#Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror

[saucy-mesothelioma]

October 12th: Supernatural Horror | Candyman

Candyman was released in 1992 and was directed by Bernard Rose. Everybody's heard the legend of the Candyman: if you say his name five times in the mirror, he'll appear to kill you. So when graduate student Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) is researching superstitions in a housing project on Chicago's Near North Side and hears about the legend from a woman named Anne-Marie McCoy (Vanessa Williams), she's instantly skeptical. Anne-Marie tells Helen that her neighbors believe Candyman is responsible for a recent murder, so the graduate student decides to try the ritual for herself. At first nothing happens, but when a mysterious man (Tony Todd) matching the description of the legend begins to stalk her, Helen learns that there may be more fact behind the fiction than she initially thought.

Although I will be attempting to explain part of why Candyman is such an influential film, I understand that as a white person I am in no way qualified to discuss in-depth the topics of race that are very prevalent in this film. Therefore, I would like to direct you to the wonderful documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror directed by Xavier Burgin, as it gives a fantastic history of black filmmaking and representation in the horror genre as well as including some interviews with legends of the horror genre, including Tony Todd who plays the Candyman in this film. Candyman was released during the LA Riots and in the wake of the Rodney King trial, and it touches on topics from gang activity to ignored Black neighborhoods. It has almost unparalleled realism when it comes to the supernatural sub-genre, especially since the Candyman's backstory is horrifyingly similar to brutal murders suffered by many African Americans in the United States. It doesn't shy away with its themes, and that makes it a very impactful watch.

It can be watched for free on Internet Archive. Content Warnings for the Film (may include spoilers): violence, adultery, jumpscares, kidnapping, possible reinforcements of hurtful stereotypes, lynching (mentioned, not shown), a lotta bees, blood, dog death, mental hospitals

[schlock-luster-video]

On July 15, 1954, Dial M for Murder debuted in London, England.

[meerawrites]

Black Vampires!

Below the cut you’ll find a list of 10 pieces of vampire media centring black folks by black folks, happy black history month!

1. Fledgling by Octavia Butler (see more)

2.The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomèz

3.House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

4.Darknesses by Lachelle Seville

5.My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due

6.Slay: the stories of the vampire noire by multiple authors

7.Horror Noire (documentary on AMC+)

8.Vampires in Brooklyn (movie)

9.The Dark World Series by @writingvampires

10.The Black Vampyre (1819) by Uriah Derick D'Arcy, problematic themes and handling of blackness, however our black protagonist vampire, a black bisexual (implied) vampire protagonist is very AMC-Louis-like and it’s important for understanding the others as groundbreaking and reclaiming their stories as they are.

Happy Black History month! I rarely make booklists like this, however, it recently came to my attention that some people aren’t aware of the brilliant subgenre that is gothic/horror written by people of global majority (colour), given it is black history month this list focuses on black people vampire stories written by black people, most of which are also queer (cause vampires are queer af). Allyship is the bare minimum, if we as a society are to grow at all from our forefathers we must understand that our ancestors were flawed, unlearn internalized biases (racism etc), and make intersectional spaces for everyone. I’ve kept it to 10 for my own ability to count everything, I can say with most certainty there’s more out there. These are just the ones I’ve read/watched and have influenced me the most.

[tiredmagicalwarrior]

I think one of the things I appreciated the most about Nocturne was the protagonism on the Haitian Revolution.

This was a revolution that didn't just change Haiti, it changed the world. This was the revolution that would make the first black state. The first slaveless state. That would make every slave nation tremble with fear, from Europe To America to Asia to Oceania to Africa. It was what was never meant to happen, but did.

It's the nation that would defeat Napoleon and the British marine. Nobody could take down Haiti. You know why Napoleon went to colonize Europe? Haiti. That's why. He couldn't take down Haiti. Couldn't make it french territory again. So, he turned towards Europe.

We are talking about an undefeated nation.

AND! AND! A largely Vodu nation!

I was SO happy to see Vodu be portrayed as the wonderful religion it is, sacred and divinely intertwined with the Haitian revolution. The revolution was noted to start with Vodu chants and ritual.

