This article contains SINNERS SPOILERS. Black representation within horror movies, specifically of the supernatural variety, is becoming increasingly extensive these days. No, not in that way where we are the first to die in slashers. I’m talking about ones where we are the protagonists or supporting characters with supernatural abilities.  Many might attribute this to the cultural impact left by filmmaker Jordan Peele. And sure, that’s played a role, but truth be told, we made our mark in the genre eons ago, beginning at the height of the Blaxploitation movement with William Crain’s Blacula starring William Marshall. Ever since Blacula pioneered the subgenre,  whenever we star in horror films as the monsters, it’s usually as vampires. It’s widely known that Black don’t crack, so of course we shine as the undead.  Ryan Coogler reminded folks of that fact over this weekend with Sinners, and in honor of that fresh blood we’re looking at all the Black vampire characters who have been influential in the subgenre. Blacula – Blacula (1972) Blacula is the grandaddy of all Black vampires. During the peak of the Blaxploitation era, when you had all your action heroes like Shaft and Cleopatra Jones, Blacula was the first with fangs. William Marshall starred as African prince Mamuwalde, who is bitten by a racist Count Dracula after he refused to let him buy his wife Luva (Vonetta McGee) as a slave. Cursed and put into a deep slumber, Mamuwalde wakes up in ‘70s LA. Much like the now commonplace vampire tropes, he falls for his reincarnated form of the woman he once lost. Blacula’s defines camp, which is fitting for the Blakxploitation era and befitting the subgenre’s pantheon. Without him, the remaining entries on this list wouldn’t exist.  Ganja and Hess – Ganja and Hess (1973) The year after Blacula released, writer/director Bill Gunn offered a more unique, sophisticated, and romantic take on Black vampirism.  Oh, to be in the ‘70s and eating with two Black vampire movies! In Ganja and Hess, Dr. Hess Green (Duane Jones) and Ganja (Marlene Clark) are united in grief over the passing of Green’s assistant and Ganja’s husband, George (Gunn). Together they find renewal and love with each other. It also happens that Hess sucked the blood out of George (Gunn) after he was stabbed with an ancient blood-sucking African tribe’s dagger, right before George off’d himself. Oh, and that same dagger turned him into a vampire. No biggie. Ganja is soon turned into a vampire too after learning the truth, and it’s insanely romantic. Green and Ganja offered a profoundly rich and experimental depiction of Black love. They are true vampire couple goals. Screw Edward and Bella! Katrina – Vamp (1986) In a time when R-rated sex comedies were the rage, Vamp was a neon-drenched Gothic alternative that leaned harder in its horror than comedy. But British musician and dancer Grace Jones was worth the movie’s price of admission. She was such an icon during the ‘80s that it was the whole marketing angle for Vamp! Hell, she was the reason why Vamp is relatively watchable now. As Katrina, this relatively silent but deadly vampire masked in mosaic makeup done by the late Keith Haring, gives some unfunny frat boys oh, so much hell in the span of a single unfortunate night. Whenever she’s onscreen, Katrina invokes so much menace, which matches the Gothic ‘80s aesthetic and makes for a valiant foe who is mesmerizing in every frame. Hell, she should’ve won in the end. I’m starting a new petition. Let’s get it going #JusticeforKatrina.  Maximillian  – Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) If Blacula was a vampire navigating the West Coast as an undead in LA, Eddie Murphy’s Maximillian offered a counterpoint by sinking his teeth into the east. Hailing straight from the Caribbean and landing in Brooklyn, this thick-accented, friendly bloodsucker is full of quips and ready to get hitched. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! His sights are keen on Detective Rita (Angela Bassett), who grows to learn that she’s already half-vampire in the blood.  There’s not much to say about this oddball Wes Craven/Eddie Murphy mashup, for it exists as a blip in both beloved talents’ filmographies. With that said, Vampire in Brooklyn isn’t without its charm, as Murphy explored the horror genre with a fun, spirited performance as three separate characters. If anything, it just goes to show Black vampires can simply be funny.  Blade – Blade (1998) You better not be a vampire trying to ice-skate uphill, ‘cause Blade will cut you down. Be honest: when you think of Black vampires, chances are you first think of Wesley Snipes’ sword-wielding, short afro-styled daywalking antihero. Who can blame you? Blade invented cool with his chic sunglasses, leather getup, and badass vampiric action moves. He was also the first Black Marvel superhero in cinematic history, sporting three movies—of varying degrees of quality—that were emblematic of the radical Y2K era of action films. While the wait for his MCU reboot might be extensive, at least we have the one and only Wesley Snipes’ Blade to save the day on disc, just the way Y2K intended.  Akasha –  Queen of the Damned (2002) Following the remarkable R&B singer’s tragic passing in 2001, Queen of the Damned exists as both only her second and final performance in a feature film. And to this day it reminds everyone that she was a unique talent through a remarkable performance. In the film, Aaliyah portrays Akasha as the first vampire in Anne Rice’s universe. Akasha is cunning, seductive, beautiful, and powerful. Frankly, the textbook definition, if not the blueprint, of a vampire.  When Akasha is awakened, this undead royalty and a Goth rock star Lestat de Lioncourt (Stuart Townsend) have a toxic and love affair where she plans on world domination, and he is seduced under her control As a film, director Michael Rymer’s Queen of the Damned is what you get when you send an Anne Rice fan to Hot Topic in 2002. SEriously, Lestat takes over a nu metal band during the heyday of Korn! You can’t get more Hot Topic than that! Much like many horrors of the early 2000s, Scooby-Doo included, it is a film of questionable quality that birthed many bisexual goth awakenings.  Laurent –  Twilight (2007) Say what you will about Twilight, but I had always thought Laurent had such a cool look. A French Black vampire with red-eyes and dreaded hair just oozes swagger. His appearance in Twilight and New Moon was menacing, but this member of James’ Coven had such a distinct style and elegance that I still remember going “nooooo!” when Jacob and his wolf pack took him down to protect Bella. The [Mr.] terrific Edi Gathegi gave his all as Laurent and while evil and gone too soon, he was one of the coolest modern vampires I’ve ever seen put to film. And it feels only right to honor the latest fangers in the pantheon via Coogler’s Sinners, all of whom fall beneath the evil power of an Irish vampire after Jack O’Connell walks into a Mississippi juke joint. Unfortunately for Stack (Michael B. Jordan), Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller),  and Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), this leads to them turning into fanged bloodsucking vampires. Once they cross over though, they elicit such a menacing and frightening presence. Influenced by Remmick, all they want is to spread their vampiric cult and add more to his community’s liberation from American racism.  The three characters’ vampiric forms and antagonism to the surviving joint’s revelers add layers to the religious and individualistic themes writer/director Ryan Coogler tackles within the film.