In episode 104, we dive into the 2021 horror film Black as Night. This not-so-unique blend of supernatural horror and social commentary takes us deep into the heart of New Orleans, where a young girl must confront a terrifying vampire threat that lurks in the shadows.
We’ll discuss the film’s themes of colorism, gentrification, and the coming-of-age throughline that has a hard time hitting the mark.
Grab your garlic and stake, and tune in for a deep dive into a film that will leave you questioning what’s lurking in the dark.
Timestamps
04:56 – Negronomicon
- 34:16 (pause here to avoid plot spoilers!)
29:17 - Crit
1:37:34 – Final Curls
Podcaster's note:
A video that Mami Wata Mayowa posted online gave me the language I was looking for when we recorded this episode. The trope with colorism is that dark-skinned women are jealous of light-skinned women. This underlying belief colored the conversation this film was trying to have into a weird coming-of-age story that didn't sit right with me. I have a hard time understanding the perspective of the film has and I think there were a lot of other elements in the story that made this theme seem shallow at best.
xo, Lauren
Gems from E104
- Black as Night (2021)
- Cheers (1982, television series)
- The Twilight Zone (1959, television series)
- The Faculty (1998)
- Scream 7 (upcoming)
- Companion (2025)
- The Blackening (2023)
- Barbarian (2022)
- 22 Jump Street (2014)
- Idle Hands (1999)
- The Devil Wear Prada 2 (upcoming)
- Moana 2 (2024)
- Moana (2016)
- Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996)
- Jason X (2021)
- Wolf Man (2025)
- Van Helsing (2004)
- 28 Years Later (2025)
- The Last of Us (2023, television series)
- Fear Street trilogy (2021)
- Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)
- Goosebumps (2023, television series)
- Goosebumps: The Vanishing (2025, television series)
- Goosebumps (1995, television series)
- The Nightmare Room (2001, television series)
- The Haunting Hour (2010, television series)
- Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001, television series)
- Squid Game (2021, television series)
- Virgin River (2019, television series)
- Locke & Key (2020 television series)
- Sinners (2025)
- Mickey 17 (2025)
- Black Panther (2018)
- Spongebob Squarepants (1997, animated television series)
- Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999, animated television series)
- The Monkey (2025)
- Longlegs (2024)
- Until Dawn (2025)
- Until Dawn (2015, video game)
- Black Christmas (2019)
- Black Christmas (1976)
- Happy Death Day (2016)
- Cabin in the Woods (2012)
- Annabelle: Creation (2017)
- Lights Out (2016)
- Shazam: Fury of the Gods (2023)
- Groundhog Day (1993)
- Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020)
- Chlorine Sky (Mahogany L. Browne, Crown Books for Young Readers, 2021, Print)
- The Babadook (2014)
- The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022, television series)
- Blade (1998)
- Day Shift (2022)
- 30 Days of Night (2007)
- Fright Night (1985)
- True Blood (2008, television series)
- Twilight (2008)
- The Vampire Diaries (2009)
- Abigail (2024)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997, television series)
- Underworld (2003)
- Queen of the Damned (2002)
- Interview with a Vampire (2022, television series)
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)
- Poppy Playtime (2021, video game)
- Five Nights at Freddy’s (2014, video game)
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