Tananarive Due on the importance of Jordan Peele’s 'Get Out' in creating a new renaissance of Black horror

Tananarive Due discusses the importance of Jordan Peele’s Get Out in creating a new renaissance of Black horror.

Video Transcript

- Now, sink into the floor.

- Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait--

- Sink.

- I was an executive producer of Shudder's "Horror Noire," which, again, would not have been possible without Jordan Peele's, "Get Out." Because, yes, we did half black horror. We've had it since "Son of Ingagi" in 1940. We had it in the '70s with the "Ganja & Hess" and et cetera, et cetera.

But it really did take that linchpin of "Get Out."

A, social justice theme, racism is the monster, B, huge box office, and that's the language Hollywood speaks, for people to realize, oh. Horror audiences like novelty. And I think that's one of the saving graces of black horror, because sometimes, yes, it's often a critique of race relations. Not always, but often. But white horror fans want to be scared by something new. New images, new mythologies, just a different way of thinking, a different approach to characterization. That's kind of the fuel for the horror fan. It's like, show me something I haven't seen before. And luckily, we have so many stories we haven't been able to tell so far. It's only now that on the other side of the table people's eyes light up. They get it.

- Ah, she's so-- she's so-- ah, she's a genius.