Posted in A Professor's Thoughts..., Celebration, Feature Spotlight, On The Radar

Dr. G Feature and Top 20 Fave Horror/Thriller Movie List!!

For those preparing to celebrate Halloween, I wanted to share a recent feature that I am included in as well as my Top 20 Fave Horror movies!! Now while I’m not necessarily an active Halloween participant (anymore), I am a fan of a great horror/thriller movie!! On this past Monday I was featured in a VCU News article, “What’s your favorite scary movie? A horror film watch list for October.” The article features recommendations from VCU faculty, staff, and students on their favorite horror movies! I selected the 1992 classic film, Candyman! See an excerpt below:

“Candyman” is a classic example of how a film can and does eloquently have a conversation surrounding racism, Black pain and historical memory. This in many ways is what separates it from other horror films, telling the story of a mysterious Black man who comes back to life after being brutally executed.

Lead character “Daniel Robitaille” (played by Tony Todd) from Candyman (1992)

You can check out the full feature here!!

In addition to the above feature, I wanted to share my Top 20 Fave Horror/Thriller films! You can watch these on Halloween or any other day when you need that horror fix!

Now this list is in no particular order, just simply a feature list:

  • Candyman (1992 and 2021)
  • The Blackening (2023)
  • His House [Netflix] (2020)
  • Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)
  • Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019)
  • Master [Prime Video] (2022)
  • Eve’s Bayou (1997)
  • The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023)
  • Get Out (2017)
  • Night of the Living Dead (1968)
  • Ganja & Hess (1973)
  • Tales from the Hood (1995)
  • Us (2019)
  • Smile (2022)
  • Nosferatu (1922)
  • Midsommar (2019)
  • The Exorcist (1973)
  • Carrie (1976)
  • The Craft (1996)

So many stories to tell, so many viewpoints to share, and plenty of chills to crawl up your spine!! Try one, or try them all, trust me there is at least something for everyone!!

Posted in A Professor's Thoughts..., Conversations with Beloved & Kindred

Conversations with Beloved & Kindred-S2: Episode 1 Recap!!

Missed last week’s Season 2 premiere of Conversations with Beloved & Kindred?? Fear not I got you covered!!

Check out our first episode where Dr. Robinson and I jump in feet first to discuss the films Horror Noire: A Black History of Black Horror (2019) and Ganja & Hess (1973)

Tune into our discussion below:

And as a little bonus check out these post-episode resources:

  • Films:
    • Night of the Living Dead (1968) [Available to stream and view on Peacock, Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max)
    • Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971)
    • Ganja and Hess (1973) [Available to view on Showtime]
    • Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014) [Available on Showtime]
    • Get Out (2017)  [Available to stream on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video]
    • Horror Noire: A Black History of Black Horror (2019) [Available to view on Shudder]
  • Books:
    • Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present (2011)  ~Robin R. Means, PhD
    • The Good House (2003) ` Tananarive Due
    • Brown Girl in the Ring (1998) ~Nalo Hopkinson
  • Articles:
    • “As Black horror rises in popularity, horror writers discuss its evolution” ~Carolyn Copeland [See Here]
    • “How Black Horror Became America’s Most Powerful Cinematic Genre”~ Gabrielle Bellot [See Here]