Horror Noire
With a tip of the hat to Rusty Cundieff’s 1995 Tales From the Hood (another anthology well worth seeking out), this year’s Horror Noire builds off the Shudder-produced documentary of the same name to bring stories of Black horror, made by Black directors and screenwriters, to the screen. Six tales means Horror Noire feels a bit oversized—it really could have been two films, or even a Creepshow-style series—but Kimani Ray Smith’s standout final tale “Sundown,” about canvassers drumming up support for a senatorial candidate in a most unusual small town, is well worth the wait. Horror Noire also has a small but impactful role for horror legend Tony Todd in “Fugue State,” which casts the original Candyman as a preacher whose charisma drives his followers insane.
