Subverting Representation: African Americans in Horror Film

Abstract

This article explores the slowly changing representation of African Americans in horror films. Scream 2 (1997), I Am Legend (2007), and Get Out (2017) are used as case studies to illustrate what little progression has taken place through the decades in relationship to African Americans on-screen in horror cinema. Topics such as stereotypical tropes, narrative conventions, themes of dehumanization, and racial oppression are investigated across each film to highlight representational similarities and differences through time.