Rhonda Jackson Joseph and John Edward Lawson record during Women in Horror Month 2022 to discuss Black female protagonists in horror. Ranging from action-oriented films like Alien vs. Predator to character studies such as Us and the folk horror of Spell, Genre Blackademia explores what it means to be a Black woman central to plot lines in the horror space.
“What’s traditionally scary has generally been a space for other people, other cultures, and even when we were immersed in those scary spaces we were just sort of tourists or passing through.” —John
“We’re beyond just asking for representation, because every bit of representation ain’t good representation. So no, I think we just need more. Because there’s nuance, right, that’s largely untapped—like literally the world is so wide open, you know—we can do all of this stuff, so why wouldn’t we?“ —Rhonda
TIMESTAMPS
3:58 — Alien vs. Predator, Black women vs. the (white) male gaze, and breaking mirrored ceilings
7:58 — Us, through the looking glass with Black motherhood, and authentic female POV in horror
24:07 — Ma, inverting the mammy trope, and generational trauma
37:13 — Spell, Black matriarchs beyond Madea, and how Black communal folk horror is portrayed by creators of differing cultural backgrounds
56:10 — The hair touch test, or: how would these Black women of horror react to the common shared experience of non-Black people randomly touching or grabbing their hair?
60:50 — Brittney Griner, the real-life horror of Black women disappeared by the state, and against whom campaigns of violence must be waged to be labeled “war”
70:53 — Closing thoughts
CORRECTION
John references “Octavia Butler” when discussing the actress Octavia Spencer.
RESOURCES
Alien vs. Predator, 20th Century Fox, 2004
Get Out, Universal Pictures, 2017
Ma, Blumhouse Productions, 2019
Skeleton Key, Universal Pictures, 2005
Spell, LINK Entertainment, 2020
Us, Monkeypaw Productions, 2019
Brittney Griner detention/hostage taking
MUSIC
Theme song “Wouldst Thou Like to Live Blackity” by Rage Inducer copyright ©2022
The following music tracks were licensed through Audiio.com:
“That’s Facts (Instrumental)” by Jonzen
“Spitfire (Instrumental)” by MNRCH
“If You Like the Blues (Instrumental)” by Moarn
“Bang Bang Bang (Instrumental)” by Moarn
“Burdened No More (Instrumental)” by MOZΛRT
“Tear It All Down (Instrumental)” by The Complete Fiction
“Own Way“ (Instrumental)” by BAP
“His Eyes On the Sparrow (Instrumental)” by Southside Aces
“Cross Faded By NXSTY & Loca (Instrumental)” by MHC
“Down Down Down (Instrumental)” by Solar Body
“Kyrie Irving (Instrumental)” by C-Trox
“Big Sky (Instrumental)” by Risian
“Spore (Instrumental)” by Spice Garden
“Labanero (Instrumental)” by Kaspian Kornelis
“Ghost/Town (Instrumental) by Liam Back
THANK YOU
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Genre Blackademia
Genre Blackademia provides genre literature, film, and television commentary from the Black academic perspective. Join hosts Rhonda J. Garcia and John Edward Lawson for bi-weekly insights, interviews, and intellectual tea on subjects ranging from romance to horror, science fiction to mystery, and everything in-between.
John Edward Lawson’s novels, short fiction, and poetry have garnered nominations for many awards, including the Stoker and Wonderland Awards. In addition to being a founder of the award-winning Raw Dog Screaming Press and former editor-in-chief of The Dream People he currently serves as vice president of Diverse Writers and Artists of Speculative Fiction. John speaks regularly at industry conferences and academic conferences alike.
Rhonda earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and currently works as an associate professor of English in Houston, TX. She has had several stories published in various venues, including two anthologies of horror written by Black, female writers, the Stoker Award™ finalist Sycorax’s Daughters and Black Magic Women, as well as in Paranormal Contact: A Quiet Horror Confessional, and the Halloween 2020 issue of Southwest Review. Her academic essays have also appeared in acclaimed collections, such as the Stoker Award™ finalists Uncovering Stranger Things: Essays on Eighties Nostalgia, Cynicism and Innocence in the Series and The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Series. Her essay from The Streaming of Hill House, “The Beloved Haunting of Hill House: An Examination of Monstrous Motherhood”, is also a Stoker Award™ finalist for 2020.
Rhonda lives in the suburbs of Houston with her huge blended family of one husband, four adult sprouts, seven teenaged sproutlings, and one hellbeast that pretends to be a dog sometimes. She can sometimes be found peeking out on Twitter from behind @rjacksonjoseph or her blog at https://rjjoseph.wordpress.com.
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