White people refused to understand the link between the two worlds that could bring ancestors to meet their descendants. They created zombies as a horror trope. They made vodu dolls as a horror gimmick. They took a sacred religion and reduced it and vilanized it.

And I'm so happy to see it being positively portrayed in such a famous media. Vodu practicioners have already made media of the like. But I was positively surprised with what Nocturne had to present to us.

Of course, the knowledge that the french revolution was incomplete, that it was NOT FOR EVERYONE, is then again, something I really appreciate as a history student and a person. The french revolution killed mostly peasent and established the bourgeoisie, but did it end the Noir Code? No. Did it establish women's and black people's suffrage? No. Did it make a agrarian reform? No. Was it for the people? It had it's importance. But it was, at the very least, not for all the people.

And let's not forget that the french revolution's main intellectual current would birth biological racism, an unscientific current that claimed evidence of "different sized skulls" for example to prove humans possessed different races based on phenotypes.

Last, but certainly not least: it is absurd to see people claim that "all indigenous people have been killed". Acknowledging multi-ethnic indigenous genocide HAS to go along with the respect that there STILL are indigenous people and they continue their fight for their lives and land.

You know who the show demonstrates as such? Olrox.

While I don't appreciate the show claiming "all of his people were slaughtered" as that is historically inaccurate, I was most happy to see an Aztec vampire present and very alive, connected to his culture, protagonizing the show. The Nahua are still very much alive and kicking and I appreciated that the show took that into account.

And Annette! Sweet Annette being one of the leads makes me most joyful. I can't stand idiots that claim her presence.on France was """historically innacurate""", check again, dumbasses, free black people were all over France (especially the children of black Caribbean elites, for example, from Haiti back then known as Saint-Domingue, which did not possess universities and would sent their children to study in Europe.)

Anyway. To see her star as one of the leads made me so incredibly happy. She's a wonderful character and I appreciate how they let Annette be unapologetic and direct, especially during a moment between revolutions were she was very aware the french revolution didn't mean shit to her people.

But she was so lovely and to see her afro-caribean religion present AND source of her power made me emotional more than a few times.

Castlevania Nocturne really did hit this nail on the head.

Anyways. To make sure I give people answers to "but where's the evidence to x thing you said?" Here are my sources:

THYLEFORS, Markel; “Our Government is in Bwa Kayiman:”A Vodou Ceremony in 1791 and its Contemporary Significations, 2009

DUBOIS, Laurent; Avengers of the New World : the story of the Haitian Revolution, 2004

BUCK-MORSS, Susan; Hegel, Haiti and universal history, 2009

[haveyoureadthispoll]

A definitive and surprising exploration of the history of Black horror films, after the rising success of Get Out , Candyman , and Lovecraft Country from creators behind the acclaimed documentary, Horror Noire. The Black Guy Dies First explores the Black journey in modern horror cinema, from the fodder epitomized by Spider Baby to the Oscar-​winning cinematic heights of Get Out and beyond. This eye-opening book delves into the themes, tropes, and traits that have come to characterize Black roles in horror since 1968, a year in which race made national headlines in iconic moments from the enactment of the 1968 Civil Rights Act and Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in April. This timely book is a must-read for cinema and horror fans alike.

[goryhorroor]

I really want to watch some more horror documentaries (about the genre in general or about a specific movie or a certain time period, whatever really), but they are kind of hard to find online? Do you have any reccomendations on where a good place to stream/find horror docs might be?

i know shudder has some really good ones especially about 80s horror which is in i believe three parts, and they're making a 90s ones as well. but here are some of my favorites:

flesh & blood: the hammer heritage of horror

the american nightmare (about indie horror & its impact)

in search of darkness: a journey into iconic 80s horror (this is the shudder 3 part series)

never sleep again: the elm street legacy

room 237 (about the shining)

scream: the inside story

more brains! a return to the living dead

birth of the living dead (obviously about george romero)

memory: the origins of alien

horror noire: a history of black horror

nightmares in red, white and blue: evolution of the american horror film

woodlands dark and days betwitched: a history of folk horror

there's some free ones on youtube that are in the form of kinda like a documentary, shudder, and i use watchseries.com (but this has ads to be extremely careful) so there might be some on there!

