Growing up, I never saw kids who looked like me as leads in the genre. We never had our own The Lost Boys, Teen Wolf, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer waiting for us in a Blockbuster. We had The People Under the Stairs and maybe a few Disney movies after I was too old for Disney. Even today, media with POC teen leads are still woefully outnumbered. It’s as if execs think horror only happens to kids in the suburbs. Well, I have found some gems streaming that have POC kids driving the action. These movies are fun, and cool, and make me wish I had them when I was a kid.
Attack the Block (2011)
Where You Can Watch: Hulu
A group of South London teens are the only line of defense their neighborhood has against an otherworldly threat. This movie is so cool that it hurts. It also has a pre-Star Wars John Boyega as the leader of this team. It’s beside the point of this article, but it also has Jodie Whittaker long before she drove the TARDIS on Doctor Who. Seeing these two favorites join forces to battle aliens was almost too much for my little nerd heart.
HollyBlood (2022)
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A teen pretends to be a vampire to get close to his crush but soon finds out vampires are real and not entertained by his scheme. This movie has huge Big Wolf On Campus vibes but with Spanish leads. I thought I had outgrown genre films aimed at tweens but found myself cackling at the Twilight references. If you have missed early aughts movies that lead with tween humor and a little heart, then this is definitely for you.
Slash/Back (2022)
Where You Can Watch: Hulu and Shudder
Teen girls use their horror movie knowledge to fight off an alien invasion. As rare as it is to find horror movies about POC kids, it’s even harder to find ones with Inuit teen girls driving the movie. We should all watch it at least twice because it has taken us this long to get a film like this.
Time Wasters (2017-2019)
Where You Can Watch: Prime Video
A South London jazz band accidentally time travels to the past. I’m cheating because this is a TV show, and I’m not entirely sure how old our core group is supposed to be. However, we have Black people time-traveling without a bunch of racial trauma. We get to be in on the jokes instead of the butt of the jokes, and that’s all I have ever wanted. It made me laugh, and I think you should watch it.
Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020)
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A group of friends must protect their neighborhood from gentrifying vampires. This movie is surprisingly funny. It feels like a horror comedy love letter to Black and Brown horror nerds who had to grow up with almost no representation. Outside of the core group of heroic kids, Method Man is playing a priest. Hit play immediately.
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