Spooky season is here, meaning it’s time to get you fright on and dive back into the world of horror films. From Immaculate starring Sydney Sweeney, Cuckoo with Hunter Schafer and MaXXXine led by Mia Goth, this year has brought us stellar scary movies that have had our popcorn flying out of our hands in fear. Think star-studded, female-led casts, million pound marketing campaigns and big box office numbers. Oh, and another thing they all have in common? None of the leads were women of colour.
While there’s arguably more representation than ever in film and TV right now, horror lags well behind. According to a report from the BFI which analysed feature films released between 2015 and 2018, only 14% of roles in the genre are played by actors from minority ethnicities. And not only are people of colour starring in fewer leading roles, but tired tropes continue to reign supreme, with Black and Brown actors being cast as the sidekick, magical help or the first, unlucky victim of the killer, ghost or other-worldly entity in question. Just look at Scream 2 and As Above, So Below. But why are there so few scream queens of colour?
As Kinitra D Brooks, a Black horror expert, author and professor at Michigan State University explains, horror films are often created with white male viewers in mind. ‘The genre has often been based on the fears of white men. That’s why we have films such as Carrie, where the woman is the monster, or characters like Frankenstein’s Monster, the racialised “Other”. White men have been seen as the norm in the genre, meaning women of colour aren’t considered [for lead parts], but [thankfully] now, other demographics are being considered as the ideal viewer.’
While the industry still isn’t where it should be in terms of representation, there is a growing number of women of colour finally getting their on-screen scream queen moments. Take British-Indian actor Naomi Scott, whose new film Smile 2 is in cinemas now, and Naomi Ackie, who led in Blink Twice. Plus, there’s Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega, who are both Latina, making their names as modern-day scream queens and, of course, Jordan Peele, the pioneering director behind Get Out and Us, two of the films responsible for a shift towards more representation in the genre.
In terms of the future of horror films, Brooks says change comes down to people of colour being able to tell their own stories. ‘We can have great characters, plots and productions, but only when minorities get the funding and opportunities to speak for themselves [will diversity improve].’
It’s only when the space is created for them to get behind – and in front of – the camera that movies like The Strays and The Blackening are made, leading to opportunities not only for underrepresented creatives, but for more scares all round.
