Black Deth 101 Podcast: Black Film, Blaxploitation, Exploitation Movies, 1970s Film History, Soul

Nubius Black and Johnny Deth
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Film History
  • Updated Biweekly

Black Deth Blaxploitation 101 A bold, funky, history-deep Blaxploitation show blending film-school analysis with streetwise swagger— Nubius Black & Johnny Deth break it down like nobody else. Step into the funk-soaked world of Blaxploitation cinema. Johnny Deth and Nubious Black—two unapologetic voices breaking down the boldest, Blackest, baddest films of the '70s and beyond. From Shaft to Super Fly, from Curtis Mayfield grooves to Isaac Hayes' cinematic revolution, this podcast goes deep into the stories, sounds, and soul of a genre that changed everything. Raw, funny, fearless—and always funky.

  1. Oct 14

    Ganja & Hess (1973): Too Black, Too Strange, Too Brilliant!

    Ganja & Hess (1973) | Love, Blood & Addiction | Black Deth 101 Welcome, cool cats, foxy ladies, and funkateers! Our Shocktober Spooktacular continues with Ganja & Hess—a haunting journey into blood, desire, faith, and a hunger that won’t let go. Join Nubius Black and Johnny Deth as we explore Bill Gunn’s unconventional vampire film, starring Duane Jones and Marlene Clark. A wealthy scholar develops a thirst for blood, and the arrival of the fiery Ganja turns his isolated existence into a dangerous love affair. But can finding someone who understands your hunger ever be enough? We’re talking unforgettable performances, addiction beneath the horror, and a film that gets under your skin by taking you somewhere you never expected. Pull up a chair, cool cats. Love bites—and this time, it leaves a mark. Spoilers ahead. Subscribe to Black Deth 101, share the episode, and tell us: Is Ganja & Hess a love story, an addiction nightmare, or both? #BlackDeth101 #GanjaAndHess #BlackHorror #Shocktober #BillGunn #DuaneJones #MarleneClark

    Ganja & Hess (1973): Too Black, Too Strange, Too Brilliant!

  2. Oct 4

    The Beast Must Die Calvin Lockhart Peter Cushing Marlene Clark 1974

    THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974) | Black Horror, Werewolves & a Murder Mystery Black Deth 101 continues our annual Month of Black Horror with the wild 1974 British horror mystery The Beast Must Die. Calvin Lockhart stars as millionaire hunter Tom Newcliffe, who gathers a group of suspicious guests at his isolated estate because he believes one of them is a werewolf. His plan is simple: watch everyone, wait for the full moon—and hunt the beast. But this is no ordinary werewolf movie. The Beast Must Die mixes horror, mystery, action, Blaxploitation attitude, and the structure of an old-school whodunit. It even stops near the end for the famous “Werewolf Break,” giving the audience a chance to guess who the monster really is. Johnny Deth and Nubius Black get into: Calvin Lockhart and his commanding performance as Tom Newcliffe Peter Cushing doing what Peter Cushing does best The movie’s unusual blend of British horror and Blaxploitation The suspects, red herrings, and murder-mystery setup The legendary Werewolf Break The werewolf itself—and whether it actually works Amicus Productions and the state of horror movies in 1974 What America looked and sounded like when the film was released Why The Beast Must Die remains one of the strangest and most entertaining werewolf movies of the 1970s Is it a horror movie? A detective story? A Blaxploitation film? A country-house mystery with a werewolf running through it? The answer might be all of the above. Join Nubius Black and Johnny Deth as we revisit The Beast Must Die on Black Deth 101. Who do YOU think is the werewolf? Subscribe and join us as the Month of Black Horror continues. #TheBeastMustDie #BlackDeth101 #BlackHorror #CalvinLockhart #PeterCushing #WerewolfMovies #Blaxploitation #HorrorMovies #1970sHorror #AmicusProductions

