An Undercover Guide To Vampiric Black Excellence

Like it has been for decades, Black vampires are what’s awake right now. Marvel’s damned step-child Blade refuses to back down after landing and losing five different writers, the episodic Interview With A Vampire continues to break cultural bounds through its second season, and since that trailer drop, Ryan Coogler’s vampire period western Sinners is looking more and more promising by the minute.

We’re not new to this. “Black vampires” will always feel smooth on paper, and Blade isn’t going anywhere, so try something new this season. Some are stronger than others in this directory of Black vampire excellence (and a little bit of educational trash), but there could be the perfect hit for your Halloween get-together, or a spooky night in.

Blacula (1972)

Let’s take it from the top and honor our history in horror. You’ve never seen Blaxploitation like William Crain’s Blacula. The Blaxploitation era usually implies heavy use of Black caricature, or exaggerated stereotypes. Yeah, they were our stories made for our communities in mind, but these low-budget bops were often too flamboyant to be properly grounded, as the white side of the film industry still had its strings attached.

Blacula, played by the ever-so-smooth William Marshall, is an African royal, turned by the ever-so-racist Count Dracula. He’s the first Black vampire to appear in a horror film, and one of the only on-screen Black vampires that uses their influence and strong command to resist European oppression. That’s not something you’ll find in many other Blaxploitation films without the addition of colorful pimps and an overdose of showboating. Blacula is definitely dressed, though.

Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

I wouldn’t just throw a sequel on this list just for the hell of it, I’m throwing it on for a couple good reasons. First, as far as sequels go, it’s as good as they come. Some will tell you it’s as good or better than its predecessor. The second time around, the film blends vampirism with Voodoo via Lisa Fortier, a conduit of the art played by Pam Grier, to keep the continued story engaging. The second good reason is just Pam Grier in general.

The sequel also grants William Marshall a larger piece of the spotlight as Blacula, something the first should’ve improved on. Marshall was a shakespearean-seasoned actor and opera singer who spent years in musical and narrative theater (way past the basic prerequisites to playing a convincing and romantic vampire)– just let us watch the man do his thing.

Ganja & Hess (1973)

Ganja & Hess is a vampiric masterpiece hidden too well for me to sleep easy. It’s a thoughtful and haunting romance starring Duane Jones (Night of the Living Dead) as anthropologist Dr. Hess Green, alongside Blaxploitation baddie Marlene Clark (Enter The Dragon, The Switchblade Sisters) as Ganja Meda.

The film comes with honest (and maybe too on the nose) commentary on navigating life through addiction. Even further, Dr. Green’s character stands as a milestone example of representation, for an early 70s flick starring a well educated, established, and handsomely wealthy Black doctor; usually a role description reserved for white men at the time. Spike tried his hand at a remake in 2014 titled Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. If you’ve blown through this list, go ahead, but if you ask me, I’d stick with the source.

Vamp (1986)

You can say no to vampire strippers, but who’s saying no to Grace Jones? The queen has limited screen time, but her performance during what she’s got is just huge. Jones stars as Katrina; the madam of an underground vampire strip club when a pair of naive-as-hell college boys drop in looking to book entertainment for their next party.

The film brings a classic 80’s low budget comfort cheese to viewers with questionable dialogue, crass jokes and ridiculous violence. Entertainment is the only goal, and is met pretty damn easy.

Vampz (2004)

Adding a “Z” to a horror title in the early 2000’s is known as the “hood horror” dog whistle. These homegrown movies can be awesome, and can also get a little ghetto, just so you know. Vampz, also known as Sista Vampires is an objectively bad movie with a subjectively fun and entertaining aftertaste.

A horde of classically seductive lady vampires disguise their crypt as a super kinky brothel, luring one time customers in for the best and worst lay of their lives. It’s silly, but if you’re the type of viewer who doesn’t mind suspending disbelief for a while, give it a shot.

Def By Temptation (1990)

“Good for her” is a relatively new sub-genre of horror used to describe modern femme-fronted revenge stories like Midsommar, You’re Next, or Ready or Not. If we can take it back a couple decades, Def By Temptation falls right in that category for Cynthia Bond’s ruthless portrayal of the man-eating “Temptress”. To be simple with it- play stupid games, win stupid prizes in the face of a spiteful (but also not totally morally incorrect) city-dwelling vampiric succubus.

The film was shot by Ernest Dickerson, director of other Black horror classics like Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, and Bones.

Suicide By Sunlight (2019)

So much of Nanny writer/director Nikyatu Jusu’s work has a natural haunting atmosphere, but this short film describes a new reality where it’s known that vampires live among us. Only those with enough melanin can daywalk, giving them the ability to stay integrated, and hide in plain sight.

The film has a heavy and melancholic storyline, like many vampiric stories do, but with a runtime of only 17 minutes, it’s easy to risk the heartbreak.