Black Vampire Representation in Film

Vampires have always been an integral part of horror, not only for how long stories of them have existed but also their unique ability to bound the feelings of being terrified but also attracted to a creature at the same time. Vampires are almost always portrayed as overly sexual, deviant, experimental, uncontrollable… and white. Their pale skin from not being able to go out into the sunlight coupled with their goth aesthetic has almost exclusively placed them in the hands of white representation throughout our mainstream films and other media sources over time. 

I remember going to the theater to see Twighlight, the early 2000s king of sexy vampire stories, when I was eight years old. When Laurent came on the screen as one of the only Black vampires in the entire film, with a very small antagonist role at that, a person behind me quietly laughed to their friend sitting beside them and said “Vampires can’t be BLACK!” It was the loudest whisper to have ever pierced my young ears and my heart sunk a little bit having been initially excited to finally see an attractive Black vampire, even if he was a small role on the “bad side”. Laurent was included only for him to be shot down by racist Team Edward fanatics. Was it really their fault though? Nothing has really pointed Black people in the realm of Vampires when films, like Twilight but also the “classic” Interview with a Vampire, basque in their antiBlack characteristics such as their noteworthy pale white skin and European beginnings. 

Even if vampires originated in Europe, were we really supposed to believe that they never bit Black people and turned them into vampires too? Because they weren’t suited for the lifestyle or something? Unbeknownst to me, vampires have always been Black, and I hadn't been looking for them in the right places. Blacula is the perfect example of a Black vampire story that maintains the sexy but horrifying integrity of a vampire but is inclusive of Black representation. As a product of the Blaxploitation era that began in the early 1970s, Blacula rises above other movies of the time. With negative and exploitative Black portrayals on low budget, hastily made films being the only chance for Black actors to be seen on film during this era, William Crane’s Blacula highlights the upside of this time in the film industry, where there were new opportunities for Black directors to make movies for Black audiences. At only 23 years old, Crane successfully executed his careful representation of Blacula, the Black vampire, and reimagined the horror landscape to include Black stories. Blacula was smart, good-looking, powerful, and overall, unlike any other Black character produced in film during this era, and I am grateful to know of him.