Black Cops In Horror: An Examination and Critique of Their Role In Genre Film
“Too black for the uniform. Too blue for the brothers.”
Shaft
“Black popular culture had long seen defiance of the police as heroic”
(America on Fire, p. 13)
Law enforcement, as a symbol, serves as the status quo in horror. Evil disrupts the status quo and must be eradicated. However, cops work both as a savior and as a failure of the status quo. This is partly due to cops waving away the main character’s concern, along with the justice system failing the public in realizing the horror that awaits.
In most horror films, Black cops are assimilated into police culture and are seen as more “blue” than “Black.” Thus, their race is largely irrelevant. This isn’t a bad thing on its own. But it’s rare for any subtext to be injected into the dozens of Black cops that show up in horror every year. It can go without saying that historically Black populations have been distrustful of police. The late 60s and early 70s rebellions are one major part of American history that shows how deep the conflict goes; the effects of these rebellions, the militarization of police, along with the rhetoric of the War on Crime and War on Drugs, are all felt today.
This distrust and heightened awareness of law enforcement, plus the justice system, create memorable scenes like Get Out’s ending that rely on our knowledge of inequality. Looking at the timeline of Son of Ingagi to Spiral: From the Book of Saw, there’s been major dips and missed chances with interesting approaches to such a familiar role in horror. Hopefully, the cliche can be subverted sooner rather than later, and maybe more meaningful cliches can rise from its derivative grave.
To begin, law enforcement is a major component of horror films. We expect our victims to call the police, be saved by them, and have cops figure out the mystery. In short, cops serve a pragmatic role in horror narratives. But, there is space for Black cops to be distinct and have new developments in a post-Get Out landscape.
Black law enforcement is a complicated subject due to the straddling ideas of identity, power, history of abuse, and community tension. Its representation in the media has been rich, though it’s more of a stereotype similar to other “Authority Figure” roles. The Black cop is ostensibly a cliche role for Black actors to have due to how formulaic and common it is.
Other cliches and archetypal roles have been transformed and focused on in ways Black cops haven’t. We’ve had the “Final Girl” approached in every possible way. The “Best Friend” and “Comedic Relief” aren’t as narrow compared to the past. The “Expert” that knows everything about the monster is a creative opportunity for writers, and we’ve had many different experts throughout horror history. How many interpretations of werewolves, zombies, vampires, and Frankenstein’s monster have we gotten? Cops, in general, are typically portrayed the same from movie to movie.
In an amateur analysis where I looked at over 650 horror movies that categorized 1500+ Black characters, Black cops show up at a higher rate than every other job such as doctor, nurse, or scientist. Compared to horror roles like comedic relief, the expert, and the romantic interest, cops outnumber them in horror movies, as well. For specific numbers, there were an estimated 171 cops total in 141 films. Most of the films do not touch on the racial divide between Black cops and the Black community.
From the 1940s to the modern day, horror movies have used Black cops without the complexity that reflects the occupation’s history. I will review how the cliche role of Black police has fallen short and analyze the few films that show criticism of police through the horror genre. Black police have mostly served as a stereotypical tool for the horror genre, and the race element can be a larger subject in our socially conscious horror future.
Son of Ingagi (1940) is notable for many reasons. It features an all-Black cast and the film was written by Spencer Williams, of Amos ‘n Andy fame, who also plays Detective Nelson. This film was made for Black audiences and was shown in segregated Black theaters. With this context, what would the police be like in a horror film?
Spencer Williams, a student of comedy, acts as the comedic relief of the picture as well as the law. Nelson has a major role in the second half of the film, and is a bit of a fool for his poor detective skills. But, the police chief does speak highly of Nelson after the detective is believed to be dead.
The entire police force is naturally implied to be Black, a very rare occurrence, and we see or hear other cops throughout the film, especially at the end. Nelson isn’t a big hero, but is helpful when he carries treasure to the lead couple, thereby allowing them to rebuild their lives. Another point to consider is how trustworthy everybody is toward the cops. The main Black newlywed couple allows Nelson to sleep in their house to figure out the mystery behind the murders. There is no trepidation toward the police, only trust, plus a sense of community rather than an us-versus-them division.
While there are a few interesting occurrences of Black cops in horror films from 1940 to the 90s, we are going to skip to a significant movie on the subject, Tales from the Hood (1995). It is one of the few major horror films that tackle police and racial injustice directly. It’s an anthology film in which the first segment is about a Black cop witnessing his white police peers abuse a Black man at a traffic stop. We see how the Black cop, Clarence Smith (Anthony Griffith), struggles to stop the other police officers from brutalizing the victim, Martin Ezekiel Moorehouse (Tom Wright). Clarence conforms to the police code of not ratting out his fellow officers.
The police end up killing Moorehouse and framing him as a heroin user who overdosed. This incident haunts Clarence who quits the force and becomes an alcoholic. He failed to make any change from behind the blue line, while Moorehouse was “taking away cops’ badges” as an activist against police corruption. Tales from the Hood shows how police can be politically motivated to rid themselves of “political agitators.” It also adds a backstory of police selling drugs, further critiquing them as a system of hypocrisy and a gang unto themselves. Clarence made a choice to stick with the code and quit the police force, as a way of running from the problem, rather than report the abuse his brother suffered. When Moorehouse kills his murderers as a zombie, he doesn’t let Clarence go free. Zombie Moorehouse frames Clarence for the murders, judging him for not helping during the night of Moorehouse’s death.
