Staking Claim - Black as Night (2021)

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)