[bloodstainsandconfetti]

Another one on the list of vintage films that are good records of how antiblackness of our culture reflects in the media we produce.

PREHISTORIC WOMEN (1950)

[annebonnydyke]

So you’ve had fun Goncharov posting and now you actually want it to be real

(Disclaimer that this is my own opinion based on the vibes I get from Goncharov and you might not necessarily agree with me. Also blanket content warning most of these work deal heavily with domestic abuse, violence, racism, and sexual assualt)

1. The Godfather Part 1 and 2- as far as I can tell this is where most of the Goncharov gifsets come from. This is one of those movies people constantly tell you is amazing and when you finally sit down and watch you get upset bc they were right. They’re regarded as some of the best and most important movies in the film canon for a reason. Mafia movies about the corruption of the soul, inescapable cycles, being doomed by The Narrative™ and of course young hot and sexy Al Pacino and Robert De Niro.

2. House of Leaves- for people who enjoy the interpretation of a nonexistent work part of Goncharov, House of Leaves is partly a horror story about a house that bigger on the inside, partly an academic analysis of the nonexistent record of that horror, partly the story of a man’s psychological unraveling, partly a critique of cold academic analysis, and partly a love story. If your favorite part of Goncharov was the metanalysis of a work that doesn’t exist and trying to fit all the pieces together this ones for you.

3. The Handmaiden- for all the people who love Katya and Sofia, two women stuck in their place in the world, who love each other but end up betraying each other. The Handmaiden is psychological thriller about a Korean pickpocket who is sent to con a Japanese noblewoman out of her fortune. Deals heavily with themes of deceit, betrayal, queer love, imperialism, and a woman’s place in a world controlled by men. My favorite movie of all time, highly recommend.

4. Black Sails- truthfully only tangentially similar vibe-wise to Goncharov but as a black sails blog the mutuals would have my head if I didn’t include it on this list and trust me the Goncharov to Black Sails pipeline is very real. Fans of clock symbolism and being being trapped by The Narrative™ will greatly enjoy this one. also that Katya/Sofia and Eleanor/Max/Anne parallels are real and I can prove it and don’t get me started on the Silver and Andrey parallels.

5. Bound (1996)- another one for the Katya/Sofia girlies out there. Two women hatch a plot to steal millions from the mafia, but will they make it out alive? Great style and cinematography and much more punchy and action heavy than the the rest of these. Its a very good modern film noir and the first feature film directed by the Wachowski sisters. Also a much shorter movie (1 hour and 48 minutes) if longer runtimes aren’t your thing.

Honorable Mentions

1. Goodfellas- I personally haven’t seen Goodfellas yet so can’t really give my opinion on it however if you actually want a mafia movie directed by Martin Scorsese starring Robert De Niro here’s one you can actually watch. My friend Angel says this ones really good and I trust their opinion

2. War and Peace 1966-67- again I haven’t seen this one but my friend Bianca really liked this one and tells me whenever she pictures Goncharov she imagines this. From what I gather people who are interested in how soviet history affected the art of the time and enjoy complicated relationship drama will enjoy this one. Also if you’re into very long media this one is split into 4 parts and clocks in at a crisp 7 hours.

If anyone has other suggestions let me know! I love getting recommendations :)

[lets-steal-an-archive]

TJ MIKELOGAN's HALLOWEEN 2024 EVENT

DAY 17: POC in Horror

"Black Horror" as defined by Means Coleman, Robin R. (2023). Horror Noire: A History of Black American Horror from the 1890s to Present, 2nd ed.

The PDF version of Horror Noire is free via OAPEN Online Library of Open Access Books <https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/93113>

Read the screenplays:

Blacula (1972)

Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)

Eve's Bayou (1997)

Beloved (1998)

Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)

Scary Movie (2000)

Get Out (2017)

The First Purge (2018)

Us (2019)

Candyman (2021)

Master (2022)

Nope (2022)

[switchedandbewitched]

Switched and Bewitched Chapter 6: #25 Menace at Mummy Manor? Got it.

Read more on AO3!

Velma’s head whipped to the left and suddenly she shouted, “Fred! There! Pull over!” 

