Wednesday, February 03, 2010

"It's a blessed condition, believe me": Images of African Americans in horror cinema #2.

Throughout February, ANTSS will be running images that reflect - for better or worse - the image of African Americans in horror cinema.



Scatman Crothers from The Shining, 1980
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5 comments:

wiec? said...

I always felt really bad for Scatman in The Shining. He really gets the short end of the stick.

if the kid didn't have the Shining and was just a normal kid, Scatman never would have known anything was wrong and would have just stayed home. Instead Scatman takes the looong trip back to the Motel and 2 seconds after he gets there bang! he gets killed.

i will say the painting hanging over his bed was excelllent.

8:43 AM
CRwM said...

wiec?,

I almost used an image of Crother's in repose back at the crib, but I went with this because it struck me as more complicated: we know he's acting heroically in the shot, and we know he's completely screwed. Plus his heroism contrasts with his expression, which almost seems like the ol' bug-eyed stereotype Hollywood used to love to trot out. Intentional on Kubrick's part?

9:19 AM
Anonymous said...

"Plus his heroism contrasts with his expression, which almost seems like the ol' bug-eyed stereotype Hollywood used to love to trot out. Intentional on Kubrick's part?"

Probably just the way the guy looks when he's scared/acting scared.
Great idea for a series of posts, but I think your comment contains more racial stereotyping than the actual image in this case.

9:21 AM
CRwM said...

Anon,

Hmmm. I see what you're saying. I guess I meant to imply that Kubrick was intentionally evoking a stereotype and using it in a way that complicated it - I racist trope of cowardice used in a scene of unquestionable heroism. But maybe I'm trying too hard. Thanks for reading and keeping me honest.

9:29 AM
Zane Grant said...

The way he delivers the words "unreliable assholes" is one of my favorite moments in film.

3:52 PM

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