Whether a fan of horror movies or Black cinema, The Black Guy Dies First is both humorous and informative…or rather humorously informative. Authors Robin R. Means Coleman and Mark H. Harris do a wonderful job of exploring the journey and evolution of the Black experience in cinema, specifically horror, from being background characters, stereotypes, cannon fodder to where it is today: the cutting edge of horror, both entertaining as well as being a thought provoking social commentary on race in present day. I kept a notepad on hand while reading, making a list of movies I hadn’t yet seen but am now working my way through, and it’s made me view many movies I’ve already loved in a new light. Thanks so much to Gallery Books, Gallery / Saga Press and NetGalley for allowing me access to an eARC of this wonderfully entertaining and informative book.

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The Black Guy Dies First is an accessible and witty look at the history of Black people in horror movies. Very well researched and well laid out, it provides an in-depth analysis of how Black characters have evolved in horror cinema and the historical and political influences of those characters. One of the funniest and most enjoyable non-fiction titles I've read this year.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

A captivating look at the wild journey of Blacks in modern horror cinema. The book delves into the themes and traits that have come to describe Black roles in horror since the 1968 Civil Rights Act and the assignation of Martin Luther King, Jr in April. This book is a must-read for horror fans and cinema. It does a great job of explaining the major points using photos, timelines and examples. It kept me engaged as I read the book. As horror movies have moved into artistic and commercial mainstream, it has attracted interest and for social meaning including racial inclusiveness. Coleman’s academic work has focused on social media studies and cultural politics. Harris is an entertainment journalist and horror movie buff with bring expertise to their collaboration.

It is an excellent book for horror fans and horror movie’s fans. I’m glad I got to read this as I did see the progression of Black actors in horror films. I’ve learned quite a bit which I always appreciate.

The short review is: I don't like horror, don't read it, don't watch it, but I devoured this book.

Back in the late seventies and early eighties, when I worked in Hollywood, all I saw around me was white faces. And in executive positions, white male faces, often making idiotic decisions, which is the main reason I got out of that world.

So when I saw this book on offer at NetGalley I grabbed it. Wittily written, it's a terrific overview of not just the Black experience in horror films, but in film in general, though necessarily summarized. I did recognize a few titles, and had thought those action films rather than horror, which suggests the authors used a generous umbrella in order to make their points. The whole section on "woke horror" was especially intriguing.

My only complaint might be how the timeline jumped around, and how much repetition there was--but these are artifacts of collected essays, often. I certainly wouldn't dis recommend the book on that score. It was such a witty, enlightening read. (And depressing, when one reflects on how far we have to go, yet.)

This is the first book I have read that could kind of be considered non fiction horror. It was a power indictment on Black male depiction in film that gave me a new critical lens to read through. I recommend.

Amazon Review posted - pending review by Amazon
Youtube link is to Weekly Vlog featuring the book


The Black Guy Dies First has got to be one of the funnier non-fiction books I’ve read in a while. With a topic as real and as serious as it has, I didn’t expect to be laughing out loud as much as I was. This follows the trends, roles, and stereotypes of black actors/actresses in America, with some touches on films outside the states.

I went into this as a horror newbie, so take my review with that in mind. That being said, I found this incredibly readable. Since this covers films from 1967 to 2020 I was incredibly impressed at how well it explained and showed me the important points with bogging down the overall structure in needless details. There were fun asides with lists such as the Worst Songs in horror movies or the most deaths by a single actor, which helped to keep the book from being dry as well.

Each essay is covers a different topic and has the examples and sources to back it up. I found myself googling and looking at clips and images for things I’d never heard up or for things I’d heard of but never seen the source material. The research and time that went into was impressive.

Overall, for a topic I’m very much a newbie on, this felt well done and welcoming. My only tiny complaint is that the essays felt a little out of order, with a few of the latter ones better suited to the beginning of the book. That aside I highly recommend this for beginner and experience fans of the genre and topic alike!

4 out of 5 smudged movie tickets

Thank you to Mark and Robin, and Gallery / Saga Press for an advance copy of The Black Guy Dies First.

The Black Guy Dies First does a deep dive into the role that Black people have in horror cinema, both in front of and behind the camera. Robin and Mark give us the bad, the worse, and the hopeful, covering all of the tropes while interweaving how art imitates life and life imitates art. This book will change the way the everyday horror fan views movies, while informatively discussing some heavy topics with comedic relief sprinkled throughout.

"As a Black character, invariably, your knowledge of voodoo will come in handy when your White friends are trying to figure out how to banish the evil spirit they conjured with an innocent game of Ouija Board Twister."