“Pulling over!” Fred responded. The Mystery Machine seemed to dive into the nearest on street parking spot, jolting abruptly as it tapped the curb. 

"Like, what is it, Velma?" Shaggy asked. Instead of responding, she unclipped her seatbelt, hopped onto the sidewalk, and began making a beeline for a store across the street. Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Scooby looked at one another and shrugged, following suit. The Gang found themselves standing in front of an old brick building. Across the storefront window it said "Dinkley's Mystery Book Shoppe" in spooky lettering. 

"I want to go in," Velma stated. Her tone alone made it clear there would be no changing her mind, and her face only reinforced the point. 

"If we're smart about it..." Fred started. 

"And really careful," Daphne added. 

"Have I ever been known not to be smart or careful?" 

"That is, like, a good point." 

They all shrugged at each other again and opened the shop door, which made a pleasant chime. The shop was small and crammed with shelves anywhere they could fit. Handmade signs hung over each section, indicating the location of genres such as noir, gumshoe, and graphic novel. At 3:00pm on Wednesday, the shop was far from crowded, but a few older folks milled about or sat in overstuffed chairs near the front window. 

Velma surveyed the story until her eye caught the clerk behind the register. "Jinkies!" She exclaimed. Behind the register was a young woman, not much older than Velma, who bore a striking resemblance to Velma's younger sister. 

"I know that feeling, man," Shaggy said. He still hadn't recovered from meeting Tim. 

Velma slowly approached the counter and cleared her throat. "Um, h-hello. I kn-know this is a mystery shop, however I'm looking for books on local history?" 

"Hi! Yes, of course. We have a small selection of other genres if you go through the door in the back." The clerk pointed to a black door. "Are there any titles in particular I can help you find? We can always order something." 

"N-no. Thank you." Velma scurried towards the back, waving at The Gang to follow her back. Much like the main room, the back of the store was crammed with books. Genres included romance, sci-fi, horror, occult, history, and old textbooks from the local universities. Velma began pulling dusty books from the shelves they had no doubt sat on for years and piled them on a table in the middle of the room. She opened one up and sat down. 

Daphne peered over her shoulder, "What are you looking for?" 

Shaggy, Fred, and Scooby joined them, also leaning over Velma's shoulder. "History of Magical Items in North America," Fred read aloud. "Damn, this is a great find, Velma." 

"Maybe it will help identify that object in the crime scene photo," Daphne said. 

"I'm counting on it. But in case it doesn't, I think we should get these, too." Velma stacked nearly a dozen books into a neat pile and hauled herself to her feat. The stack contained riveting titles such as "Coolsville 4: Alien Abduction?", "Unsolved California: The Missing Coolsville 4", and "Dark Arts for Dummies." 

"And this one. Just for fun," Fred said. He held up a book titled "Hair-Raisers #25 Menace at Mummy Manor" and scooped half the books from Velma's arms. "Ready, Gang?" 

“Find everything you were looking for?” the clerk asked with a big customer service smile. 

“Yes, thank you,” Velma responded. Velma studied the clerk more closely as she scanned each book. “Can I ask you a question?” The clerk nodded and continued scanning the books. “Is this Dinkley’s Mystery Book Shoppe, as in Velma Dinkley, the missing teenager?”

The clerk’s customer service persona wavered slightly. She was clearly sick of answering this question. “Yes, ma’am! Same family.” 

“How are you related to Velma Dinkley, if you don’t mind my asking?” Fred asked. 

“Velma was my great-aunt. I never met her of course, so I can’t tell you anymore than these books can.”

“This store is really lovely. Do you own it?” Daphne asked. 

The clerk laughed. “No, I just work here part-time while I’m in college. The store belongs to my parents,” she said, putting the books into a cloth bag. “Here,  free bag on the house. It’s been a while since anyone bought this many books. Will that be cash or card?” 

Velma pulled out her shiny new debit card, belonging to her alter ego Nicole Jaffe, and fumbled with the chip and keypad for a minute. 

“Thank you so much! Have a great day!” 

Velma scooped up her books and hurried out the door, throwing herself into the Mystery Machine. 

