Our Top Modern Horror Films Starring Black Actors from 1997 to 2016.
It’s Black History Month! Join Married to Horror in celebrating the accomplishments of black actors in the horror genre. In a lot of horror films while I was growing up, either the person of color was killed off early or they didn’t play an important role. So, I wanted to share a list of horror movies that were influential for me that left an impact. This list of films starts in the mid-90s and leads up to 2016 and shows how black actors were depicted during that time. The role of black actors began to change in the late 90s and into the 2000s from the “first to die” or “magical negro” to prominently featured. There were horror movies in the early 2000s that starred African American icons such as Aaliyah, Busta Rhymes, Tyra Banks, Will Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, and more.
If you’re interested in watching some classic films check out the Top 25 Influential and Classic Horror Films Featuring Black Actors list. Also, check out our more current list of horror content The Black Renaissance of Horror: A Moden List of Films to Watch Starring Black Actors which takes place from 2017 to today after the release of Jordan Peele‘s Get Out. Such a pivotal moment in the horror genre for a black-led and directed film to win an Academy Award!
Films are listed in chronological order by date of release.
Anaconda (1997): A nature documentary film team is taken hostage in the Amazon by a deranged man hellbent on capturing the world’s largest and most dangerous snake.
Anaconda has become a classic. Man vs. Nature. What’s scarier than a snake squeezing the life out of you? Jon Voight is a delight to watch. He’s just terrifying in the film. Ice Cube is so badass and gives those snakes a run for their money! This was huge for black actors in the horror genre in the 90s and Ice Cube’s 7th film. In 2001, he went on to do another horror film Ghost of Mars but has mainly stuck with action, drama, and comedy in his acting career. The Anaconda franchise garnered four more sequels and there’s a reboot in development now!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Available only for rental.
Event Horizon (1997): A space expedition goes to investigate a crew that disappeared into a black hole and are met with strange happenings as they realize a malevolent entity is on board with them.
Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat) Event Horizon TERRIFIED me! Duality and parallel universes and that playback scene!!! If you’ve seen it you know. Laurence Fishburne went from a small little role 10 years previously in Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors to being TOP BILLED and a leading role in this picture. Come on Larry!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Available for rental only.
Scream 2 (1997): Two years after the murders in Woodsboro, Sidney starts over in college. Just as she’s starting to feel a sense of normalcy the Ghostface murder spree continues and with original killers dead it could be anyone…
Okay, I love the first Scream movie. I REALLY do but it virtually has NO diversity. I chalked it up to mid-west small town. In the direct sequel, Sidney goes off to college and the franchise makes up for it. Omar Epps and Jada Pinkett Smith make a memorable appearance and Elise Neal plays Sidney’s best friend. Duane Martin plays the short-lived role of Joel, Gale Weather’s cameraman who quickly quits when he finds out the situation and even says, “Brothers don’t last long in situations like this.”
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: HBO MAX and available for rent.
Spawn (1997): Based on the comic book, Spawn tells the origin story of Al Simmons, a murdered U.S. Marine who returns from the dead as the hesitant leader of Hell’s army.
Spawn is one of the first groundbreaking films to star a black actor playing a comic book superhero, Michael Jai White. Theresa Randle plays his fiancé. In the comic, Terry Fitzgerald, Al Simmons’ best friend is black. However, Terry is white in the movie and played by D. B. Sweeney. Todd McFarlane has said that this change was made by the studio to avoid having too many black leads. They believed this would give the impression that the film’s target audience was African American. Wow… However, a reboot of Spawn is in development starring Jamie Foxx and produced by Blumhouse Productions.
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Available for rental only.
Blade (1998): Based on the comic book, Blade, half-vampire, and half-human has to become the protector of the human race and stop vampires from taking over the world.
Blade stars Wesley Snipes and was the first successful Marvel film to date grossing $415 million! I was so excited when this came out! I’d never seen a black vampire outside of Blaxploitation films or in a very small role as a servant to the more powerful vampires. This film was originally pitched in 1992 to star LL Cool J and at some point, the studio in charge asked if Blade could be white… New Line Cinema took over the project and signed Wesley Snipes. The Blade franchise has two successful sequels, an animated series, and a tv show. A reboot is now in development that will live in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) starring Mahershala Ali.
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Available for rental only.
