Black Horror Journal

ALIVE Podcast Network

Black Horror Journal is a podcast where creativity, Black History, and pop culture intersect with horror. 

Episodes

  1. Mantan Moreland: The First Black Person To Die In A Horror Movie

    20 FEB

    Mantan Moreland: The First Black Person To Die In A Horror Movie

    In this episode, we take a look at Mantan Moreland, who became the first Black person to die in a modern mainstream horror movie. Moreland has a complicated legacy rooted in vaudeville and as the poster child for Black stereotypes in cinema, but his death in 1968's "Spider Baby," was symbolic of Hollywood's, and by extension, the world's troubling relationship with Black Lives in real life, and on film. We also explore how the erosion of censorship under the Hays Code and the end of the Civil Rights Era played roles in his career as well.  Black Horror Journal On Instagram Listen & Subscribe  Available on all major podcast platforms.  Apple Podcasts  Spotify  Google Podcasts iHeartRadio SEO Keywords Mantan Moreland, Bamboozled, Spider Baby, Duane Jones, Night of the Living Dead, Vaudville, Spook, Coon, Minstrel, Horror Movies, Black Horror, Black Guy Dies First, Horror Movie Tropes, Black History, Cinema History, Hays Code, Censorship Research   On The Film That Introduced the Trope Of The Black Guy Dying First The Hays Code Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Fought to Keep 'I Love Lucy' on Air Throughout Her Pregnancy Spider Baby Horror Noir: Blacks In American Horror From The 1890s To Present 10 Horror Movies That Shaped Black Horror History Mantan the Funny Man: The Life and Times of Mantan Moreland The Black Guy Dies First

    21 min
  2. 5 Horror Movies We're Looking Forward To In 2026

    17 JAN

    5 Horror Movies We're Looking Forward To In 2026

    The five movies and/or TV/serieses that we're looking forward to watching this year include, "They Will Kill You," "Ratchet," "Night Patrol," and more.

    5 min
  3. How Emmett Till's Lynching Inspired "The Twilight Zone"

    2 JAN

    How Emmett Till's Lynching Inspired "The Twilight Zone"

    Emmett Till takes a quick dive into how the lynching of Emmett Till in 1955 inspired then rising talent Rod Serling to create his iconic tv show, "The Twilight Zone."  Connect  @BlackHorrorJournal on Instagram @Starr_Rocque on Threads Listen & Subscribe  Available on popular podcast platforms.  Spotify Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts iHeartRadio Deezer PlayerFM Podcast Addict SEO Keywords Emmett Till, The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling, Civil Rights Era  Research  https://www.history.com/articles/emmett-till https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/early-run-censors-led-rod-serling-twilight-zone-180971837/ https://www.ithaca.edu/node/45197#:~:text=Born%20in%20Syracuse%2C%20New%20York,the%20golden%20age%20of%20television. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/arts/television/jordan-peele-twilight-zone.html https://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/2010/09/censorship-and-twilight-zone.html

    9 min
  4. When Cicely Tyson Was Ebenita Scrooge

    16/12/2025

    When Cicely Tyson Was Ebenita Scrooge

    How "A Christmas Carol," the classic Charles Dickens Christmas ghost story spawned remakes and reimaginings in unexpected ways, including a version that starred Cicely Tyson as the first Black woman to play Scrooge.   Connect  @BlackHorrorJournal on Instagram @Starr_Rocque on Threads Listen & Subscribe  Available on popular podcast platforms.  Spotify Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts iHeartRadio Deezer PlayerFM Podcast Addict SEO Keywords A Christmas Carol, Cicely Tyson, Ebenita Scrooge, Ebony Scrooge, Vanessa L. Williams, A Diva's Christmas Carol Research  https://www.history.com/articles/christmas-tradition-ghost-stories https://www.jezebel.com/bah-herbug-a-history-of-female-scrooges-1793853705 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0694082/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0270317/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0130883/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0642719/ https://www.oxfordcastleandprison.co.uk/about/news/why-do-we-tell-ghost-stories-at-christmas/ https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/12/27/for-enslaved-people-the-holiday-season-was-a-time-for-revelry-and-a-brief-window-to-fight-back/ https://variety.com/1997/tv/reviews/ms-scrooge-1117329571/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9C4aaPDoYY

    11 min
  5. Robert Johnson: The First Member Of The Illuminati?

    02/12/2025

    Robert Johnson: The First Member Of The Illuminati?

