgic because chain main really isn’t a thing anymore. And while not being received well, the movie did one thing right. The lone black guy (played by Michael J. Pagan) survives to the end.
3. Get Out (2017)
Get Out is one of the best horror movies of the 21st century. It’s a story that’s so uncomfortably familiar to black people that it feels all too real. It’s why it performed so well. It has so many memorable scenes and lines, and once Rose “tries” to look for those keys, the audience knows it’s on. I don’t think the movie would have been praised so much if the main character (played by Daniel Kaluuya) didn’t live.
4. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer just wasn’t as fun and fresh as the first movie. In fact, it didn’t hold a candle to it. But it did feature two black characters. Unfortunately, only one survived: the girl (played by Brandy Norwood).
5. Urban Legend (1998)
Urban Legend is one of my favorite slasher movies of all time. It is a fun concept for a horror movie. It may be formulaic, but it’s original in its own way. The characters were enjoyable, and one of my favorites, Reese (played by Loretta Devine), lives to the end.
6. The Purge (2013)
The Purge is the first movie in one of the best horror film series ever made. The first movie really sets the series off with a bang. Not only does the black character (played by Edwin Hodge) lives, he becomes an important character throughout the entire series. What he symbolizes is a powerful message and you root for him throughout the entire movie.
7. Scream 2 (1997)
It’s pretty rare that a sequel is just as enjoyable as the first movie, and Scream 2 is one of those rare instances. While the first movie lacked diversity (it was so good that it wasn’t noticeable), the second one incorporates two black characters. The black girl doesn’t survive, but she would have if she’d followed the other black character’s lead (played by Duane Martin). He survived simply by taking himself out of the equation. Why doesn’t everyone just do that?
Charity Williams 