First, let me get this out of the way - this book was laugh out loud funny in several parts. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it because of that alone, but the knowledge that I gained made it that much more enjoyable. The humor can come off as self-depreciating at times, but I think when you’re really in the thick of investigating the Black role in horror you’ve gotta laugh or you’re going to cry.

"The modern Sidekick, while not restricted to Spook buffoonery, can still serve as comic relief, most likely complaining about being dragged into “White people shit.”"

Everyone who casually watches movies is no doubt aware of some of the Black tropes, especially in horror movies. Several even take the time to point them out as they’re unfolding. But this book goes beyond that, telling us the history and some of the backstory as to where these tropes came from, how harmful they can be to Black people, and how inaccurate some of them are (seriously looking at you, voodoo/hoodoo realm of horror movies).

"“Woke horror” has become similarly divisive. Some see it as forcing political narratives into what’s meant to be escapist entertainment. Others have argued that the woke horror nomenclature, which some describe as “elevated horror,” can be problematic in that it implies that the “regular” horror is mindless stuff."

I loved the dissection of ‘woke’ horror in the post-Get Out world and how the authors point out that horror which addresses social issues has been around since literally horror was invented. How many times do I have to say life imitates art imitates life?! Elevated horror was around long before Get Out…Get Out was just the most stunning example in recent history where so many people are paying attention to what is going around them. I’m also firmly in the party of “why not both?” Why can’t we have our ‘mindless’ slashers AND our slow burn atmospheric horror that feels a little too real…because it is? They are both escapists in their own right.

I watched several horror movies during the reading of this book, and even though I was familiar with several of the tropes mentioned, I became hyper-aware of the roles unraveling on the screen. Take for instance, Barbarian (2022, considered ‘elevated horror’) - Georgina Campbell, a WOC is the star (yay!) but still tries to be the Black Savior to the White co-stars (boo!). It’s just further proof that while we are seeing advancements in cinema regarding Black roles, we’ve still got a long way to go.

"[House Party, Boyz n the Hood, New Jack City, Juice, Menace II Society] … These trailblazers helped spark a new wave of Black filmmaking that resulted in the production of more Black movies by the end of 1991 than in the entire decade of the ‘80s."

This book does focus on horror, and specifically Black folks in horror, but it also touches on how Black cinema as a whole changed over the years, making it not only an interesting read for horror fans, but movie fans (and social justice or Black history fans as well).

The only negative mark that this book will get from me is that it was, at times, repetitive. But I think that is the case with any nonfiction book that is focusing on a very ‘niche’ subject matter. This book will be an amazing tool for cinema students and fans to gain new knowledge and new insight on horror movies and the Black role in cinema.

Black horror points a finger at evil because those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it, just like those who forget the rules of horror are just plain doomed.

The Black Guy Dies First affectionately celebrated the horror genre by discussing, poking fun, and delving into Black acted and made horror movies, from a fan, social, and academic standpoint. The book takes readers through the historical atmosphere of horror movies, starting with Spider Baby's “Black Guy Dies First” template, to the 1960s/70s “Blaxploitation”, '80s slasher carnage, '90s/2000s hood and urban horror, and into the 2010s/current more nuanced and multifaceted Black characters and stories. Along with movie atmosphere, characterizations like “Sidekicks Who Survive” are discussed with titles and movie characters.

As Dr. Coleman has previously wrote, Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present and Mr. Harris is the creator behind BlackHorrorMovies.com and the Shudder series Behind the Monsters, their love of the genre and knowledge was evident. I enjoyed the layout of informing, intersecting, and numerous movie titles given to support and give examples of what was being discussed and then the “breaks” in-between to entertain. The list of actors whose characters gave their lives for white people, rightly had Tony Todd at number one (Keith Diamond gets a very justified shout-out after Dr. Giggles did him wrong).

Horror has a lengthy history of addressing newsworthy topics, from the nuclear fallout of Godzilla ( 1954 ) and Them! ( 1955 ) to the McCarthyism in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), the gender roles in Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Stepford Wives (1975), the anti-war stance of Deathdream (1974), the eco-horror of Prophecy (1978), and the consumerism critique of Dawn of the Dead (1978) and The Stuff (1985).

I've always felt that horror is one of the best genres to hold some of these discussions because of it's ability to explore and breakdown our individual, collective, and manufactured fears and how we work to overcome them. With data numbers given like, in an informal and soul-crushing survey of almost one thousand horror movies containing more than fifteen hundred appearances by Black characters, we found their mortality rate to be about 45%. and Hollywood Diversity Report from UCLA’s Division of Social Sciences, in 2019, only 5.5% of the directors and 5.6% of the writers of theatrical releases were Black, and it was only in the COVID-strapped, theatrically challenged anomaly that was 2020 that the percentage of Black directors (15.1%) and writers (13.5%) approached the actual national demographic (Blacks accounting for 13.4% of the U.S. population). Further, as of 2019, 91% of studio heads, 93% of senior executives, and 86 % of unit heads were White. it makes Ben from Night of the Living Dead and Get Out even more important.

