Blog Post #2

 One of the most enjoyable things about last week’s materials was the horror-comedy

aspect of The Blackening. Firstly, I feel that it was a nice change from the heavier, serious films

that we have been discussing. Secondly, I enjoyed that while it was more lighthearted, it still

pointed out some very real issues in mainstream horror and its depiction of black people. While

the characters in the film were very stereotypical, I also believe the film touched on how

multi-faceted black horror characters can be. In doing this, I believe it shined a light on some of

the stereotypes in horror that black people have seen for decades. It was also nice to see an

all-black cast and I enjoyed the black comedy aspect of the film. This film was a nice change

from the more serious or possibly upsetting films that we have viewed. I also loved hearing the

backstory of how the film got picked up by a production company and how the author had both a

love for horror and a background in comedy. Because of these experiences, I believe made the

film better and displayed an advanced level of understanding in both horror and comedy that is

needed to properly execute a film like The Blackening. Overall, the film was thoroughly

enjoyable and a nice exploration of a more lighthearted side of black horror.

Something that shocked me during the lectures last week was learning about the origins

of zombies in film. It was really interesting to see an early depiction of zombies in film and how

it originated from racist beliefs. I also thought it was very fitting how we see today, the continued

demonization of V oodoo and Haitian religious beliefs. When the professor discussed how this is

related to the successful Haitian revolution, it made sense as to why the West continued to depict

Haitians in a bad light. In that same vein, it makes me sad to know that a horror trope such as

zombies, comes from incredibly racist and harmful rhetoric. It also makes me sadder to know

that it is still happening today. Lastly, I also think it is interesting how zombies have gone from

voodoo mind-controlled people to these sorts of dumb and slow people who have somehow been

infected. I am curious to know how that progression was made over the years and what films

moved zombies to be less racialized/involved with religion and instead occur through

infection/viral diseases.

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