Five Black Characters Who Defied the Odds and Survived Horror Movies

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Black characters dying in horror movies in a familiar trope, but it isn't always true

We all love a horror movie trope, and one famous trope is that the black character always dies, and are normally the first character to die too. 

Now, while this seems like it's a frequent occurrence, it actually really isn't, there have been many instances where black characters have defied this trope and survived the horrors they have faced. 

Here are five of my personal favorites.

Fool - The People Under The Stairs

Fool Williams became a hero in The People Under The Stairs

Fool Williams is a young boy who is seeking revenge for his family's eviction in The People Under The Stairs. 

He decides to join some burglars to break into a house owned by two psychotic slumlords, bu when his partners are killed, Fool finds himself trapped inside, evading deadly traps and uncovering horrifying secrets about the slumlords and their captives. 

Against all the daunting odds, he ultimately triumphs over the slumlords, rescues the captives, and emerges as a hero. [The People Under The Stairs on IMDB]

Selena - 28 Days Later

Selena survives the zombies in 28 Days Later

In 28 Days Later, Selena is introduced as a fearless survivor who kicks ass. The film follows Jim as he wakes from a coma to find a world overrun by zombies and alongside Selena, they encounter a group of soldiers holed up in a mansion. 

Despite facing challenges and briefly needing rescuing herself, Selena's pragmatic leadership and survival skills make her a standout character in the film and her resilience in surviving the zombie outbreak solidifies her place as a memorable heroine. [28 Days Later on IMDB]

Childs - The Thing

Childs survived until the end in The Thing

In the horror classic The Thing one of the best horror remakes of all time, Childs is the chief mechanic at U.S. Outpost 31 and one of the few survivors by the movie's end. 

During the final scenes, amidst a violent blizzard and uncertainty over who remains human, he reunites with R.J. MacReady as they wait out the storm, leaving the film on an unresolved note. 

Childs' presence is significant as one of the earliest black characters to survive a horror movie in the 1980s, despite the ambiguity surrounding him by the time the film ends I am including it! [The Thing on IMDB]

Kincaid - A Nightmare On Elm Street 3

Roland Kincaid fights and survives Freddy Krueger in the 3rd installment

In A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Roland Kincaid is a character who fights and survives Freddy Krueger after confronting him head-on. 

He is the only black man to fight Freddy and survive! 

Well, that was until A Nightmare On Elm Street 4, where he dies quickly, so it was to be short lived. 

After reaching quite an anti climatic end in the fourth movie, the actor who played Kincaid (Ken Sagoes) joked that the writers obviously forgot to kill him off in the 3rd and wanted to put it right in the next installment. [A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 on IMDB]

Sherman 'Preacher' Dudley - Deep Blue Sea

Sherman survived until the end of Deep Blue Sea

Lets be honest, once Russell, played by Samuel L Jackson, bit the dust in Deep Blue Sea, it wasn't looking good for Preacher, was it? 

But that he did, using his resourcefulness to be one of two men standing by the end of the movie. I loved him as a character, he acted like we all would have in the same scenario. 

Apparently he was originally meant to die, but the director Renny Harlin who pushed the studio to hire LL Cool J wanted him to survive until the very end. [Deep Blue Sea on IMDB]