The Power of Horror: Telling Real Stories Through Fear

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Horror movies are more than just entertainment they are a way to tell real stories and reflect the struggles people face in life. For Black people, horror has often erased our real experiences or turned us into stereotypes. In many classic horror films, Black characters are the first to die, are treated as sidekicks, or are made into something otherworldly, like aliens or spiritual guides. This limits how our stories are told and puts us in a box. But horror can also be a tool for survival, problem-solving, and fighting back against the real horrors that exist in our world.

Movies like The Blackening and Candyman show how horror can finally include Black voices and real experiences. The Blackening flips the racist horror trope of "the first to die" by centering on an all-Black cast who are smart, resourceful, and fight back. Instead of being passive victims, they take control of their situation, showing that horror can be a space for Black survival, not just death. Candyman, especially in its 2021 version, connects horror to the real history of racism in the U.S. It ties supernatural terror to the horrors of gentrification, police violence, and forgotten Black stories. These films remind us that horror is not just about ghosts and monsters it can also be about the real fears Black communities face every day.

Professor Due has talked about how Black people's lived experiences are often cut out of cultural narratives. Horror, when done right, can bring these experiences into the spotlight and make sure they are recognized. It can show the value of our lives, the obstacles we face, and the ways we survive. By putting our real fears into movies, horror becomes a way to process trauma, to remember history, and to fight back against the forces that try to erase us.

There is freedom in horror. It allows us to explore survival, resistance, and even hope. Instead of letting horror define Black people as victims, we can use it to tell our own stories on our own terms. When we embrace horror as a way to express real-life struggles, we reclaim our place in the genre and prove that our stories matter. Horror is not just about fear it is about strength, resilience, and the fight to be seen.


Horror equals FREEDOM






DA

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