Introduction : studying blacks and horror films -- The birth of the black boogeyman: pre-1930s -- Jungle fever: a horror romance: 1930s -- Horrifying goons and minstrel coons: 1940s -- Black invisibility, white science, and a night with Ben: 1950s-1960s -- Scream, whitey, scream: retribution, enduring women and carnality: 1970s -- We always die first: invisibility, racial red-lining, and self-sacrifice: 1980s -- Black is back! retribution and the urban terrain: 1990s -- Conclusion: catching some zzzzz's: blackz and horror in the 21st century.