“Rare rou rokay, Relma?” Scooby asked. 

“Like, yeah, Velma. You seem upset, what’s wrong?” Shaggy added. 

Velma drew her knees to her chest and sank into the bench seat. Tears streamed down her face. “They just moved on! Our families moved on! They got married and had kids and opened businesses and moved away. It’s like we never even existed, except for these true crime books and shows. I wanted to be the one opening Dinkley’s Mystery Book Shoppe and I wanted to see Madelyn grow up and have children and meet her grandchildren. That woman in the store should know who I am.”

Daphne gathered Velma into a hug. “I know this is hard, Velma. This is really, really hard. I’m looking at it like this: it’s better that our families moved on and lived fulfilling lives. I wouldn’t have wanted my parents or sisters to sit around mourning me forever, especially when I’m not even dead! We’re right here and we’re going to get back home. This won’t matter eventually.” 

“There’s even some good things,” Fred said. “Think about all the scientific advances you’re getting a sneak peek into. Look how far surveillance and trapping technology has come! Mystery-solving in 2022 has to be at least ten times as fun.” 

Velma wiped her face with the sleeve of her sweater and sniffled. “Thank you. You’re both right.”  

Shaggy joined what had now turned into a group hug. “Like, let’s go get some weird, overpriced food and then head back to the estate.” 

Back at the Shaggleford Manor, The Gang snuck into one of the basement conference rooms and spread out their books. Daphne found notebooks, pens, and post-its in a supply closet and began handing them out. The Gang wasn’t avoiding Tim exactly, but he had more than gotten on all of their nerves over the last week with his constant scheduling and hand-wringing. And so, they delved into research, highlighting, sticky noting, and murmuring “hmm” for nearly an hour before Tim made his way to the conference room. 

“There you are! I was expecting you t-to report b-back when you arrived home,” He said, miffed. 

The Gang let out a collective sigh and looked at him, “Not now!” 

Taken aback, he turned on his heel and made a “tut-tut” noise as he left the room.

Their noses went back into their books for a few more hours, until Fred finally said, “Alright, Gang, what d’you have?” 

“Like, not a whole lot, Freddie. This book has a lot of information, but, like, most of it isn’t useful information,” Shaggy replied, waving around Dark Arts for Dummies. “There’s a section on sending an object to another place using a magic globe, ya know, geographically-speaking. It, like, doesn’t mention any trippy time-travel.”

Velma pinned the photo of the unidentified gold object to the corkboard. “I found three possibilities in this book, but I am not convinced, yet. First we have this pocket watch, supposedly created by a British watchmaker turned warlock. The book indicates it is used to slow down or speed up time in the immediate area.” Velma ripped the page from History and Origins of Mystical Items in the West and then set the book on the table. She picked up another and ripped out another page. “True Crime Coolsville describes an unsolved missing person’s case where the man claims to have found some kind of statue in the woods and subsequently disappeared for 3 years. No memory of those three years, no clues.” 

“We didn’t go missing from Coolsville, Velma. Do we really think that talisman is an option?” Daphne asked. 

“Daphne has a point. We were in Gatorsburg when everything happened,” Fred said. 

“I am willing to put all possibilities on the board, even remote ones. Do you disagree?”

“No, that’s fair,” Fred responded. “We don’t have anything to lose by exploring all the options.” 

Velma tacked the final option to the board. “This is a bronze medallion said to be used to invoke the powers of Roman god Janus, god of time, beginnings, and related concepts. I’m the least convinced this is a possibility. Time travel... fine. Gods? No, I think that is too much.” 

“We have to go back to Gatorsburg,” Fred asserted. “And we should go back to the forest we landed in.”

The Gang nodded. 

“A logical course of action,” Velma said.

"Tomorrow morning, let's split up and look for clues. Daphne and I will go back to the forest. Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma -- you head to Gatorsburg."

"Like, go back to the creepy forest where a witch sent us into the future? Uh uh. No way, no how. Count us out." 

Daphne smirked. "Would you do it for a Scooby snack?" 

"Raphne, rey don't rake real Rooby racks in 2022." Scooby was right. He had discovered that even the ‘Scooby-Snack’ dispensing machine in the new Mystery Machine was filled with knock-off dog biscuits. 