Halloween H20 (1998): Laurie Strode has been hiding for years from Michael Myers. She’s changed her identity to protect herself, now has a son, and is the headmistress at a private school. She’s delayed the inevitable but soon finds that she has to face Michael.
SPOILER ALERT: For Halloween fans, this was very exciting! The return of Laurie Strode! LL Cool J plays Ronny, a security guard, and essentially is the comic relief in this film…and survives! The film was a vast success and garnered over $75 million worldwide. Audiences were excited to have Laurie Strode back!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: CBS All Access, PLUTO TV, and available for rent.
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998): The fisherman is back! He follows Julie and her friends to an isolated resort where they’re vacationing to seek vengeance on those who had left him for dead.
The first film, I Know What You Did Last Summer I really love it but yes… Not a brown person in sight outside of Deb, a short-lived role played by Rasool J’Han who actually gives the line, “Julie, get your white as death-chalky ass corpse in the car – now.” Righhhht. In this sequel, Brandy and Mekhi Phifer play friends to Julie and you’ve also got the appearance of Bill Cobbs as the “Magical Negro” who’s been performing voodoo to protect them. This film is up there in the list of 90s slashers.
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Available for rental only.
House on Haunted Hill (1999): A deranged amusement park mogul offers an eclectic group of people one million dollars to stay the night in a known haunted house with a frightening past. Whoever makes it through the night gets the jackpot!
A remake of the 1959 classic starring Vincent Price, this reboot is just so good! Taye Diggs is one of the leads in this ensemble cast and he’s so great in it. Love this movie! House on Haunted Hill is so terrifying and shows what people will do in desperation for money. Also starring Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Ali Larter, and more. Great cast!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Available for rental only.
Final Destination (2000): Directed by James Wong, a group of kids get ready to depart for a high school field trip when Alex Browning has a premonition their airplane will crash. He and other classmates are escorted off and there starts an unstoppable chain of horrific results.
Final Destination is considered a sleeper hit and over time has grossed over $112 million dollars. Anyone that’s afraid of flying should NOT watch this movie. Pure nightmare fuel! lol Legendary Tony Todd plays the part of mortician William Bludworth, the “Magical Negro” who has all the answers explaining to the kids why the deaths take place. “In death there are no accidents, no coincidences, no mishaps, and no escapes.”
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Available for rental only.
Bones (2001): Over 20 years after his untimely death, Jimmy Bones comes back as a vengeful ghost to seek revenge on those who killed him.
Bones stars Snoop Dogg as the titular character Jimmy Bones and was Snoop’s first starring role. This film includes a predominantly black cast and was initially met with mediocre reviews but has since become a cult hit and also stars legendary actress Pam Grier!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Tubi and for rent.
Halloween Resurrection (2002): Three years after Michael last terrorized Laurie Strode, he confronts her again, before going to his old home in Haddonfield, where they are shooting a reality show. They find more than hauntings…
“Let the dangertainment begin!”
This film in the franchise has lots of diversity and stars Tyra Banks, Busta Rhymes, and Sean Patrick Thomas (Save the Last Dance, Cruel Intentions, Barber Shop). With that, there were fans of the cast that were introduced to the Halloween franchise that may have not seen the other Halloween films.
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: CBS All Access, PLUTO TV, and for rent.
28 Days Later (2002): Weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the United Kingdom, a man wakes up in the hospital to find chaos. He and other survivors desperately try to stay alive in this post-apocalyptic new world.
Naomie Harris stars in this film along with Cillian Murphy, and Megan Burns. I was stoked that a woman of color played such a significant and important part of the movie. This is when we started to see mega, super-fast zombies! The sequel 28 Weeks Later continued in its diversity with leading roles to people of color including Harold Perrineau (Lost, Sons of Anarchy) and Idris Elba (The Wire, Thor, Pacific Rim).
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Available for rental only.
Queen of the Damned (2002): Based on the third novel in Anne Rice’s vampire series, Queen of the Damned follows the vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend) and his rise to rock stardom. Akasha, the queen of all vampires, is awakened by Lestat and urges him to join in her wake of terror. Meanwhile, Jesse (Marguerite Moreau) a paranormal investigator is intrigued by Lestat and investigates whether or not he’s a real vampire.
