You probably know about the trope where the Black guy always dies first in any horror film. Even if you aren’t a horror fan, you’ve heard about it and seen it parodied ad nauseam. But now, Dr. Robin Means Coleman and film critic Mark H. Harris are tackling the history of said problematic trope in their new book The Black Guy Dies First.
Read the full synopsis for the book below:
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.
Jazz and Kat from Girl That’s Scary spoke with Harris about his first forays into horror, why he wrote this book, and more.
Watch the full interview:
The Black Guy Dies First is available now wherever you get books.
Categorized: Interviews