Daphne reached into her pocket and pulled out two biscuits.

Read more on AO3!

[pink-evilette]

I rly want to understand the coquette subculture. It seems neat! but I'm so confused. I thought I got it, but the more I look into it, the less coherency I see (at least, in a way I understand). I don't see any consistent color palettes, textiles, topics, ideology, makeup, hairstyles, music, community language or signals. I can see ballgowns & lace w/ glitter & then tshirts and flannels in a dingy laundromat. I've seen people recommend Little Women & American Psycho in the same breath w/ no further elaboration. Celebrities w/ completely separate style influences are often grouped together. I see a lot of idealization of wealthy femininity ("old money", luxury brands, mostly rich celebrities, preppy vibes, heavy amounts of skincare/selfcare/"wellness" routines which cost $$$$) but also lots of depictions life's struggle w mental illness, substance abuse, & others things commonly associated w poverty & lack of class/femininity (Cigarettes, sweatshirts, the aforementioned laundromat, not eating, pills, speculating about Anya Taylor Joy's coping mechanisms??). What is it that unifies y'all? What is it that I'm missing? I feel so lost & I want to figure it out :/

this is a great question and I can totally understand your confusion! the way I see coquette/faunlet is more of an attitude than a specific style/aesthetic but I still call it an aesthetic if that makes any sense. it's about reclaiming your own girlhood in whatever way that looks to you, we all look and dress differently but have the same sorta energy that connects us as a community.

it all began with nymphet, which was all about classic americana, lolita, lana del rey, gingham, coca cola, diners, priscilla presley etc. but the tag got censored by tumblr because many kink blogs were infiltrating this innocent subculture with sexual material. in this era girls were feeling connected to dolores haze from lolita through their own experiences and related to her as a tragic figure.

the community was revived many times but the current home of the community is with @coquette-club which was created by @lovesickbrat and also used by @bbabyyy ♡ there is a lot more to our history that I'm missing out on but if you look on my blog you will find more explanations.

there are many subtypes of coquette which is why you see so many conflicting aesthetics within the tag, from coquette noir (which is like an expression of French new wave film stars, 1920s aesthetics, Betty boop, mainly black outfits etc.) to bubblegum coquette (all things pink and girly, electra heart era marina and the diamonds, barbie etc.) and many coquettes on here either fit into these substyles or blend some together to make their own personal style!

the old money aesthetic is popular but controversial due to its implications, and I'm personally more into the thrifty side of coquette, and using pieces that I've had for years in my looks.

as a community we usually try to distance ourselves from the pro-ed/pro-ana communities as they can be harmful to our vulnerable members, since they promote eds and make them look glamorous which is something we don't want associated with our subculture.

I hope this answers your question - in short, coquette is about being authentic to yourself, reclaiming girlhood, community and sisterhood, incorporating your own aesthetics and interests (e.g. horror coquette) and expression ♡ if you have any more questions I'll try my best to answer them!

[schlock-luster-video]

On October 20, 1978, The Eyes of Laura Mars debuted in West Germany.

Here's a new drawing of Faye Dunaway!

[horrornoirenetwork]

“We've always loved horror. It's just that horror, unfortunately, hasn't always loved us.” —Tananarive Due, Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019)

This blog is dedicated to Black Horror and Black characters in horror across all mediums. We track #hnnetwork. If you are interested in being a member, fill out this form.

[transman-badass]

All of these stories feature gay trans man protagonists, with rich settings and diverse casts. Click the cut for info

Black Velvet is a gothic fantasy story set in a world of eternal night, where a 19yo detective for hire is trapped in a castle by a violent storm, and must free the castle’s inhabitants from the vampires who imprison them - and save himself from the vampire god who plans to claim him, and corrupt the handsome, powerful nobleman he works for. --First in the Runner Owen Series --Tropes: Victorian aesthetics - reincarnation - dreams both ominous and steamy - magic allergies - hetero romance sideplot --CW: slavery, blood, character death, possibly more

