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The Murderous Werewolf of Allariz

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Spain’s first recorded serial killer was caught killing people up in the Galician mountains. His crimes were horrible in itself, but his defense was even more gruesome. According to him he was cursed to be a werewolf without his human will, and was remembered as The Werewolf of Allariz.

For centuries, the mythical creature of the werewolf has been the subject of countless tales, striking fear into the hearts of villagers and captivating the imaginations of storytellers alike. But how much of this terrifying legend is rooted in truth? 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

From the dark forests of Galicia, Spain, to the eerie moonlit nights where the beast is said to roam, this hair-raising journey will leave you questioning what lies beyond our realm of understanding and has since been known as The Werewolf of Allariz. 

The Werewolf of Allariz Legend

At the cusp of the 19th century, Allariz, a small town in Orense, experienced a series of horrible crimes. The Galician forest seemed especially dark when 13 people disappeared and were found brutally murdered inside of it.

They found the man that confessed to the murders, but what was especially strange about this was his reasoning for the murderers. 

Manuel Blanco Romasanta, the murderer, told a story that no one really wanted to believe. He said when he was a teenager when someone put a curse on his family and he was turned into a werewolf every full moon. During these full moon turns, he lost all human consciousness and because of the beast in him, he killed and devoured the flesh of his victims.

Werewolves: There have been told stories about werewolves since ancient times. Some have even made it into trial. From The Book of Werewolves: Being an Account of a Terrible Superstition. — London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1865.

Romasanta is Spain’s first documented serial killer. His case was a sensation, not only because of the brutality of his crimes but also because of the werewolf claims. The legend of the Werewolf of Allariz had come to life, blurring the lines between myth and reality. Romasanta’s trial shed light on the dark underbelly of human nature and the fascination with the supernatural.

Romasanta Unusual Background

Romasanta, also known as the Tallow Man was born in 1809 in Regueiro in Ourense Province in Spain to a rather wealthy family that provided their children with education. He was one of five children in the family and at first he was thought to have been female. That is why he spent his first sex years being raised as a girl with the name Manuela. When he was six there was a doctor that rearranged his sex to male. 

So we might have a case of an intersex person, as the birth certificate said girl, but this was the 1800s, and there was not a science or wording that can confirm it as we know of it today. We do know he lived most of his life as a male though, working as a tailor and married to a woman that passed away. There is no indication of him being involved in her death. 

After her death, he left his job and started to travel, mainly to Portugal, and soon started to work as a guide through the mountain passes and deep woodlands among other things. 

In the 1840s at the time of a great famine and mass hysteria where the world was seen as a dangerous place, a man named Antonio Gomes showed up in a small village called Rebordechao. He helped with the harvest, worked as a cook, made yarn and worked as a guide to follow people safely over the thesaurus mountains. 

He was a short man with feminine features and became very friendly with the women in the town. But then strange things started to happen the next few years as women and children that had hired this man as their guide and trusted him, started to disappear. 

In reality, Antoni Gomez was actually Blanco Romasanta that lived under a disguise and was on the run for killing a man that tried to collect a depth. 

Although Romasanta kept delivering letters to the families to the disappeared, something was strange. Especially when he started selling the clothes of the disappeared in town. And a rumor started about him selling soap that was made from human fat, hence the nickname, The Tallow Man. 

He was brought to trial in 1852 and taken to Allariz where he had the strangest defense. At the time he was arrested he was carrying a lunar calendar.  

The Trial of Manuel Blanco Romasanta

The trial of Manuel Blanco Romasanta captivated the nation and brought the Werewolf of Allariz into the spotlight. As the evidence against him mounted, Romasanta’s story of being cursed by a witch and transformed into a werewolf became more and more difficult to believe.