He is thus the literal ghost of racism coming back to haunt future generations. Although he sets his sights on Helen, anyone can feel his wrath, regardless of race, class, age, gender, or sexuality. We all suffer. Hate breeds hate, and violence breeds violence. The legend of conjuring him by saying his name eerily parallels current calls to say the names of the victims of racial violence. Like Candyman, they need to be remembered in order to retain their power.

If you're a horror fan, this book feels like a must to add to your collection. The sheer amount of movies and some tv shows, Watchman and Lovecraft Country (unless I missed it, Ruth Negga's Tulip from Preacher was left out) listed makes it worth it. I enjoyed mentions of some of my favorites, Fallen, Demon Knight, His House, and The Purge collection and have written down quite a few that I now need to watch, The Devil Lives Here, The Vault, and The Inheritance. This book doesn't disparage the movies and characters but acknowledges, discusses, and pokes fun at the problematic elements of some of them, which is necessary when you love something but see that it can be improved. I had a fun and thoughtful time and yes, the authors give their Top Ten Horror movies list at the end for you to compare with your own. The last line of the acknowledgments at the end had me screeching (look, I watched the original Candyman by myself at age 11ish, I don't say things five times, like how I don't mess around looking into street grates) and then laughing, what a perfect way to end a book about horror.

From 1960s classics through modern blockbusters like Get Out, this pop culture history book explores Black characters and tropes in horror films. Robin R. Means Coleman and Mark H. Harris approach the topic of race in cinema honestly and unflinchingly, but also with a great sense of humor and entertaining storytelling. I'm too much of a chicken to watch a lot of horror, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even without having seen many of the movies they discussed. It strikes a nice balance of readability and academia!

A meticulously researched yet compulsively written analysis of archetypes and horror history. There's a sense of lighthearted fun and passion toward the genre that offers a fantastic balance to the academia. Whether a companion piece to Dr. Coleman's Horror Noire or a standalone read, this is a worthwhile read.

📚Pub Day Shoutouts📚
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Thank you so much to the tagged publishers for advanced readers copies of all of these books! I couldn’t possibly read them all this week but just wanted to give them a shout out and share a little about each of them:
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The House Guest- described as a cat and mouse game. Alyssa gets divorced from her rich husband and suspects she’s being scammed. A new friend offers to help her and drama ensues ! Thank you @forgereads !
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The Black Guy Dies First- explore the black journey in modern horror. This one I’m going to lend to my movie obsessed husband! Thank you @gallerybooks !
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Don’t Fear the Reaper- sequel to my heart is a chainsaw. Jade returns to town as convicted serial killer Dark Mill *escapes to complete his revenge killings! Thank you @gallerybooks
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Secretly Yours- a steamy small town rom com about an uptight professor and the bubble neighbor he clashes with at every turn! Thank you @avonbooks
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QOTD- Do any of these new releases sound like something you would like to read ?
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#bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofig #booksofinsta #bibliophile #booknerd #bookworm #bookwormsunite #bookobsessed #bookaddict #bookaesthetic #newreleasetuesday #bookaesthetic #bookish #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #readersgonnaread #readersofig #bookaholic

First of all, thank you Saga Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this title in the nick of time before Black History month. Timing is everything. I felt a little pressured to finish this one quickly because of it and, well... here it is; a relevant review in time for a relevant month to post it. Anyway, on to the review!

When I got the mailer asking if I was interested in this title, I was beside myself. I mean, what a title! Being a bit of a movie person AND a bit of a horror person, that title meant something. I laughed because of the sad in-joke that it represents--because it's true. I was also invested, because I have an interest in horror movies in general. I know about the significance of Duane Jones in Night of the Living Dead, I've seen the Candyman films, I'm more than familiar with the Scary Movie memes and I know who Yaphett Kotto is. And The Shining, well that's the movie that cemented my relationship with horror.

Needless to say, all of these iconic movies and people are discussed, along with Jordan Peele--of course. And if you know the in-joke of the title, or just a passing knowledge of why I've mentioned the short list above, then this book may be for you. Authors Coleman and Harris take a deeper diver into the history of Black creatives in the horror genre. They do it with humor, with wit and with a sometimes uncomfortable level of snark, but hey, it is what it is. Honest snark. They're allowed a little bit of room for snark.

Either way, it's a great title to add to your shelf if you're a movie history or horror buff of any kind. I highly recommend it.

