Escapism, Community and Its Portrayal Through Black Vampires 

Editor’s Note: The Views expressed in this article are those of the author.

Exploitation films are designed to generate profits through sensationalized content, typically violent or sexually explicit. They were most popular in the 1970s and a major subgenre was the blaxploitation film, a twist to this genre by utilizing the same elements, but with a predominantly Black cast.

For example, consider the 1972 blaxploitation film “Blacula” directed by William Crain. “Blacula” follows Mamuwalde, an African prince who was turned into a vampire after pleading for Count Dracula to combat the slave trade in his kingdom. When tensions reach a boiling point, Dracula traps Mamuwalde— now named Blacula— in a crypt for eternity, but Mamuwalde is awakened from his sleep when two interior designers from Los Angeles acquire his coffin.

Race and slavery are directly involved with the plot, being the reason Mamuwalde becomes a vampire, but many Black scholars argue that Mamuwalde’s vampirism itself is a metaphor for slavery.

Vampirism is something forced upon Mamuwalde. When speaking with Dracula, he never intends to become a vampire or be labeled as such for the rest of his life. In this sense, Black vampirism is similar to slavery: Black people were not born slaves, but it was a title forced upon them.

Vampirism also carries the curse of immortality, having to live with your sins, mistakes and misdeeds your entire life. This mirrors the struggle African Americans face in carrying the trauma of their ancestors and overcoming racist preconceived notions.

In her article exploring Black vampirism, Sarah Kent quotes scholar and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who referred to slavery as a “bloody transaction.” She frames Black vampirism similarly. Black vampires are stuck with the blood of those they killed to survive, and African Americans carry the weight of slavery today.

However, as seen in the 1991 novel “The Gilda Stories” by Jewelle Gomez, Black vampirism is not always confining. Gomez’s novel follows Gilda, a recently escaped slave, and her exploration of her sexuality throughout centuries, and how her vampirism became a form of her liberation.

Because of her transformation, Gilda was able to explore her identity freely and uninterrupted. This is less a story about vampirism than an exploration of how, for Black queer individuals, vampirism is a stepping stone towards rebirth, self-innovation and the enjoyment of newfound freedom.

“Sinners” directed by Ryan Coogler, follows a similar criticism and celebration of Black vampirism. Similar to “Blacula,” vampirism is forced upon everyone at the juke joint, although the first vampire, Remmick, tries to convince everyone that he is converting everyone to vampires in order to build fellowship and love. On a similar note, “Sinners” uses vampirism as an allegory for conformity.

Living in a time that is loudly pro-white, nationalist and anti-Black causes feelings of discomfort amongst many African Americans, and to escape this discomfort, they may find refuge in forums full of the very people who hate them. Similarly, vampirism, although forced, provides the Black vampires in “Sinners” with a temporary yet harmful escape from the real world into freedom.

As Martine Thompson writes in his “Sinners” article, Black vampires such as Stack, Blacula, Gilda and many more show audiences that transformation is a double-edged sword: it is a curse put upon some while also providing freedom. The Black vampire transforms into someone new and feared for the benefit of survival, but in the end, it costs their culture and morals, similar to the price African Americans pay to be assimilated into white culture.