The Werewolf of Allariz confessed to 13 murders and had this to say about his time as a werewolf:“The first time I transformed, was in the mountains of Couso. I came across two ferocious-looking wolves. I suddenly fell to the ground and began to feel convulsions, I rolled over three times, and a few seconds later I was a wolf. I was out marauding with the other two for five days, until I returned to my own body, the one you see before you today, Your Honour. The other two wolves came with me, who I thought were also wolves, changed into human form. They were from Valencia. One was called Antonio and the other Don Genaro. They too were cursed… we attacked and ate a number of people because we were hungry.” — Manuel Blanco Romasanta

The court asked The Werewolf of Allariz to transform in court, but he said that the curse had been broken as it only lasted for 13 years.

The Werewolf of Allariz: Manuel Blanco Romasanta were tried tin 1852 after killing people in the Galican mountains. His defence was that he was in fact a werewolf.

Some experts suggested that Romasanta may have been suffering from a psychological disorder, such as clinical lycanthropy, which caused him to believe he was a werewolf. Others argued that he was simply a cold-blooded killer using the werewolf myth as a cover for his crimes.

The Werewolf of Allariz ended up being acquitted for four of the murders he had confessed to as forensic science indicated that it was actually wolf attacks and not the butchering by a human as the other nine. 

He escaped the death penalty as there were people that wanted to study him and observe his claim as a werewolf and clinical lycanthropy as a psychological illness and even the Queen of Spain intervened so that they could study him. He died in prison though under mysterious circumstances only months after arriving. Some say that it was an illness, some say he was shot by a guard that wanted to see him transform. 

The legend of the Werewolf of Allariz continues to captivate audiences to this day, serving as a reminder of our fascination with the supernatural and the unknown. Werewolves have long been a staple of folklore and mythology, appearing in stories from cultures around the world.

The Myth of the Galician Werewolf

But where did the murderer take all of the werewolf lore from? The concept of a shapeshifting human was not a foreign concept in Galician folklore at all, and there were many tales and certain rules for a werewolf. 

In Galician folklore, it is a belief that the seventh son of a family can become a werewolf, or lobishome. If the child is born normal, it will be born with the image of a cross inside of his mouth. If not, he will become a werewolf. 

Read More: Check out the stories about The History and Legends of the Haunted Abbaye De Mortemer or The Haunted Black Forest of Fairy Tales for more stories about werewolves.

There are different variations to the myth, but most of them claim that during a full moon, they can’t help themselves to transform and roll in mud before starting to attack people.Every Friday the werewolf will shed his clothes and run off, visiting seven villages and taking another skin from that village.
 The Enduring Fascination with Werewolves

The Lobishomen: The Galician mythology have told stories about shape shifting people long before the Werewolf of Allariz were caught.

But what is it about these creatures that continues to capture our imaginations? Perhaps it is the idea of transformation, of a human turning into a beast under the light of the full moon. Or maybe it is the duality of their nature, the struggle between the human and the animal within.

Whatever the reason, werewolves have become an enduring part of popular culture, appearing in books, movies, and television shows. From the classic horror films of the early 20th century to the modern-day werewolf romances, these creatures continue to fascinate and terrify us.

So the next time you find yourself walking through a dark forest on a moonlit night, remember the legend of the Werewolf of Allariz and the power that stories have to both terrify and captivate. And who knows, you may just catch a glimpse of something lurking in the shadows, a creature caught between the worlds of man and beast.

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References:

Unusual Historicals: Myth & Folklore: Lobisome, the Galician Werewolf
Lycanthropy, were-wolves, and “lobo da xente” (full post)
Manuel Blanco Romasanta | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers
Manuel Blanco Romasanta – Wikipedia
Haunted Spain, stories for an All Hallows Eve – CaramelTrail

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The Dark Tale of Enriqueta Martí: The Infamous Vampire of El Raval in Barcelona

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For years children kept disappearing in the El Raval neighborhood in Barcelona. When the culprit finally was found it was Enriqueta Marti and her twisted crimes at fault. She was because of the darkness of her crimes called The Vampire of El Raval, and perhaps the scope of her crimes will never be revealed.