I don't usually find a book that appeals to me in such a specific way, and I'm so happy and grateful that this eArc was offered to me. As black fan of horror, the phenomenon of the black guy (or girl) always dying first is of course something I've noticed, but not been aware of something that could be studied so finely as in Coleman and Harris' book. Learning about black folks' place in horror films from 1968 and beyond was such an interesting way to tackle black history and film history as one. This will definitely be a reread.

I was so glad for the opportunity to read this book. I’m an obsessive Shudder watcher. I loved both the Horror Noir documentary and the Horror Noir movie anthology on Shudder.

I went highlighter crazy marking all the movies I needed to watch. This was full of information and history on black films in horror, but also black directors, producers and actors. I found the section on the Black Final Girl particularly interesting.

Read this book, then immediately go and subscribe to Shudder to watch Horror Noir.

The writing in The Black Guy Dies First has a fun tone, with quippy jokes throughout. There are plenty of informative lists. Horror specialists and more casual viewers will both get something out of this book, which was informative, funny, and insightful.

I got an ARC.

DNF at 20%

I don’t even know where to start. This book sounded amazing and the authors have credentials that made me think this book would be amazing. Instead I got badly formatted basic information.

Action movies =/= horror movies

Seriously. The first three sections had me just going “isn’t that an action movie?” Over and over again. And surprise, a great deal of what was mentioned were in fact clearly action movies. Not being able to tell the difference between an action movie and a horror movie made me doubt I would enjoy or learn much. Yes, some movies can go between genres, but with how many horror movies there are why spend space talking about The Green Mile (neither an action movie or a horror movie!).

It could have gotten better, but I would rather spend that time watching horror movies.

In 1968, the horror movies Spider Baby, and Night of the Living Dead, came out. One marks the influence of an era gone by, while the other one heralds in a new age: one where Black actors begin to play the brave and intelligent hero.

At the beginning of Spider Baby, an unnamed messenger--played by veteran actor Mantan Moreland--is trying to deliver a letter to the Merrye House: a secluded and dilapidated home that the locals avoid. However, unnamed-messenger-guy has a job to do. When his knocking goes unanswered, unnamed-messenger-guy does a horror movie no-no and peers through an open window. Big mistake, sacrificial unnamed-messenger-guy. We have just experienced the expected demise of the classic spook character: the jittery, comedic, and wide-eyed black guy who dies first. By the time Spider Baby came out, Mr. Moreland had played this same character in several horror films made mostly in the 1940s. The spook character continues through horror cinema, but it becomes slightly less cringeworthy.

In Night of the Living Dead, Ben—Duane Jones’ first feature film—shows up in the second act of the movie. The film begins with white brother and sister that—while laying flowers at a grave--are attacked by the living dead (“They’re coming to get you Barbra.”). Barbra makes it to a house where she finds Ben. Ben is a strong, decisive, and brave leader who just happens to be a Black man. He manhandles the sniveling and catatonic Barbra; slapping her at one point to get her to snap out of her own version of being the living dead. He works hard for all of them to survive, and he is not the first to die.

The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar is an in-depth look into the history of Black characters and horror cinema from 1968 to the present. The book covers stereotypes (spook, savage, witch doctor, magical, sacrificial); Woke Horror (addressing racial and social issues); religion (belief systems, primitivism); horror/comedy (self-referential); and the effect of increased representation behind the cameras. Each section provides lists of movies and actors specific for the subject matter. There is also a lot of humor, and the tone is conversational. The Black Character Horror Movie Survival Guide (found in chapter one) provides tips such as: stay away from White people; be funny; don’t be annoying; and be famous, preferably as rapper of some sort.

I’d like to end with this quote from the Epilogue:

“Black horror’s triumph is its ability to reflect more deeply
on the ways in which Black history has been and continues
to be Black horror.”

I would like to thank NetGalley and Galley/Saga Press for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book.

4.5 rounded up
I really enjoyed this fun, informative look into Black tropes and archetypes used in horror movies.

My thanks to the publisher and authors for allowing me to review this advanced reader copy.

If you are a fan of horror movies, this book is worth checking out. This is an easy read that describes a history of Black cinema with big focus on the horror genre.
I will definitely have to check out some of the movies mentioned in the book.

Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books and the authors for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Black Guy Dies First by Robin R. Means Coleman and Mark H. Harris in exchange for an honest review. I was having a discussion in my head about this very subject and decided to give this book a go. I very much enjoy horror movies and books and was actually wondering why there are so many with mostly white people and only a token person who dies quickly. It hasn't always been this way, thank you George Romero and Stephen Graham Jones, but it is an unsettling trend, just like casting women as bimbos. I really enjoyed this book and appreciated it's take.