Update: due to unforeseen circumstances, the remaining eight entries missed the BHM deadline and will spill into the next day or two. Sorry for the inconvenience.
This February, Midnight Social Distortion will be celebrating Black History Month by honoring Black horror characters, in particular Black horror survivors, throughout the twenty-eight day period. Each day will feature one black male and one black female survivor in horror and sci-fi to bring light to the positive, albeit still problematic, black champions of representation in horror. Some disclaimers first: obvious spoilers ahead, and not all horror survivors will be featured this go round, but will appear in later posts down the line.
Poindexter “Fool” Williams (Brandon Quintin Adams)
Character Arc:
Living in the LA projects, Poindexter “Fool” Williams was faced with eviction, a sick mother, and no way of making either better. So when he’s recruited by two robbers from his neighborhood, as a decoy to rob his landlords, the Robesons, he takes the gig with hopes of curing his situational ailments. But instead of a quick illegal fix to his problems, Fool ended up being chased by the Robesons, a racist brother and sister who held their kids (who they kidnapped) captive under the stairs, turning them into cannibalistic creatures. While running for his dear life through their massive booby-trapped house, Fool ran into Alice, the latest child in the Robesons’ “care,” and Roach, a kid who escaped the basement and lived in the walls. After dodging the Robesons and encouraging Alice to fight back with him, Fool not only took out the metaphorical pains causing grief in his life, but he also saved the entire neighborhood as well.
Fun Trivia
The film was based on a true story of robbers who broke into a house and found two kids the owners had held captive for several years.
Final Thoughts
Seeing Fool not only survive a horror movie, but was also the focal point and hero of the entire film really put a stamp on my love of horror more than ever. Fool was what I would’ve loved to had been in a horror scenario: scared but not a coward, smart, resourceful, determined. He defied all of the stereotypes placed on black characters in horror films, and this is why I always fight black when people say “black people wouldn’t do this because…” Sometimes you end up in horrific situations that you cannot prevent yourself from falling into. So Fool made the decision to not just survive. He made the decision to fight for his family and the racial injustice of the Robesons and their societal evils. Fool, you are an icon, and far from a representation of your name.