Step into the dark streets of El Raval, Barcelona, and immerse yourself in the chilling tale of Enriqueta Martí, the infamous vampire who haunted this neighborhood in the late 19th century. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories from Spain

Known for her macabre activities, Enriqueta Martí preyed on the most vulnerable members of society, luring innocent children into her clutches. This dark tale unravels the secrets behind her heinous crimes, revealing a web of deceit, manipulation, and unspeakable horrors that made people refuse to believe that she was actually human. 

The Dark and Scary Neighborhood: El Raval

The Raval neighborhood in Barcelona had a dark and sinister reputation in the years leading up to the first world war. This area, still commonly referred to as the Barri Xino or red light district, has a long history of criminal activity and poverty as well as the bohemian homes to artists, theaters, bars and cabarets. 

Its dimly lit streets and alleys have witnessed countless crimes, making it the perfect setting for the haunting tale of Enriqueta Martí. At the start of the 20th century it was the most densely populated district in Europe. The atmosphere of fear and unease that permeates the Raval adds an extra layer of dread to the story of the infamous vampire.

The Missing Children Nobody Looked For

In the late 19th century, Barcelona was a city plagued by poverty and social inequality where there was a big difference between the highs and lows of social status. It was in this environment of desperation that Enriqueta Martí found her victims. She preyed on the most vulnerable members of society: the poor children that no one really noticed. These innocent souls were often neglected and forgotten by society, making them easy targets for Martí’s twisted desires. 

The disappearances of these children went unnoticed for far too long, as their absence was overshadowed by the chaos and hardships of the time. Martí’s ability to operate in the shadows, unnoticed by the authorities, allowed her reign of terror to continue unchecked.

The Dark Legend of Enriqueta Martí as the Vampire of El Raval

Enriqueta Martí i Ripollés, a name that still sends chills down the spines of those who dare to speak it. Born in 1868, Martí would go on to become one of the most notorious figures in Barcelona’s history.

Enriqueta Martí i Ripollés: Photo of the alleged serial killer from Barcelona.

She was known by many names: “The Vampire of carrer Ponent”, “The Vampire of Barcelona,” and “The Vampire of the Raval.” The press sensationalized her crimes, perpetuating the image of a bloodthirsty monster who fed on the innocent. 

Read more: Check out the stories about Paris’ Haunted Père Lachaise Cemetery or Poveglia Island — The Most Haunted Place in the World for more stories about suspected vampires.

Martí’s macabre activities included kidnapping, murder, and even running a brothel that specialized in child prostitution. But what drove this woman to commit such heinous acts?

Before being renovated in 1923, the street was something else entirely than the home of a bar, pub and fancy shops. It used to be a brothel that Enriqueta owned.She was a simple country girl that moved to the city to earn her living. She started out as a nanny and a waitress, but soon ended up becoming a prostitute until she became a madam and opened her own brothel on Carrer Ponent. 

The Vampire’s Work as a Witch Doctor

One of her darker endeavors was her work as a witch doctor. She was said to sell miracle skin creams to rich ladies that promised them eternal beauty. 

Read more: Check out all of our ghost stories about: Witches

The only thing they didn’t know was that these supposed creams contained the blood and fat of children. Or perhaps they knew, but just didn’t care. 

She also claimed to have found a cure for tuberculosis that plagued the city at that time. She said that by drinking the blood of children, they would be cured. 

The Horrible Crimes

It is said that she dressed up as a poor woman and looked for children that had no grown ups watching them. She then took them and sold them in her brothel. 

She was arrested once in 1909 during the Tragic Week for selling children but was never convicted as she utilized her friends in high places that relied on her services. 

It was only when a particular girl went missing that the police really bothered to investigate properly as she was not a poor and orphaned child as many of her other victims had been. 

The Tragic Tale of Teresita Guitart Congost

Although Teresita Guitart Congost’s parents weren’t necessarily rich, they were popular and had a fair amount of influence to make this case matter compared to all the other cases. A neighbor saw the girl in Marti’s apartment on 29 Ponent Street or Carrer de Joaquin Costa as it is today, and notified the police. When they arrived they found both Teresita Guitart Congost and a girl called Angelita. Teresita Guitart Congost said that Marti had lured her there with sweets before locking them up in her apartment. 