    The Beast Must Die Calvin Lockhart Peter Cushing Marlene Clark 1974

  3. Sep 27

    BLACK PANTHER: Killmonger Wanted to Burn It ALL Down

    BLACK PANTHER: Killmonger Wanted to Burn It ALL Down This week on Black Deth 101, Nubius Black and Johnny Deth head to Wakanda for Ryan Coogler’s 2018 blockbuster, Black Panther. We look at the film’s cultural impact, Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, Michael B. Jordan’s unforgettable Erik Killmonger, and the conflict at the heart of the movie: what responsibility does Wakanda have to the rest of the Black world? Killmonger has real grievances. He sees injustice, abandonment, and a powerful nation that chose isolation while people who looked like him suffered around the globe. But having a point doesn’t make him the hero. His answer isn’t liberation — it’s conquest, revenge, and burning the whole system down. We also take a trip back to America in 2016–2018, the political and cultural climate surrounding the film, what audiences were watching at the time, and why Black Panther became much more than another superhero movie. Plus: Wakanda, Afrofuturism, the women of the Dora Milaje, the soundtrack, the performances, and why this movie became a genuine cultural event. Wakanda Forever. #RyanCoogler #BlackCinema #Afrofuturism #MoviePodcast Let us know in the comments: Was Killmonger right about the problem, even if his solution was completely wrong? #BlackPanther #BlackDeth101 #WakandaForever #Killmonger #ChadwickBoseman #MichaelBJordan #Marvel #MCU

    BLACK PANTHER: Killmonger Wanted to Burn It ALL Down

  4. Sep 6

    ABAR: The 1st Black Superman — Before Blade, Before Black Panther

    ABAR: The Black Superman is coming to save your weekend, baby! This time on Black Deth 101, we’re digging into one of the strangest, wildest, and most unforgettable superhero movies to come out of the blaxploitation era — ABAR: The First Black Superman. Abar starts out as a tough, street-level hero standing up for a Black family being terrorized in their new neighborhood. Then somebody hands the man a mysterious formula…and suddenly Abar isn’t just taking care of business — he’s got POWERS. And these aren’t your standard Superman powers either. Abar can seemingly do whatever the movie needs him to do. Teleportation? Sure. Mind powers? Why not? Making bad people regret every decision they ever made? Oh, absolutely. We’re talking about the BFU, racist neighbors, mad-scientist chemistry, social commentary, crazy superpowers, and one seriously cool cat at the center of it all. So put on your finest threads, pour yourself something cold, and join us as we ask the important question: What happens when Black Power becomes SUPER power? It’s ABAR: The Black Superman — and whatever you do… DON’T MAKE ABAR LOOK AT YOU! 👍 Like the video💬 Tell us what you think of ABAR in the comments🔔 Subscribe to Black Deth 101 for more blaxploitation, horror, cult movies, and all the funky cinematic madness we can dig up. Explicit Language #Abar #TheBlackSuperman #Blaxploitation #BlackCinema #CultMovies #BlackDeth101 #70sMovies #SuperheroMovies

    ABAR: The 1st Black Superman — Before Blade, Before Black Panther

  5. Aug 19

    The Spook Who Sat By The Door - The Film the FBI Didn’t Want Black America to See

    The Spook Who Sat By The Door The Film the FBI Didn’t Want Black America to See This week, Nubius Black and Johnny Deth dig into one of the boldest, most politically explosive films of the 1970s: The Spook Who Sat by the Door. Based on Sam Greenlee’s novel and directed by Ivan Dixon, the film follows Dan Freeman, the CIA’s first Black officer, who learns the agency’s tactics, returns to Chicago, and quietly begins building a revolutionary movement from the streets up. We break down the film’s story, its guerrilla-style production, its view of America in 1973, and why its message of organization, education, power, and resistance still hits hard more than 50 years later. We also get into the film’s disappearance from theaters, the long-running controversy surrounding government pressure, and how The Spook Who Sat by the Door nearly vanished before being rediscovered by a new generation. This ain’t just Blaxploitation, baby. This is a movie with something on its mind. 🎬 Film: The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)🎙️ Hosts: Johnny Deth & Nubius Black🔥 Black Deth 101 — where Blaxploitation gets the respect, history, and attitude it deserves. #BlackDeth101 #TheSpookWhoSatByTheDoor #Blaxploitation #BlackCinema #IvanDixon #SamGreenlee #1970sMovies #CultCinema #FilmHistory

    The Spook Who Sat By The Door - The Film the FBI Didn’t Want Black America to See

  6. Aug 8

    Black Deth 101 BLAXPLOITATION CITATION AWARDS

    Black Deth 101 BLAXPLOITATION CITATION AWARDS The votes are in — and the winners might start some arguments. We’re handing out the first-ever Black Deth 101 Blaxploitation Citation Awards, honoring the best heroes, villains, anti-heroes, fights, soundtracks, fashion, horror characters, and the best film we’ve covered so far. From Truck Turner, Coffy, Cleopatra Jones, Blacula, Shaft, Sugar Hill, Dolemite and more, nobody is safe from judgment. Who won? Who got robbed? And what takes Best Film So Far? Hosted by Nubius Black & Johnny Deth. #Blaxploitation #BlackCinema #CultMovies #MoviePodcast #Coffy #Blacula #Shaft #TruckTurner #CleopatraJones #Dolemite #1970sMovies

    Black Deth 101 BLAXPLOITATION CITATION AWARDS

  7. Jul 22

    One Year In - Blaxploitation Classics compete for your vote!