Enthralled is a Cthulhu Mythos story set during the early days of the Great Depression, where a private detective and his secretary best friend scheme to take down a mysterious mobster that controls the whole city. It doesn’t go well for them. It also features the events of the Lovecraft tale Dreams in the Witch House as a subplot.  --First in the Pharaoh Syndicate Investigations series --Tropes: bad ending - told with hindsight - found family - everyone has secrets - eldritch worship - Cthulhu Mythos gods that aren’t Cthulhu! -  --CW: period typical bigotry, character death, discussions of human sacrifice, body horror, possible discussion of child abuse, possibly more

Lionheart is an erotic urban fantasy thriller set in the present day American south, where a 32yo agent from a supernatural organization infiltrates a private university to investigate a possible terrorist cell, only to be targeted by the school prince, a punk unicorn with a human form and dark desires for the new temporary professor. A teacher/student tale where the power imbalance is not in the teacher’s favor. --Stand alone? --Tropes: rich people are assholes - fish out of water scenario - token human MC - shameful pasts - older than they look - so many secrets --CW: bullying, misogynistic characters (not sexualized), dubcon (potentially?), possibly more

If you've read this far and are interested in any of these, please reblog this post. I'd like to hear your thoughts!

[soulsanitarium]

📝The BWP causes us to interrogate our assumptions around the relationship of Truth to narrative and to scientific methodology. It borrows from histories and myths that are already half known. The audience is not given a story, it is given evidence, and out of that evidence the audience itself makes the narrative; the facts seem to speak for themselves. (1)

🪞Foucault uses the term "heterotopia" to describe spaces that have more layers of meaning or relationships to other places than immediately meet the eye.The students occupy a real standpoint in the Black Hill Forest, but like the case of the mirror, they cannot pass through the virtual point and detect the witch. There is a connection between the witch as the monstrous-feminine and the woods as the regenerative womb. (2)

🏚️If masochism is the dominant perversion here, the audience shares the fearful yet pleasurable passivity and helplessness of Mike, Heather and Josh as their debasement is performed before us. (3)

⚫️The Blair Witch Project uses and manipulates public history continually and cleverly throughout. The history that a community develops, not through a conscious, adult study of academic history, but through exposure to films, television, primary-school history lessons, popular literature and folklore. But instead of comforting the public through a celebration of shared myths of the past, the project produces unease, like a dark-mirror image, a doppelgänger. It redirects the historical imagination to less comfortable ends. (1)

📹The source of horror actually conceals itself from the characters via their own technological dependency, an effect amplified in the final scene inside the house.(3)

Sources:

1. Morgan, Sally J. (2001). Heritage Noire: truth, history, and colonial anxiety in The Blair Witch Project. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 7:2, 137-148.

2. Genish, E. (2015). The Invisible Monstrous Feminine: The Blair Witch and her heterotopic woods.

3. Powell, A. (2002). Kicking the Map Away -

The Blair Witch Project, Deleuze and the Aesthetics of Horror. Spectator.

[blackfilmshowdown]

Hey Y'all!

Once again, thank you for participating and thank you for being so patient Here's the results from the first round!

Round one matchups 1.Us (2019) vs. Get Out (2017) 2. Candyman (2021) vs.Tales from the Hood 3 (2020) 3. The People Under the Stairs (1991) vs. Nope (2022) 4. Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) vs. Vampires vs The Bronx (2020) 5. Horror Noire (2021) vs.Tales from the Hood (1995) 6. Scream Blacula Scream (1973) vs. Ganja & Hess (1973) 7. Nanny (2022) vs. Black Box (2020) 8. His House (2020) vs They Cloned Tyrone (2023) 9. Bones (2001) vs. Def by Temptation (1990) [TIED] 10. The Blackening (2023) vs. Tales from the Hood 2 (2018) 11. Suicide By Sunlight (2019) vs.Blacula (1972) 12. The Thing Two Heads (1972) vs. Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019) 13.

Winners Get Out Candyman Nope Vampire in Brooklyn Tales from the Hood Ganja & Hess Nanny They Cloned Tyrone The Blackening Blacula Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror

Now, Before we start round two,

We need a tiebreaker round for Bones and Def by Temptation, which I will post tomorrow! Once again, thank you for your patience <3