Saved: Teresita Guitart Congost at 5 years old after she was found and rescued from the Vampire of El Raval.

No one knew who Angelita was, and even if Marti claimed it was her daughter, her ex husband said they never had any children. It was from this girl that harrowing details came into the light. According to this young girl, she had apparently seen Marti butcher a 5 year old in the kitchen table called Pepito that she had stolen from a single mother that was new to the city. 

The police also found bags filled with small and bloody human bones as well as dirty clothes as well as around 50 jars of fat, blood, hair and skeletons, some already mixed into an ointment, ready for sale. 

Although there was a filthy apartment with a horrible stench, there was one room where it was clean with expensive furniture and nice looking clothes for both girls and boys, most likely where her clients were taken. 

In her former apartments they found bones, in the yards, a skull of a child. They had no way of piecing all of them together, and the forensic could only identify twelve children. But how many it really was, is unknown. 

The Arrest and Trial of Enriqueta Martí

The police accused her of abducting and killing children, how many is unknown. She had 20 years to commit her crimes in peace. She never confessed to killing any of the children, but admitted that she had brought children to rich child molesters through her brothel. She never named her clients. 

Arrested: Enriqueta Martí was finally arrested after the discovery of two kidnapped children in her apartment that told the authorities about the killings. Although she was finally arrested for her crimes, she never had a proper trial and became convicted, and a lot of questions remain.

Martí was never convicted. Her fellow inmates took matters into their own hands and hung her in the prison yard in May 1913. In some versions she was beaten to death. The official death claims it was cancer. Rumors circulated that Martí’s wealthy patrons had paid for her murder to ensure that their dark dealings with her would never come to light. The official cause of death listed on her death certificate was uterine cancer, effectively closing the door on any further investigation into her crimes.

Was the Rumor False?

While Martí’s reign of terror came to an end with her death, questions still linger about the true extent of her crimes. Did she really kill them, or was she more of a scapegoat for the elite to throw away when the police came too close? 

They suggest that she can only be reliably linked to the abduction of one young girl, Teresita Guitart. These researchers contend that the black legend attributed to Martí cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. 

However, the stories and legends surrounding her continue to haunt the dark corners of Barcelona, perpetuating her infamous reputation and for many years, there were countless of local Barcelonians that claimed that they had been tried or were kidnapped by her.

Enriqueta Martí’s Dark Tale Lives On

The tale of Enriqueta Martí, the infamous vampire of El Raval, is a chilling reminder of the darkness that can lurk in the human soul. Her crimes shocked a city and left scars that still remain to this day. While the truth may never be fully known, the legend of Martí continues to captivate and terrify those who dare to delve into the depths of her dark tale. 

As we walk through the streets of El Raval, it’s impossible not to feel a sense of unease, as if the echoes of her crimes still linger in the shadows. Enriqueta Martí may be gone, but her legacy as one of Barcelona’s most notorious figures lives on, reminding us of the thin line between good and evil, and the horrors that can lie hidden just beneath the surface.

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References:

Enriqueta Martí – Wikipedia

Enriqueta Martí – The Vampire of the Raval – Barcelona Lowdown

https://www.thepastworld.com/post/the-vampire-of-raval

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The Ghosts Within the South Bridge Vaults

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A paranormal investigator’s dream, the South Bridge Vaults in Edinburgh have been investigated for its hauntings on many occasions and many have left with a feeling of having experienced something paranormal and ghostly in the dark. 

In the late 18th century Edinburgh was a growing community with a limited space in the Old Town nicknamed Old Reeky because of the bad smell and old buildings. The city is built around seven different hills and there are five main bridges connecting the slopes and hills of the town. That is also the reason for the high rise buildings of Edinburgh were they chose to build on top of the old to utilize the uneven location of the city. 

The people of Edinburgh started to utilize the spaces under the South Bridge in the Old Town to make more room for business. The spaces within the archers under the bridge are also known as the Edinburgh Vaults or Niddry Street Vaults as well as just the South Bridge Vaults. 

