10 Black Scream Queens Changing The Face Of Horror

It’s officially spooky season, but Halloween comes around way more often for these Black actresses. From films like Bad Hair to series like Grotesquerie, these women have been redefining the horror genre, ensuring that it reflects the ideals and faces that makeup what it means to be a Black woman in society.

For a long time, it was an unwritten rule that Black characters were always the first to die in horror films. However, thanks to actresses like Lupita Nyong’o and Betty Gabriel, this is no longer the case. Through their roles centered around all things frightening and downright scary, they continue to showcase their unique approach to the craft while also unveiling a new era as it pertains to Black women and horror.

In honor of the holiday, Madamenoire has you covered with the women who have not only taken the charge to appear in projects that fall under the horror genre but are also redefining it one role at a time.

1. Betty Gabriel

Variety Studio at Toronto International Film Festival, Presented by AT&T, Day 4, Canada - 09 Sep 2019

Source: Variety / Getty

You might recognize her from Jordan Peele’s first blockbuster horror film, Get Out, or as one of the survivors in The Purge franchise. Whether she’s becoming Laney Rucker for the third installment of The Purge or playing the role of Georgina, an Armitage victim in Get Out with a white woman trapped in her body, Gabriel clearly has the horror game on lock.

SEE ALSO

2. Lupita Nyong’o

US movie starring Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke

Source: Courtesy Universal Pictures / Courtesy Universal Pictures

Lupita Nyong’o grew up with an affinity for making folks jump. In a previous interview with Hip Hollywood, the Black Panther actress admitted her love for scaring people, recalling how she’s been terrorizing her family for her whole life. It’s only right that she would be the star of horror films like the recent A Quiet Place: Day One, Little Monsters, and a riveting dual role in Jordan Peele’s Us.

SEE ALSO

3. Chloe Bailey

Source: MICHAEL TRAN / Getty

When she isn’t singing alongside her sister in their singing duo Chloe x Halle or writing, producing, and performing her own tracks as a solo artist, Bailey also leans into her love for acting. One of her first breakout roles as a child was playing a younger version of Beyoncè’s character in The Fighting Temptations, but now that she’s all grown up the Grown-ish actress is trying her hand at the horror genre. Recently, she had a role in The Exorcism and has also starred in the thriller series created by Donald Glover, Swarm. She has also been cast opposite Michael Rainey Jr. for the upcoming horror film, Goons, set in New Orleans.

SEE ALSO

4. Angela Bassett

Source: National Geographic / Bethany Mollenkof

As Hollywood royalty, Angela Bassett has shined bright in films like What’s Love Got To Do With It, where she iconically stepped into the shoes of Tina Turner to share her life story on the big screen. She’s also portrayed notable figures like Rosa Parks and Betty Shabazz, but Bassett also has a knack for the thriller/horror genre. She has also been a part of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story franchise where she played Marie Laveauth in the Coven season, Romana Royale in the Hotel season, and Desiree Dupree in the Freakshow season.

SEE ALSO

5. Teyonah Parris

Source: John Nacion / Getty

Teyonah Parris is no stranger to starring in a good psychological thriller. Her first big horror role included portraying Brianna Cartwright alongside Yaya Abdul-Mateen II for the Candyman reboot. She also appeared in the Netflix film, They Cloned Tyrone as well as her portrayal of Monica Rambeau and Geraldine in WandaVision.

SEE ALSO

6. Niecy Nash-Betts

Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty

While she may have gotten her rise to fame by way of the world of comedy, Nash-Betts is full of range, with roles spanning various genres, including the world of horror. Her role in Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story earned the actress her first ever Emmy award, and now the two are back at it with her role as Detective Lois Tryon in Murphy’s latest psychological thriller, Grotesquerie.

SEE ALSO

7. Elle Lorraine

Sundance Film Festival 2020: Elle Lorraine

Source: WWD / Getty

Starring in a horror movie with a message, Elle Lorraine shined in Hulu’s Bad Hair, a 2020 horror comedy that sheds a light on the terrifying experiences of a Black women who gets a weave in order to succeed in the world of music television, but instead the new hair has a mind of its own.

SEE ALSO

8. Jurnee Smollett-Bell

Source: Eli Joshua Ade / HBO / Courtesy of HBO

Her introduction to the genre began in the 1997 cult-classic, Eve’s Bayou, and ever since then, Jurnee Smollett-Bell has been a force to reckon with! From Ruby’s Bucket of Blood to True Blood, and Birds of Prey, the actress has shined in several horror-themed projects, including her role as Letitia “Leti” Lewis in the 2020 HBO horror drama series, Lovecraft Country.

SEE ALSO

9. Andra Day

Source: Gilbert Flores / Getty

Through a riveting performance as Ebony in recent horror film, The Deliverance, Andra Day showed audiences the many layers to her artistry outside of making music. The movie follows the real-life events of a mother in Indiana as she faces demonic possession in her new home, adding themes of faith, family, and resilience to the horror genre.

SEE ALSO

10. Anika Noni Rose

The IMDb Official Portrait Studio At D23 2024

Source: Corey Nickols / Getty

This actress is yet another example of what it means to shine in roles that show her range as an actress. Anika Noni Rose is the voice of the beloved Disney princes, Tiana, from the classic, The Princess and The Frog, however, she has also added to the depth of the horror genre through The Good House. This supernatural thriller is centered around hauntings tied to unresolved family traumas.

SEE ALSO