    In this episode, we delve into the story of real-life Mississippi Delta blues legend Robert Johnson. He was a man whose life was shrouded in mystery and folklore that alleges he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for extraordinary music skills. He also inspired the character, "Sammie," from Ryan Couglar's "Sinners."  Connect  @BlackHorrorJournal on Instagram @Starr_Rocque on Threads Listen & Subscribe  Available on popular podcast platforms.  Spotify Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts iHeartRadio Deezer PlayerFM Podcast Addict SEO Keywords Robert Johnson, Devil at the Crossroads, Blues, Blues History, Sinners, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi Delta Blues Black Horror Journal Episode 2  10 Moments That Shaped Black Horror History Research  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Johnson-American-musician https://magnoliatribune.com/2023/07/13/robert-johnson-the-man-myth-legend-and-legacy/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2010/06/music-monday-blues-robert-johnson-honeyboy-edwards/ https://www.americanbluesscene.com/robert-johnson-death-certificate/

    9 min
  6. Welcome to Haintland

    17/11/2025

    Welcome to Haintland

    In this episode, I interview author and editor Margeaux Weston. Margeaux has written several history books, and she recently launched Haintland on Substack, where she writes spooky tales rooted in the Southern Gothic. Here, we chat about her plans for making Haintland a place where other speculative authors and speculative enthusiasts can contribute to the community, how to write a good scary story, what the heck a haint is, anyway, and more.  Connect  @BlackHorrorJournal on Instagram @Starr_Rocque on Threads @AuthorMargeaux on Threads Haintland.Substack.com Listen & Subscribe  Available on popular podcast platforms.  Spotify Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts iHeartRadio Deezer PlayerFM Podcast Addict SEO Keywords Haint, Voodoo, Hoodoo, Black Horror, Jordan Peele, American Horror Story, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Horror Writing

    50 min
  7. Sugar Hill: Supernatural Payback x A Brief History Of Voodoo

    03/11/2025

    Sugar Hill: Supernatural Payback x A Brief History Of Voodoo

    In this episode, we explore the cult classic Blaxploitation horror, "Sugar Hill" (1974), its depictions of voodoo, and a quick history of hoodoo vs voodoo.  Connect  @BlackHorrorJournal on Instagram @Starr_Rocque on Threads Listen & Subscribe  Available on all major podcast platforms.  Apple Podcasts  Spotify  Google Podcasts iHeartRadio SEO Keywords Sugar Hill 1974, Marki Bey, Richard Lawson, Voodoo, Vodun, Hoodoo, Zora Neale Hurston, Blaxploitation, Black Horror, Jordan Peele, Blaxploitation Horror, Blaxploitation music.  Research https://www.neworleans.com/things-to-do/multicultural/traditions/voodoo/ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/claiming-space-when-happened-when-zora-neale-hurston-studied-voodoo-haiti/ https://womenscenter.umbc.edu/post/92522/ https://people.duke.edu/~ldbaker/classes/gradtheory/Hurston-HoodooAmerica-1931.pdf

    20 min
  8. Meet MultiMind

    20/10/2025

    Meet MultiMind

    MultiMind is a self-published author whose latest book "The Harlequin" is a YA horror-themed book that explores themes of manipulation in romantic relationships, reimagines Tulsa, Oklahoma, and more. In addition to the book, she also chats queer representation in horror, grants for creatives, and more.

    26 min
  9. The Him Episode

    06/10/2025

    The Him Episode

    Did the demons in "HIM" give anyone else carnival and/or BAM DanceAfrica vibes? Anyway, this is my review of the movie. The Jordan Peele-produced, Justin Tipping-directed, and written movie is an allegory for what people are willing to sacrifice to become greats.

    17 min
  10. 10 Moments That Shaped Black Horror History

    22/09/2025

    10 Moments That Shaped Black Horror History

    In this episode, we explore Black Horror History 101 by breaking down 10 moments in TV/Film history that shaped the genre. We look at stereotypes, tropes, triumphs in storytelling, and more.

    30 min
  11. Octavia Butler Knew

    08/09/2025

    Octavia Butler Knew

    In this inaugural episode of Black Horror Journal, host Starr Rocque discusses the brilliance of author Octavia Butler, how she predicted the chaotic times we are living in, and what listeners can expect on future episodes of Black Horror Journal.

    20 min
  • 11 Episodes

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Black Horror Journal is a podcast where creativity, Black History, and pop culture intersect with horror. 

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