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They look like a series of chambers next to each other and are actually of the 19 archers underneath the South Bridge. It was supposed to be a place with respectable businesses, but ended up becoming some of the more haunted corners of the very haunted city. 

The Cursed South Bridge

According to legend, the place was cursed already from the start. The South Bridge that was built to connect the old town with the new town was completed in 1788, and already at the opening of it the locals deemed it as cursed. 

The South Bridge: The largest arch of the bridge, seen from the Cowgate.

It was seen as a grand opening and one of the respected Judge’s wives had been selected to be the first resident to cross the bridge as she was the city’s oldest resident. However, she died before the opening. To keep their promise to the elderly woman though, they decided she after all would be the first person to cross the bridge, although it was in her coffin. 

The locals in Edinburgh were scared, now thinking that the bridge was cursed because of the unusual opening of the bridge. And looking back at all that happened on the bridge and in the vaults beneath it, perhaps it indeed was. 

In the start, the South Bridge Vaults underneath the bridge were mostly used as taverns, workshops and as storage space for merchants. However it wasn’t long before the well respected businesses started leaving the area because of the poor facilities. The building of the bridge and the vaults underneath had been constructed on a low budget and even the construction itself had been rushed. Therefore they had taken no precaution to seal the surface against water and built it with porous limestone and the place became a damp and dark place which constantly flooded. 

The Damp and Dark Underworld of the Vaults

No later than 10 years after the bridge and the vaults opened, respectable businesses like shoemakers, goldsmiths started leaving the area and those that could afford it relocated elsewhere as the murky vaults flooded and the sunlight never shone inside the South Bridge Vaults. It was a place no one wanted to be, and only those that had no other choice remained. 

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There was also a slum where the poorer people in town started to take over as the surrounding Cowgate area had developed into a slum during the industrial revolution. Crime, filth, poverty and murders were key words to explain the place as no sunlight came through.

More illicit businesses started to pop up in the area like brothels, shady pubs, gambling dents and illegal whiskey distilleries, turning the place into the red light district of the town.

The Legends of the Serial Killers Burke and Hare

A lot of horrible things happened inside these vaults during this time. Most of it, we will never know for sure. Legends however will be told. The South Bridge Vaults were where the body snatchers Burke and Hare were supposedly finding their bodies as well as killing them to sell them off to medical schools. 

The Burke and Hare murders: The serial killings were sixteen murders committed over a period of about ten months in 1828 in Edinburgh, Scotland. They were undertaken by William Burke and William Hare, who sold the corpses to Robert Knox for dissection at his anatomy lectures. Here depicted in an etching of Burke murdering Margaret Docherty (also known as Margery Campbell) by Robert Seymour.

Although this legend is often passed down as fact, there is no actual evidence that the South Bridge Vaults was the exact place they got their bodies from, although very likely. The place to find poverty struck people and those that no one would miss if they suddenly ‘disappeared’ was inside the dark and damp vaults.

The Rediscovery of the South Bridge Vaults

At one point during the 1800s, exactly when is unsure, they emptied the vaults for people and started to dump tons of rubble in the vaults, sealing them completely off and making them inaccessible for the public and were kind of forgotten for a long time. 

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It wasn’t until the 1980s the tunnels to the vaults were rediscovered by a former Scottish rugby player named Norrie Rowan when he found one of the tunnels while he was renovating his flat. He spent the rest of his days excavating the vaults and rediscovering its history to make it accessible for the public once again. 

The Ghosts of the South Bridge Vaults

There are many stories about who haunts the place today as the vaults have reopened and daily groups of tourists and paranormal investigators are taken down to the vaults to uncover the dark history. 

Many people met their tragic fate on a daily basis down there in the vaults as well as suffered from horrible tragedies that affected the entire town. Like the Great Fire of Edinburgh  that lasted for five days after it started in 1824 and took the lives of at least 13 people. There are many stories about victims that were trapped inside the chambers and suffered horrible consequences from then. Although there is no paper trail on this tale though. 

There are many tourists that claim to have captured evidence of something paranormal going on, and they even make the newspapers from time to time. The same reports comes from the paranormal investigators that go down into the vaults and come back with what they see as proof of hauntings going on. 

