Black History Month 2016: Top 20 Best Horror Movie Characters of Color
Staci Layne Wilson
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It’s become a cliché: “The black guy always dies first” in a horror film. Of course, as times change, so do the movies; and the token cannon fodder has morphed into the main character in a good number of thrillers, slashers, and supernatural chillers.
The tide began to turn in the 1970s with the golden age of Blaxploitation, then things changed for the better when Candyman came along, and now we have all kinds of villains and heroes of color in fright flicks about vampires, monsters, shapeshifters, ghosts, demons, and serial slayers. It’s even better on TV (thanks, Shonda Rhimes, Bryan Fuller, and Ryan Murphy!); but for the sake of brevity, we’re sticking with features here.
In honor of Black History Month 2016, here are 20 of the best characters of color in horror films.
20. Duane Martin as Joel the Cameraman – Scream 2
19. Geretta Giancarlo as Rosemary – Dèmoni
18. Frankie Faison as Barney – The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Red Dragon
17. Fred Williamson as Frost – From Dusk Till Dawn
16. Clarence Williams III as Mr. Simms – Tales from the Hood
15. Glynn Turman as Isaac – J.D’s Revenge
14. Yaphet Kotto as Parker – Alien
13. Keith David as Frank – They Live
12. Aaliyah as Akasha – Queen of the Damned
11. Ken Foree as Charlie – The Devil’s Rejects