Queen of the Damned was not met with the same warm reception as Interview with a Vampire but still holds a special place in my heart. This was the FIRST time I’d ever seen a leading black female vampire and unfortunately, it was Aaliyah‘s final film. Her tragic airplane crash would happen before the release of the movie. Rest in peace Aaliyah!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Hoopla and for rental.
Resident Evil (2002): Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, Resident Evil is based on the video game of the same name. After a military laboratory has a fatal accident exposing a deadly virus, Alice (Milla Jovovich) has to fight to stop the strain from infecting the world.
Colin Salmon plays an important part of the military team tasked to help stop the spread of the virus. He has one of the most memorable death scenes in the movie! All-in-all the entire Resident Evil franchise celebrates diversity in all its films showing a large scope of humanity during this zombie apocalypse. Love this franchise and own all the movies! There’s a reboot of Resident Evil set to come out in the Fall of 2021.
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Fubo, DirecTV, SYFY, and available for rent.
Freddy vs. Jason (2003): Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees return to terrorize and continue their murder spree but they’re also out to get each other. It’s a turf war!
Starring in a substantial role in this fun installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchise is Kelly Rowland (Destiny’s Child) and she’s got some pretty sizable acting chops! She plays Kia Waterson in this highly anticipated film and delivers one of my favorite lines in the movie, “Oh, God, y’all, two killers? We’re not safe awake or asleep.” This movie is a lot of fun to watch and still holds up!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: HBO MAX and available for rent.
Alien vs. Predator (2004): Hired by a wealthy industrialist, a team of scientists are met with a terrifying surprise during an expedition of an island in Antarctica and now it’s a fight to survive!
Sanaa Lathan stars in this film and she’s super badass in it! Another awesome moment for me seeing a black leading female in an action/horror/sci-fi film. Also starring Colin Salmon (Resident Evil) The sequel to this film, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem is pretty incredible as well and worth a watch!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: HBO MAX, HBO, DirecTV, HBO NOW with Amazon, and for rent.
Land of the Dead (2005): Zombies have taken over the world! The surviving humans live in a closed-off utopia that they think is impenetrable…they’ll soon discover that they’re wrong.
This George A. Romeo film is great! It’s such a distinct commentary on classism, the constructs of society, rich vs. poor, man vs undead, and the struggle between ourselves. There’s a vast amount of diversity in this film but the stand out for me is Eugene Clark who plays the lead zombie who’s gained the cognitive ability and shepherds the others. By the end of Land of the Dead, you’ll really find yourself questioning who you’re rooting for. This Romeo film also stars Asia Argento, John Leguizamo, and Dennis Hopper.
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Peacock and available for rent.
Hatchet (2006): A group of tourists in New Orleans go on a haunted swamp tour and find themselves stranded! Their fun outing turns into a nightmare as they start dropping off one by one.
Directed by Adam Green, Danielle Harris (Halloween 4 & 5, Halloween I & II (Rob Zombie) leads this horror series. Robert Englund is in the film and Kane Hodder plays the infamous Victor Crowley! Deon Richmond (Scream 3) and Tony Todd also star along with this incredible cast! The Hatchet franchise has 3 sequels and continued to have diversity in its cast including Colton Dunn (Superstore), Erika Hamilton, Robert Diago DoQui, Krystal Joy Brown, and more! Definitely, an enjoyable franchise to watch for any horror buff!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Amazon Prime and available for rent.
Snakes on a Plane (2006): Samuel L. Jackson plays a F.B.I. agent determined to stop the smuggling of venous snakes from a flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles. The mob wants to murder a witness on board to keep him from testifying.
Okay, for anyone afraid of snakes this is a freaking whirlwind! I’m afraid of snakes AND flying so it’s a double whammy. Even if you haven’t seen Snakes on a Plane I guarantee you’ve heard the line, “I’ve had it with these mutha f*ckin’ snakes on this mutha f*ckin’ plane!” Kenan Thompson, Flex Alexander, and Keith Dallas also play significant roles. Julianna Margulies and horror queen Lin Shaye also star in this film!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: HBO MAX and available for rent.
I am Legend (2007): Set in a post-apocalyptic time, a cure meant to end Cancer becomes a deadly weapon as it kills most of mankind and what’s left become horrific mutant creatures. One lone survivor struggles to find a cure for humanity.