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Here are some of the ghosts that are said to haunt the vaults until this date and have gathered enough reports to be a part of the haunted ghost tour in Edinburgh: 

The Aristocrat

One of the first ghosts that people have reportedly seen over the years is that of the Aristocrat. He is said to be a rich gentleman with a tall black hat and a beard. He is not seen as the most angry spirit as he is known for grinning at visitors while leaning against the wall. People do have a tendency to feel uneasy in his presence though, according to those who claimed to have seen him. 

The Happy Shoemaker

There is also a room that is believed to belong to a shoemaker from that time that is said to still practice his profession as a shoemaker.

He is described as a man in his 50s and is one of the ghosts that are said to be friendly and are often seen smiling and laughing by visitors while he happily carries on with his shoemaking while wearing an apron.  

The Veiled Woman

In the room with the shoemaker known as The Room of the Cobbler, there is a meaner spirit though and is known as the veiled woman. She is believed to throw small stones at visitors as well. She is seen as a young woman dressed in black while wearing a veil in the north west corner of the Cobbler’s Room. 

Women have also reported about feeling an intense rush of grief, anger and a sudden and unexplained abdominal pain, which has left many to believe it is a woman that lost her child in a horrible way and she is still grieving. 

The Caretakers Room

In one of the chambers there are reports of a man sitting by the fireplace. He apparently looks like one of the more chill spirits in the place as well with a drink in his hand and legs stretched out. By his side he has a dog that is reported to brush up against people’s legs or sniff them. 

Little Jack

Then there is the small boy named Jack or James that are often spotted in the Wine Vault. He is mostly seen as a blonde curly boy around 6 or 8 years old, wearing a blue suit with the classic knickerbocker trousers. Some sources want to connect him to a missing child case from 1810. 

He is often playing with a red ball at times and is known to try to hold the hands of female visitors and likes to play around if there are children around. Allegedly, if he spots a person he doesn’t want to enter the South Bridge Vaults he will tuck their sleeves or coat when entering the Blair Street Corridor. 

According to the guides down in the vaults, he is afraid of one of the more well known ghosts wandering the narrow alleys and small chambers. And that is that of Mr. Boots or also known as The Watcher. 

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The Watcher

Perhaps the most well known ghost in the South Bridge Vaults is that of The Watcher. There is a theory that he was a watchman and that is the reason he is known as The Watcher. Or maybe it’s because he always looks as if watching over something.  

There are also alternative legends over the years that have tried to explain his presence, and many are also claiming him to be one of the slum landlords or even one of the body snatchers that hid his stolen bodies in the chamber known as The White Room. Today we can only speculate. 

He is also called Mr Boots because of how many people in the vaults have experienced him. They can hear loud footsteps in The White Room or in the Niddry Street Corridor which is known as the most active place in all of the vaults.

His face has never been seen as it is hidden, blacked out or he is showing himself to the public with his back. He is supposedly this tall, slim and dark figure with a long flowing coat with his long hair in a ponytail. Sometimes he wears a hat and long boots. Sometimes he carries rattling keys and his breath smells disgusting of rotten teeth and whiskey. 

People experiencing stuff within the vaults often get the feeling that he is trying to get them out from the narrow and claustrophobic spaces. Batteries on cameras die or malfunction when he’s present and he is known to push or pull people towards the exit as well as the phrase ‘Get Out’ has been heard on several occasions. 

The Stone Circle

There are also rumors about an evil demon trapped inside one of the stone circles in one of the chambers. This is were the late Wiccan High Priest, George Cameron known as The Hermit set up his temple in the 90’s. It was in one of the vaults that have historic connection to the torturing of witches somehow. 

According to him, he was trying to rid it from evil and built the stone circle which still stands today. He failed, however, to remove the evil that were supposed to be in the vaults and Cameron abandoned the room after he recommended to seal up the room to protect people from the evil within it. It is not sealed though as it is one of the stops on the tour through the vaults. 

