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Culture Shock: Black Horror Shorts was a program of excellent horror shorts by black filmmakers that screened at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival on October 20, 2026. It was followed by a fabulous Q&A featuring creatives from all but one of the six films.
Here are some important points!
Grampa (2026)
The six films were very different, but I have to say my favorite was the horror comedy, GrampaDirected by Justice Smith and Nicholas El Ash as the main character, James. James visits his white friend’s family for Thanksgiving dinner, and things get grotesque, scary, and hilarious when Grampa turns up at the table. You might think you’ve seen this story somewhere, but Grampa is perennially surprising and downright hilarious (I can’t stress that enough). Much of the humor comes from Ash’s performance as James: he plays the role with wide eyes that had the whole theater laughing – in utter disbelief that he’s seeing what he’s seeing and that no one else thinks what he’s seeing is absolutely insane. There’s an absolutely brilliant scene, shot mostly upstairs in a tiny bathroom, in which James’ boyfriend insists on bringing what’s going on outside into the realm of perfectly normal relationship conflict. In a Q&A at the end, Ash talked about why horror is so big — and one of the things he said was about how the genre can provide a spectacular representation of the everyday. Grampa Totally does it. It is interesting that he said the same Train to Busan (Yeon Sang-ho, 2016), with its speedy zombies, was one of the inspirations for the film. Watch this if and when you can!
You can watch the trailer Grampa On YouTube:
goalkeeper (2025)
Directed by Stephen Barnes and Tananarewe Due, goalkeeper Based on their 2022 graphic novel of the same name. This movie reminded me of the “Boys Get Bruised” segment from the Randy Cundiff movie. Tales from the Hat (1995), a segment I always find difficult to watch because of the vulnerability of the central child character. However, in both shorts, the child is ultimately protected by a monstrous creature – one that may be terrifying (and to some of the characters!), but acts as a protector, a “protector” for the child. And we’re glad that it does, although the source of the terror is then transferred to society, which leaves these children with no source of support in the real world. that Terror does not disappear goalkeeper’s conclusion, even though “The Beast” satisfactorily removes a few more tangible threats. It was nice to hear Doue talk about the satisfactions and challenges of directing an adaptation of his novel — and it sounds like audiences will want to read the novel to see the fuller development of The Keeper.
Angels are pulling hair (2026)
Directed and written by Gabby Beans, Angels are pulling hair Also starring Beans as the lead actor; In fact, Beans won the Best Actress Award in the Shorts category. Angels Probably the most experimental shorts. Binns noted in the Q&A that he was influenced by both the portraits of Francis Bacon and black folk iconography, an influence that is very visible. The film elliptically traces the experience of growing up around and then dealing with mental illness itself – the consequences of which are not predictable or linear. It is a truly compelling film that leaves behind images I was impressed Harm to you, not a Narrative that reflects them. In the Q&A, Binns talked about horror’s function as a safe space to explore dangerous subjects, including inherited trauma.
inheritance (2026)
Directed and written by Destiny Stewart, inheritance (as Grampa) is conceived of a visit to the white partner’s family home where things are not going well. In this case, Ari Thompson plays Venus, who goes to her husband Harley’s (Hattie Abbott) family estate – steeped in history, none of it good. Once there, Venus begins having nightmares in which a version of the nursery rhyme “And Then There Wasn’t” plays in her head. (I liked this because I’m currently reading Christie’s novel and reading/watching adaptations for our podcast.) These nightmares feature the color red, which evokes violence and blood, and images of slavery—chains and nooses. In the Q&A, Stewart talked about what the “monster” of the film is — and he was quite candid about it being “white women.” She detailed her research into how many white women owned slaves in their own right—and the perennial difficulties for black women in alliances with white women. Harley’s transformation in the film is truly “disgusting” and downright terrifying, as Stewart makes a visual reference to how history has a strong tendency to repeat itself.
night meal (2025)
screenwriter and director Rana Roy, night meal is an intriguing body horror film centered around a new mother and her baby. What makes it stand out is that Roy juxtaposes the physical and mental struggles of being a new mother in an inescapable geopolitical context as news of children being killed in Gaza keeps breaking. In a Q&A at the end of the film, Roy said that his film did not feature a monster; Rather, the “monster” is the “mind” and “universe” of the mother. The mother is forced to think “Is it me or is it the world?” Because everything in the world turns to violence, which enters his home through the television. Roy added that he aimed not to introduce markers of identity or place, so viewers everywhere could empathize.
Other films being screened at the 2026 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival include: Ryan Glover Split RockAlison-Eve Hammersley nationRussell Goldman SenderJordan Downey cycleand Josh Tanner after death.
