There is so much to be experienced in the Black storyteller realm that it hurts me to say that there is but one horror film that mentions Martin Luther King Junior Day. Much like Veteran's Day, I feel like we're doing a whole bunch of people dirty by not producing some quality holiday horror for the occasion. Listen up, filmmakers: MLK Day is your day to shine. 


What's that one film? Frigging Scary Movie 3.


Since there is next to nothing, I'm going to be hilighting my favorite horror movies relevant to the Black experience (with a civil rights twist). If you're not happy with that, go make an MLK Day film and send it to me.


Tales From the Hood
I'm starting with this one so I don't have to be predictable and start with Get Out. Tales From the Hood is a bonafide classic. You've got David Alan Grier and Samuel Monroe Jr.? It's a travesty this thing didn't win an Oscar. The plot centers around a funeral director who tells four horror stories to his surprise audience of three drug dealers. The stories he tells speak of police brutality, gangster life, and a racist-ass Gubernatorial candidate. The movie is funny and poignant, dealing with serious issues with a light heart. When I think of Black horror, this is what I think of. 


Get Out
Jordan Peele's films are breathtaking. Us? Nope? I'll watch them on repeat. The horror genius started the whole thing with Get Out, a nearly flawless critique of neo-liberalism. The monsters here are not klansmen or the other dredges of society, but the very white folks who mean well. As always, Daniel Kaluyya  is fantastic, but this movie also brought some new depth to the career of Alison Williams. I'll see your white savior trope and raise you a Rose Armitage.


Sinners
Sinners is probably the most critically-acclaimed film of 2025. You've likely seen it, but you may not have seen the masterful way director Ryan Coogler navigated its production. The big companies got into a bidding war for the Black Panther director's historic vampire epic, where Coogler ended up on top, with first-dollar gross, final cut privilege, and ownership of the film twenty-five years after its release. 


Horror Noire
Horror Noire is not a movie. It's a Shudder-produced television series exploring the history and impact of Black horror. It's a great series and serves as an excellent primer to the depth of this sub-genre.


That said, Martin Luther King Jr. deserves a dedicated horror film. I can't wait to watch it.