Horror Noire Review

I love anthology horror movies. I’m a big fan of them, and always will be, but there are some that are better than others. Of course, there are classics like the “Twilight Zone Movie”, “Creepshow”, and others, and I thought for sure Shudder was going to bring to light another instant classic. I mean, the channel is one of the premier options for streaming horror movies today. With the release of “Horror Noire”, you get a bit of confusion up front. 

Search for the movie “Horror Noire”, and you get a lot of listings about the documentary of the same name. This review is not of the documentary, as it is a review of the movie “Horror Noire”, which is something that you should know going forward. If you’re confused, don’t worry, the poster above should tell you all you need to know about whether or not you’re reading a review on a documentary or not. 

There are six segments that are presented in the movie, and they each have a story to tell from the experience of Black America. That’s not to say that it is all political or current events, but rather it features voices from the Black Community. There is a blend of supernatural, creature feature, and xenophobia all rolled into one, and the pieces all fit together to showcase the unique horror elements that you would expect from shudder. The horror elements are done well, the supernatural especially done well, but there is a lack here and there of gore, and timing. 

Put away your jump scares, there’s not a lot to be found here, and there’s not a sufficient amount of gore to make you shutter. Instead, you get lengthy stories that really seem too long for their own good, with the exception of a few here and there. That being said, the main problem I had with “Horror Noire” is the running time of each one, and how it just kept lagging. Furthermore, I did not like the way they abruptly ended, which was also my problem with this years “American Horror Story” double feature. 

This is an underwhelming anthology. It is a good thought, it’s interesting on paper, but in the full run time, and constant slowdown of pacing, I found myself wondering what was next, because I certainly wasn’t drawn into the stories as much as I wished. “The Lake”, “Daddy”, and “Brand of Evil” are my favorite of the six that are out, and while it is definitely an interesting premise, it doesn’t hold weight throughout the more than 2 hours of feature film. 

“Horror Noire” isn’t going to win any awards, and while it is not a terrible anthology, it’s a bit slower than I’d liked it to be, and therefore doesn’t get my full recommendation. However, since it was made for streaming, it gets a higher review point than I would give other movies. I say you should check it out, just remember that it is a little slow, but still worth checking out. It reminds me a little of the blaxplotation era.