The Experience of the Hauntings

No matter the real story of the ghosts in the South Bridge Vaults and the true horror the people living there went through, the vaults itself are an interesting walk through time and history. And perhaps if you choose to go down into the dark chambers you too will hear the same that many claim to have on recordings and etched into their memories. The eerie sound of what can sound like children yelling and crying along with hushed voices and shuffling footsteps. 

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References

Edinburgh’s most haunted locations | The Scotsman

Niddry Street Vaults Ghost Hunts,

Edinburgh’s South Bridge and Vaults

Underground Edinburgh Tour of South Bridge Vaults Review

The Watcher, The South Bridge Vaults Edinburgh’s Most Haunted

https://thelittlehouseofhorrors.com/edinburgh-vaults-south-bridge/

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5 Horror Movies with Kick Ass Black Characters

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Can we say that Jordan Peele with his two movies, Get Out and Us, made his mark on horror cinema? Yes, I think we really can. His fine line of horror, social commentary and comedy is so well balanced it makes us wonder what the hell we were watching before. And it also have given a voice to black people through the genre as well as killing some tired tropes of black people dying pretty fast. So, here are some other horror movies that came before with some kick ass black protagonists in them.

Night of the living dead (1968)

With: Duane Jones

Director George A. Romero’s classic, Night of the living dead, turned cinema upside down. He was a pioneer in many ways. That includes iconifying the zombies, casting a black man as his starring role, and letting him be the bad ass survivor that he was. It seems stupid by calling that a pioneer, but that is the stupid world we live in. In any case, the role of Ben, played by Duane Jones is still some of the most kick-ass characters in one of the most kick-ass movies there is.

Synopsis: A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a bloodthirsty, flesh-eating breed of monsters who are ravaging the East Coast of the United States. Who knows what would have happened if the horror genre just continued to treat their black characters like this?

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28 days later (2002)

With: Naomie Harris

Director Danny Boyle, claims he didn’t set out to make a zombie movie, but no matter what his intentions were, he ended up with reinventing the whole genre. On the DVD commentary, Boyle explains that, with the aim of preserving the suspension of disbelief, relatively unknown actors were cast in the film. Cillian Murphy had starred primarily in small independent films, while Naomie Harris had acted on British television as a child. It is perhaps weird to think of her as a relative unknown actress today, but hey, the movie is a couple of years old, and Naomie Harries looks and kick-ass as she did back then. As the kick ass Selena, she is the one character that got the comic book spin off and that the audience follows. (Heads up: Most of the zombie-characters that are actually great and memorable are black. Remember Ben, Selena and Michonne. Whatever that is a metaphor for, I think we will leave to the reader.)

Synopsis: Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.

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I am legend (2007)

With: Will Smith

A lot of white actors were considered to play the lead role, including Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, Michael Douglas, Mel Gibson, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Ted Levine. It was after all what could be called: A confirmed white man. Whatever that mean, whatever, whatever. But it went to Will Smith when Francis Lawrence directed the movie, and gave way of putting many black characters in a blockbuster horror movie. As it should as Will Smith is sort of the only great thing about this movie. (Not to say I don’t like it, but…)

Synopsis: Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure in this post-apocalyptic action thriller.

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Gothika (2003)

With: Halle Berry

Yes, they did try to give Halle Berry a razzie for this role. But it is still alive and kicking on various streaming sites, and it is Halle Berry, so it makes the list. Her role was of a kick-ass, well educated black woman that saves the day and herself (of a white man’s oppression if we read into it a bit.) It is worth watching the movie if only for that fact, even if the script is a bit… well, silly…

Synopsis: A depressed female psychiatrist wakes up as a patient in the asylum where she worked, with no memory of why she is there or what she has done.

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Seven (1995)

With: Morgan Freeman

It might be more of a thriller than a horror actually, but it got Morgan Freeman in it, so hey! It is also so well received and made, it needs to be remembered. And I don’t think I need to tell anybody about how kick-ass Freeman is, it’s just the most unnecessary thing, we all know, he played GOD for heavens sake!

Synopsis: Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.

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