It’s around this time we start to see Black cops in lead roles though it is very sparse, and some of these films aren’t commonly thought of as “horror.” Fallen (1998), Se7en (1995), the Saw series, The Descent: Part 2 (2009), The Call (2013), and Don’t Let Go (2019) all have Black cops, or law enforcement-related jobs, in lead roles. Race isn’t heavily touched on in these films even if police abuse and failures of the police institution are recognized.
Then there’s Saw IV (2007). In the film, Jigsaw tests Rigg (Lyriq Bent), a Black cop, who we follow for the majority of the film’s labyrinthine narrative. The tests are about Rigg’s impulsiveness and it ultimately ends in tragedy as Rigg fails. The Saw series is a modern, frenetic police procedural, and we watch detectives attempt to solve the Jigsaw murders in a non-linear way. Rigg is in the previous two Saw films but his identity as a Black cop is not wholly important. Rigg is given a backstory where he assaults a man under questioning. The case is covered up, because cops look out for each other. The police brutality incident is mild but Rigg feels guilt over it nonetheless.
The Saw films critique the police in many intentional and unintentional ways, but it’s worth noting Rigg doesn’t reflect on the failures of the system as a lead character in Saw IV. In fact, he becomes an unwilling executioner in Jigsaw’s plans as he forces a man to get into a Jigsaw trap, kills a woman in self-defense, and unknowingly kills a partner. Rigg’s impulsiveness also leads him to kill a man who he thinks is reaching for a gun, a familiar situation with law enforcement. Instead, it was a Jigsaw tape telling Rigg he failed. Police are pawns, victims, or accomplices in Jigsaw’s plans. Rigg survives longer than other characters in the series, but doesn’t achieve any victories.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) looks at police corruption up close where the torturous punishment of bad cops serves as the horror set pieces. Detective Zeke Banks (Chris Rock) turned in a dirty cop and becomes an Other on the police force. He can’t trust his partners. In one flashback, Zeke requests backup and gets shot as a result of his colleagues ignoring the call. In retaliation, Zeke’s father, police chief Marcus Banks (Samuel L. Jackson), assaults one of the guilty cops.
Spiral doesn’t pontificate on serving the Black community as a Black cop, but Zeke’s early rogue undercover work, some bits and pieces of dialogue, and the thematic statement of police corruption weave the race element into every scene. Good cops who protect bad cops in any way are subject to the serial killer’s games. In the end, Marcus is judged for systemically protecting corrupt police. It’s a common criticism that Spiral does not dive deep enough into the father-son relationship and it’s too conventional in the police procedural plot. But, it’s a major step forward for showing cops in a different light within horror.
Past films like Dr. Giggles (1992) and Mimic (1997) had their law enforcement figures die to save the white protagonists. Detective Wasserman in Bad Dreams (1988), on the other hand, was completely useless. Loretta Devine provided comedic relief as a campus cop in Urban Legend (1998) and Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000).
Barbarian (2022) is a recent film that touches on how ineffective cops can be due to their prejudice. The Black cop shows no compassion toward our Black survivor, thinking she is a drug addict. Brian Tyree Henry plays Mike Norris, a detective in Child’s Play (2019), with a special connection to Andy, due to detective Mike’s mother living in the same apartment. Mike has more development than most cops and even lives to the end, helping Andy defeat Chucky.
Bad Samaritan (2018) is a curious example of FBI Agent Olivia Fuller (Tracey Heggins) functioning as the only person to believe the main character when all other law enforcement does not. She does not save the day nor act as cannon fodder, but follows the law by waiting for a warrant before she can catch a killer suspect. Out of the 176 Black cops that appear in horror films, 28 of them were women. It’s another perspective that’s been a missed opportunity, but there has been progress.
Take an older movie like Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) which has two major cop roles. Angela Bassett is NYPD Detective Rita Veder and Allen Payne is Detective Justice; they are partners at work and romantic partners outside of it. The film’s main star is Eddie Murphy, playing the titular vampire, who tries to convince Rita to become his vampire bride. As a horror-rom-com, it’s light on showing how tough it is to police your own disenfranchised community; it uses the police background of Rita and Justice to pragmatically move the plot forward rather than give any kind of satirical criticism that would reflect the politics of the time.
Contemporary films like Body Cam (2020) and Killer Among Us (2021) have Black female officers with a focus on injustice and troubles in policing their own community. For instance, in Killer Among Us, an amiable conversation cuts short when a Black civilian sees the lead character’s badge when she’s off duty, a small occurrence of social rejection. This low-budget movie, however, is politically minded to a fault. The killer listens to extremist right-wing mouthpieces and targets Black prostitutes, but the film is devoid of complex characters and nuance surrounding these heavy topics.
In summary, it’s rare for films, in general, to touch on the disparity of Black populations put in prisons, or to look at the nuance of Black council members writing laws that disproportionately affect Black men and the Black cops that enforce them. Since horror films commonly utilize the police, there can be more variety than the sacrificial Black guy, the useless cop, and the heroic cop where systemic abuse is ignored.
The terror that police and the legal system bring is a new opportunity in this era of horror, and some modern movies have scratched the surface. We can approach Black law enforcement in horror similar to beloved Final Girls and monsters. New stories can explore how we’ve used them for decades. Deeper characterization can show internal conflict of identity and morality. The horror genre naturally evolves; when it comes to racial themes, there needs to be more of a conscious effort, and Black cops are an avenue for new hauntings and revelations.
Sources/Recommended Reading:
Forman, James. Locking up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018.
Hinton, Elizabeth Kai. America on Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion since the 1960s. Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2022.
R., Means Coleman Robin, and Mark H. Harris. The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar. Saga Press, 2023.
Categorized:Black History Month 2023 Editorials News
