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British Association for American Studies

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Lakkaya Palmer

Lakkaya Palmer is a PhD researcher at University College London exploring, ‘Ferocious Fatherhood: A Crisis in Masculinity and Fatherhood in American Horror Cinema, 1971-1991. She aims to examine male character narratives to identify how horror constructs moral messages about fatherhood that both shape and are shaped by ideals of a patriarchal and heteronormative American society.

The Changing face of black masculinity in American Horror Cinema

This article is part of the USSO special series Resilience/Renewal: Shifting Lanscapes in American Studies  The representation of blackness and black masculinity within American horror films has been a multifaceted and complicated journey that has reflected societal changes. However, the 1960s changed this narrative when, shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King, George A. Romero released Night of the Living Dead. For the first time, horror audiences were presented with an African American protagonist (played by Duane Jones) who is heroic, intelligent and does not conform to the traditions of an angry black man. However, there are still racist undertones present in the film, most notably in its climactic scene. Despite the director denying any intention for his work to offer a commentary on race,[i] it unconsciously reflects the turbulence of the time and is of enduring relevance to this day. The film ends with Ben’s death at the […]