Representations of Africa in Horror Movies
When Toto sang about Africa back in the day, it sounded so much more inviting than what we see coming out of Hollywood. Horror movies in particular have been guilty of perpetuating the image of “darkest Africa”, filled with ravenous animals and wild-eyed natives who wouldn’t even shake your hand before biting it off. That said, I haven’t actually been to Africa, so I can’t offer any first-hand evidence that there aren’t 80-foot gorillas running around kidnapping white women. So, as a public service to anyone considering travelling over there, here are a few potential hazards that I’ve picked up on over the years. This is what the tourist bureau doesn’t want you to see…
1. Giant Animals
Examples:
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
Africa Screams (1949)
Monster from Green Hell (1958)
Konga (1961)
The Mighty Gorga (1969)
Primeval (2007)
2. Normal-Sized, But Pissed-Off, Animals
Examples:
Bwana Devil (1952)
The Bride and the Beast (1958)
In the Shadow of Kilimanjaro (1986)
Congo (1995)
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
Shark Attack (1999)
Snake Island (2002)
Prey (2007)
3. Man-Beast Hybrids
Examples:
Son of Ingagi (1940)
Night of the Sorcerers (1973)
Half-Caste (2004)
4. The Living Dead
Examples:
The Mummy (1932)
The Mummy’s Hand (1940)
The Mummy’s Tomb (1942)
Blacula (1972)
Scream, Blacula, Scream (1973)
Black Voodoo Exorcist (1973)
Night of the Sorcerers (1973)
Oasis of the Zombies (1981)
Bram Stoker’s The Mummy (1997)
The Mummy (1999)
The Mummy Returns (2001)
Queen of the Damned (2002)
5. Soul-Sucking Demons/Spirits
Examples:
Exorcist (1973)
Abby (1974)
Trilogy of Terror (1975)
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
City of Blood (1983)
Headhunter (1990)
Dust Devil (1992)
Trilogy of Terror II (1996)
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005)
6. Vengeful Voodoo Mystics
Examples:
The Leech Woman (1960)
Curse of the Voodoo (1965)
Plague of the Zombies (1966)
The Witches (1966)
The Oblong Box (1969)
Black Voodoo Exorcist (1973)
The Believers (1987)
Curse III: Blood Sacrifice (1991)
7. Bloodthirsty Cannibals/Savage Tribesmen
Examples:
Savage Africa (1950)
Voodoo Village (1958)
The Leech Woman (1960)
Kwaheri: Vanishing Africa (1964)
Curse of the Voodoo (1965)
The Mighty Gorga (1969)
Diamonds of Kilimandjaro (1983)
8. Magically Malicious Monsters
Examples:
Baby Blood (1990)
Bone Snatcher (2003)
The Mamtsotsi Bird (2006)
Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015)
