UNFAIR RACIAL

CLICHÉ ALERT

!SPOILERS AHEAD!

THE UNFAIR
RACIAL CLICHÉ ALERT
Deadicated to Scatman Crothers

"I've seen this in the movies before! The black guy dies!"
-Harry Block (played by Orlando Jones): EVOLUTION

When I first began THE RACIAL CLICHÉ ALERT back in 1998 at the old geocities site, I was criticized for creating a falsehood. My ALERT said simply:
"The RACIAL CLICHÉ ALERT is to let you know that, no matter how many victims or how many people from different races are in the Horror/Thriller movie, the whites and ONLY the whites were cast as the survivors."

I had my many detractors at the time who said things like:
"There is no such thing."

"It's your imagination."

"You need to get a life."

The latest one I've heard is
"You aren't a minority so this doesn't concern you." This line came from a white guy who listens to black gangsta rap all the time, owns black comedy DVDs and likes to talk the lingo of "the hood".

So I challenged my critics to go out and see 5 Horror/Thriller movies: any five, their choice. All I asked is that the movie have minorities in the cast (not some quick walk on or someone in the background of a crowd scene). So these fellow fans of horror went out. They came back with a few movie titles where the THE RACIAL CLICHÉ ALERT did not apply, and in fairness I list those films here. But they also came back with an overwhelming number of movies where the "rule" did apply, and they were amazed.

From then on, I added the words UNFAIR to THE RACIAL CLICHÉ ALERT. The UNFAIR RACIAL CLICHÉ ALERT specifically applies to movies made or backed by Hollywood, as I have not seen this "Rule Of Death" appear so consistently in Independent movies or movies made outside of the United States.

This page was created on January 8, 2000.

The reason for this is simple. With every new Horror/Thriller movie coming out, the list keeps growing. I used to post it only where applicable to the movies reviewed, but now the list is too long. It needs its own place. I welcome any who challenge the ALERT to offer me movie titles that contradict this page.
I will gladly post the titles of the accurate ones.

70 coincidences and counting!

"Aw man I'm done! Brothers never survive these things!"
-Preacher (played by LL Cool J): DEEP BLUE SEA

LEGEND

1960s

PLANET OF THE APES (1968) THRILLER 20th Century Fox Screenplay: Michael Wilson & Rod Serling Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner Produced by: Arthur P. Jacobs The black astronaut (Jeff Burton) gets stuffed and mounted. All the humans of the future are white.

COLOSSUS: The Forbin Project (1969) THRILLER Universal Pictures Screenplay: James Bridges Directed by: Joseph Sargent Produced by: Stanley Chase Dr. John F. Fisher (actor Georg Stanford Brown), one of the computer scientists, and only black man, gets shot on orders from Colossus.

1970s

CARRIE (1976) HORROR Redbank Films / United Artists / MGM Screenplay: Lawrence D. Cohen Director: Brian De Palma Producers: Brian De Palma & Paul Monash Despite Brown v. Board of Education, there doesn't seem to be a single black student in the whole school - that is, until a few show up as background extras for the "Prom Scene". We all know who survived the "Prom Scene" don't we?

DAMNATION ALLEY (1977)
HORROR / THRILLER
Screenplay:
Director:
Producers:
Paul Winfield is eaten alive by mutant cockroaches.
Paul Winfield also died in: STAR TREK: The Wrath Of Khan, THE TERMINATOR, MARS ATTACKS, and counting.

ALIEN (1979) HORROR 20th Century Fox Screenplay: Dan O'Bannon & Ronald Shusett Director: Ridley Scott Producers: Gordon Carroll, David Giler, & Walter Hill All white cast except for one black man, Yaphet Kotto, (also dies in THE RUNNING MAN) who dies a noble death. Only white survivor. Non-whites are killed off in all 4 ALIEN movies.

1980s

FLASH GORDON (1980) THRILLER DEG / Starling FIlms / Universal Pictures Screenplay: Michael Allin, Lorenzo Semple Jr. Director: Mike Hodges Producer: Dino De Laurentiis, Only one black character in this whole flick who has a speaking part and what does it get him? Ming the Merciless makes an example of Prince Thun of Ardentia (George Harris) who says that his loyalty to Emperor Ming is, "Without measure!" Swear loyalty to me, will you? I'll teach YOU to be loyal! Fall on your sword! That'll teach you to be so damn loyal! For a guy who is so damn merciless, Prince Thun is the only one we see Ming kill.

THE SHINING (1980)
HORROR
Scatman Crothers dies a noble if unexpected death in the movie, even though he didn't die in the book - these Hollywood clichés are Powerful stuff!

CONAN THE BARBARIAN (1982)
THRILLER
Universal Pictures
Produced by Dino De Laurentiis - Written and Directed by John Milus - Co-wrote by Oliver Stone.
Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) beheads the only black guy, the evil Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones). Conan does this partly to save the white princess, but mainly to avenge his family.

STAR TREK: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) Paramount Pictures
Paul Winfield gets a bug in his ear and nobly blows his own head off. Side note: Paul Winfield also starred in a TV episode of STAR TREK: Next Generation. Though he didn't play a black man, he nobly dies in that one too.
Paul Winfield also died in: DAMNATION ALLEY (eaten alive by bugs), THE TERMINATOR, and MARS ATTACKS.

CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984)
THRILLER
Universal Pictures
Produced by Dino De Laurentiis - Directed by Richard Fleischer - Written by Gerry Conway, Stanley Mann, and Roy Thomas
Arnold S. (Conan) kills the wicked Bombaata (Wilt Chamberlain) partly to save the white princess, but mainly to save his own skin. With the African warrior man dead, there is no reason to kill the African warrior female Zula (played by Grace Jones).

TERMINATOR (1984) HORROR / THRILLER Hemdale Film Corporation Screenplay: James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, William Wisher Jr. (additional dialogue), & Harlan Ellison (Terminator inspired by H.E.'s screenplays Soldier and Demon with a Glass Hand) Director: James Cameron Producer: Gale Anne Hurd Paul Winfield gets blown away by der Terminader. All the black men are killed off in every Arnold Schwarzenegger Horror / Thriller movie. No exceptions. Paul Winfield also died in: DAMNATION ALLEY, STAR TREK: The Wrath Of Khan, MARS ATTACKS, and counting.

ALIENS (1986) HORROR 20th Century Fox Screenplay: James Cameron & William Wisher Jr. Director: James Cameron Producer: James Cameron Racially mixed crowd but only 3.5 survivors. All white including the .5 who only looks human.

VAMP (1986)
HORROR / THRILLER
Balcor Film Investors / New World Pictures
Screenplay: Donald P. Borchers, Richard Wenk
Director: Richard Wenk
Producer: Donald P. Borchers
Grace Jones is the evil vampire Katrina. She dies in a pretty cool way, actually.

FROM BEYOND (1986) HORROR Empire Pictures / Taryn Prov Screenplay: Stuart Gordon, Dennis Paoli, & Brian Yuzna Director: Stuart Gordon Producer: Brian Yuzna Ken Foree , who created a cinematic first in being the first black man to survive in a horror movie (DAWN OF THE DEAD) is eaten alive by bugs from another dimension.

NEAR DARK (1987) HORROR F/M / Near Dark Joint Venture Screenplay: Kathryn Bigelow & Eric Red Director: Kathryn Bigelow Producer: Steven-Charles Jaffe The only Black Actor, Roger Aaron Brown (also dies in ALIEN NATION), gets killed. The vampires who killed him are the good guys. The vampires who kill white people are the bad guys. Only White survivors.

PREDATOR (1987) HORROR / THRILLER 20th Century Fox Screenplay: Jim Thomas & John Thomas Director: John McTiernan Producers: John Davis, Lawrence Gordon, & Joel Silver On a rescue mission in Central America, Arnold leaves everyone for dead except Anna (Hispanic actress Elpidia Carrillo) who they find in the jungle. The only male survivor is Arnold. His racially integrated team is wiped out to a man.

ALIEN NATION (1988) THRILLER 20th Century Fox Screenplay: Rockne S. O'Bannon Director: Graham Baker Producers: Gale Anne Hurd & Richard Kobritz Det. Bill Tuggle (actor Roger Aaron Brown. His character also dies in NEAR DARK) gets blown away by the criminal Aliens.

THE RUNNING MAN (1987)
THRILLER
HBO
Screenplay: Steven E. de Souza
Director: Paul Michael Glaser
Producer: George Linder & Tim Zinnemann
All the main black actors are butchered. Jim Brown as Fireball - is evil and done away with by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yaphet Kotto, who was killed off in ALIEN, is a good guy in this movie, but he still dies - though nobly. Once again, Arnold gets the minority woman (Hispanic actress Maria Conchita Alonso) and they walk off together hand in hand? Nope. With Arnold's arm around her waist? Nope. They walk off with Arnold's grip firmly around her neck!

THE BLOB (1988) HORROR/THRILLER PalisadesCalifornia / TriStar Pictures Screenplay: Chuck Russell & Frank Darabont Director: Chuck Russell Producers: Jack H. Harris & Elliott Kastner The only black guy, Joe Seneca, is an evil government scientist who gets sucked into a sewer hole by the Blob; which leaps, and creeps, and glides and slides across the floor.

CHILD'S PLAY (1988) HORROR UA / MGM Studios Screenplay: Don Mancini, John Lafia, & Tom Holland Director: Tom Holland Producer: David Kirschner The VooDoo Priest, Dr. Death (Raymond Oliver), gets killed by Chucky.

LEVIATHAN (1989) HORROR/THRILLER MGM Screenplay: David Webb Peoples & Jeb Stuart Director: George P. Cosmatos Producers: Aurelio De Laurentiis & Luigi De Laurentiis Ernie Hudson's character, Justin Jones, gets killed as an afterthought. A very odd death scene, it's as if the film makers said "Oh yeah! We forgot to kill off the black guy!" and then they do it.

DEEPSTAR SIX (1989) HORROR / THRILLER Carolco Pictures / TriStar Pictures Screenplay: Lewis Abernathy & Geof Miller Director: Sean S. Cunningham Producers: Sean S. Cunningham & Patrick Markey Sole black actor Taurean Blacque's character, Captain Phillip Laidlaw, nobly kills himself so that the two white people can escape. Only survivors are white.

THE FLY II (1989) HORROR / THRILLER 20th Century Fox Screenplay: Mick Garris, Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat, & Frank Darabont Director: Chris Walas Producer: Steven-Charles Jaffe Lots of survivors, and I mean lots, of survivors. But there was only one black character, played by actor William S. Taylor, and he gets accidentally shot and killed by a white guard.

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