Will Smith stars in this action-packed journey of survival as a United States Army Virologist who’s immune to the virus. Errr, the theme of this movie is particularly scary with the current state of the world! The film is mostly Smith but there’s a diverse cast of infected. Fun fact: Music genius extraordinaire Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Peeping Tom) did the voices for all the creatures in the film!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Peacock and available for rent.
Attack the Block (2011): A group of inner-city kids protects their block from a looming alien invasion!
Directed by Joe Cornish, Attack the Block includes an incredibly diverse cast and is just AWESOME! If you haven’t seen it you owe it to yourself. John Boyega leads in this film along with Jodie Whittaker (Broadchurch, Doctor Who), Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead), and a diverse supporting cast. I remember seeing it and thinking, “Man, that John Boyega is going to be a star!” He has gone on to act in several installments of the Star Wars franchise and has many upcoming projects! Director Joe Cornish and Boyega have been discussing ideas for a sequel!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Roku Channel, Tubi, Crackle, and available for rent.
The Purge (2013): An affluent family is held hostage by a deranged group during the night of The Purge for protecting a target and must fight to stay alive until dawn.
Charlie (Max Burkholder), the youngest son in the Sandin family decides to save an African American man that’s being stalked like pray by a group of murderers during The Purge. Although initially hesitant his parents, James (Ethan Hawke) and Mary (Lena Headey), do the right thing by taking him in. This film is so groundbreaking in the genre for its theme, commentary on politics, race relations and the struggle between the wealthy and less fortunate in America. The film garnered four sequels and a television series. The entire Purge Franchise celebrates diversity. Highly recommend!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Available for rental only.
Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014): Directed by Spike Lee, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus is based on the 1973 classic Ganja & Hess starring Duane Jones and Marlene Clark. The film follows an affluent anthropologist, Dr. Hess, who finds unlikely love and a hunger for blood after he’s attacked by an ancient tribal blade.
Stephen Tyrone Williams, Zaraah Abrahams, Rami Malek lead in this diverse cast. This Spike Lee reboot is everything I wanted from the original with deeper story and character development. Incredibly haunting!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: Fubo, Showtime, Roku Channel, DirecTV, and available for rent.
The Girl with All the Gifts (2016): In this post-apocalyptic future, a scientist, teacher and a remarkable mutant girl embark on a journey to complete the cure to a virus and fight to stay alive.
LOVED this film! Sennia Nanua as the little girl Melanie is incredible! I’m looking forward to watching everything she does. Also starring in this diverse terror flick is Dominique Tipper, Fisayo Akinade, Anthony Welsh, Glenn Close, who’s always amazing, plays Dr. Caroline Caldwell who’s determined to complete the cure before it’s too late. Gemma Arterton plays the teacher Mrs. Justineau. She’s warm & compassionate. This film has a powerful meaning behind it and you will definitely question who’s side you’re on by the end.
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: DirecTV, HBO MAX, and for rent.
The Transfiguration (2016): A trouble teen Milo, has a fascination for vampires but blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. Milo then meets a girl who changes everything for him.
Directed by Michael O’Shea, this film is moody, hypnotic and atmospheric. Eric Ruffin who plays the lead Milo is so talented. I’m excited to see him grow as an actor. It’s a different spin on the vampire genre and so well done!
Watch the trailer here.
Streaming: DirecTV, Kanopy, Shudder, Shudder with Amazon, AMC+ and available for rent.
Looking for more? Go to the Black History in Horror section where you’ll find recommendations, independent horror shorts, and our Top 25 Influential Classic Horror Films Featuring Black Actors list!
Did I miss any of your favorites? Comment below or email us at contact@marriedtohorror.com! You can also follow our Facebook group Married to Horror and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @marriedtohorror.
Find more general Married to Horror selections by checking out our recommendations and take a peek at our Master Watch List where you can find an array of horror films sorted by title, platform, rating, and more!
Great list Charlene. I still have fond memories watching Event Horizon, Scream 2 & I Still Know What You Did Last Summer with you in the theaters. The good old days. I’m adding Da Sweet Blood of Jesus & Attack the Block to my Q. Both sound good.
SO MANY great movie-watching memories with you and Justin! 🙂
Let me know what you think of Da Sweet Blood of Jesus and Attack the Block. I think you’ll love them!