    Can you dig it? Black Deth 101 has officially been bringing the funk, fear, fights, fashion, and cinematic madness for one full year! In this anniversary episode, Nubius Black and Johnny Deth look back at the films, heroes, villains, soundtracks, wildest moments, and unforgettable characters that defined the show’s first year. From stone-cold detectives and fearless women to smooth-talking hustlers, supernatural soul brothers, outrageous stereotypes, and villains we loved to hate, we revisit the movies that made this journey so much fun. We also begin setting the stage for the first-ever Black Deth 101 Blaxploitation Citation Awards, where the finest—and sometimes the most ridiculous—achievements from the films we covered will finally receive the recognition they deserve. Which movie was the best of the year? Who was the coolest hero? Who had the sharpest wardrobe? Which villain deserved a beatdown? And which fight scene brought the most righteous destruction? Join the celebration, share your favorites in the comments, and get ready for the awards episode. Thank you to every Funkateer, cool cat, soul sister, horror head, and movie lover who watched, listened, commented, subscribed, and helped keep the Black Deth 101 groove alive. Stay black. Stay bold. Stay funky. And remember—the Deth never dies!

    One Year In - Blaxploitation Classics compete for your vote!

  8. Jul 1

    Come Back Charleston Blue; Forgotten Classic Black Cinema Blaxploitation

    Black Deth 101 — Come Back Charleston Blue Episode Notes This week on Black Deth 101, Nubius Black and Johnny Deth head back to Harlem with Come Back Charleston Blue, the 1972 sequel to Cotton Comes to Harlem. Godfrey Cambridge returns as Gravedigger Jones, Raymond St. Jacques is back as Coffin Ed Johnson, and this time the boys are chasing a mystery wrapped in Harlem legend, gangland trouble, ghost-story flavor, and one nasty blue straight razor. The story starts with bodies dropping, rumors flying, and folks whispering that Charleston Blue — a dead old-time gangster/vigilante — has come back from the grave to clean up Harlem his own bloody way. But in true Chester Himes fashion, nothing is ever that simple. There are hustlers, cops, crooks, community politics, white mob influence, Black resistance, comedy, chaos, and enough sharp dialogue to cut deeper than the razor. We talk about how this film compares to Cotton Comes to Harlem, whether Coffin Ed and Gravedigger should have gotten more movies, and why this one feels like a strange cocktail of blaxploitation, detective comedy, ghost story, Harlem crime picture, and old-school pulp madness. We also get into the mighty Donny Hathaway soundtrack, supervised by Quincy Jones, including the haunting power of “Little Ghetto Boy” and the cool, mournful groove that gives the movie more soul than the script sometimes knows what to do with. Plus:Who really is Charleston Blue?Is this a ghost story or a hustle?Does the movie waste a killer premise?And why does Harlem look so alive even when the plot gets tangled? Grab your razors, your wide collars, and your detective badge — because Coffin Ed and Gravedigger are back on the case. Black Deth 101: where the films are funky, the streets are mean, and the cool cats never stay buried.

    Come Back Charleston Blue; Forgotten Classic Black Cinema Blaxploitation
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Ratings & Reviews

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About

Black Deth Blaxploitation 101 A bold, funky, history-deep Blaxploitation show blending film-school analysis with streetwise swagger— Nubius Black & Johnny Deth break it down like nobody else. Step into the funk-soaked world of Blaxploitation cinema. Johnny Deth and Nubious Black—two unapologetic voices breaking down the boldest, Blackest, baddest films of the '70s and beyond. From Shaft to Super Fly, from Curtis Mayfield grooves to Isaac Hayes' cinematic revolution, this podcast goes deep into the stories, sounds, and soul of a genre that changed everything. Raw, funny, fearless—and always funky.

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