In part two of our Halloween specials, things go bump in the night as we look at what we’re calling the Black Horror Canon—horror films that feature Black heroes and protagonists, majority Black casts, or stories rooted in the Black experience.

We resurrect some true classics like Night of the Living Dead, Blacula, and Candyman, then creep our way into more modern examples such as Attack the Block, Get Out, and Nope. We even touch on Black horror comedies like Tales from the Hood and The Blackening.

Along the way, we ponder why some Black characters don’t make it past the first act, Black audiences’ long and complicated relationship with horror both on screen and in real life, and what keeps all of us coming back to horror—the genre that just won’t die!