Race Equity Initiative (REI)
Cultural Celebrations
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If you missed our October Haunts virtual session, we encourage you watch (or listen to it in the background!) the recording. Our very own Melanie Roland goes over the nuances of the cinematic history of horror films as it ties to representation, archetypes, tropes & social constructs.
Watch / listen to the recording at this link (must be LF staff & logged in)
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“Hello all you happy trick or treaters out there! Do you have candy for me? Not even a vacation day could stop me from sharing my love of horror with the Law Foundation, and definitely not in the final weekend of Halloween! For our final newsletter, we’re giving you an exciting DOUBLE FEATURE: race and gender.” -- Melanie Roland |
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October Haunts Series Finale |
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Race Is the Past and Future of Horror Movies
Welcome to Future of Movies Week . Too often this year we've been left baffled at the multiplex, resembling the thinking-face emoji. It's been 10 months, and we're struggling to come up with a viable top-10 list.
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www.theringer.com
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Candyman and horror's dubious reckoning with racism
Occasionally a film arrives that is so compelling, so utterly thrilling, that its impact alters the future of cinema. Get Out was one such film. Jordan Peele's 2017 directorial debut masterfully skewered racism in US society by satirising the...
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www.bbc.com
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Black Storytellers Are Using Horror to Battle Hate
After Get Out, movies such as Antebellum, the upcoming Candyman retelling, and other tales of terror and the macabre are part of a cultural exorcism centuries in the making. Civil Rights leader Patricia Stephens Due adored scary stories, which...
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www.vanityfair.com
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Frightening Facts!
Did you know that many of your favorite lead actors and actresses were never meant to be the lead? Duane Jones, the first black male protagonist in George A. Romero’s “Night of Living Dead” (1968) was just the best actor who read that day. Sigourney Weaver, aka Ellen Ripley’s part in the Alien franchise, was initially written for a male lead, and Melanie, in the “The Girl With All the Gifts,” is also a book, both the main actresses’ races are flipped, which entirely changes the dynamic of the movie.
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The Final Girl: Dancing Between Feminism and Misogyny -...
The slasher is arguably the most popular (and profitable) horror movie sub-genre. Historically, there are a specific set of guidelines that a slasher film must abide by to succeed. There must be a deranged (often masked), weapon-wielding serial...
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wickedhorror.com
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Male Gaze in the Horror Genre
By Grace Lemon I recently took a course about gender and the horror genre, which opened my eyes to the sexism that has perpetuated the vast majority of classic horror films (with a few notable exceptions).
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www.sceneandheardnu.com
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Where Are the Black Final Girls in Slasher Films? - Nerdist
The formulaic use of protagonists in slasher flicks led to Carol J. Clover's coining of the term "final girl" (a.k.a. the last girl/woman standing) in 1992. She's the person who lives to tell the shocking tale because she's either saved by...
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nerdist.com
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Caught Between Worlds: The Untapped Potential of Asian...
A few months back, I went to a screening of Asian American shorts. One in particular, Ghost, caught my eye. It was a comedic piece about an Asian American man getting haunted by a specter, and unintentionally becoming her friend when they...
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mixedasianmedia.com
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The Final Girl, Redefined: The Role of Women in Horror...
Women have always been connected to horror films. The "Final Girl" is essential to the genre trope checklist. The roles of women are still very much the lifeblood of horror films, but the Final Girl is being redefined. We're trading in our...
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www.themarysue.com
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Women in Horror: Tales from the Crypt - Demon Knight
Demon Knight (1995) directed by Ernest Dickerson ( The Walking Dead) is an action-packed slasher full of guts, gore, and evil demons. The film stars William Sadler as hero, Brayker, Billy Zane as The Collector, and Jada Pinkett Smith as badass...
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psychodrivein.com
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Women in Horror Month: The Phantom Female in Asian Horror
Written by Ren Zelen While Western horror filmmakers continue to imagine female characters as falling between sexy slasher fodder or 'kickass-final-girl', Asian horror has long been offering a far richer and nuanced portrayal of female characters ...
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www.horrordna.com
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[Pride 2020] Hell Is A Teenager Girl: The Lesbian...
Most feminist film theorists agree that their field was really kicked off in 1975, when Laura Mulvey pointed out that most classical narrative cinema was dominated by what straight, cisgender men wanted to see on screen.
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www.gaylydreadful.com
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'Alien' Retrospective: Imperialism, Giger's Phallic...
The Nostromo sails on an empty black sea across a giant, star-sprinkled canvas, venturing away from the unknown, back to Earth; quiet, weightless. Dallas, Ripley, Lambert, Brett, Ash, Kane, and Parker make up the crew of this commercial towing...
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bloody-disgusting.com
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What's the Meaning Behind the Sexual Imagery in "Alien"? ...
Since time immemorial, storytellers have intertwined sex and scares to terrify audiences, and the combination works incredibly well. Long before the movie camera was invented, our ancestors told stories about incubi, succubi, and creepy fairies...
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the-take.com
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WATCH: Blood Quantum (2019) |
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“I have been saving this movie for the final week! An amazing twist on the zombie genre, what if your blood was the only thing that made you immune to the zombie apocalypse? Blood quantum is one of the only examples of indigenous horror I can provide but it’s so great and it’s well worth the rental.” |
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So What Exactly Is 'Blood Quantum'?
subscribe to Code Switch podcast subscribe to Code Switch podcast If you're Native American, there's a good chance that you've thought a lot about blood quantum - a highly controversial measurement of the amount of "Indian blood" you have.
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www.npr.org
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The rise of Indigenous horror: How a fiction genre is...
Shelfies is a monthly column by writer Alicia Elliott that looks at arts and culture through the prism of the books on her shelf. When I was a young girl, the most terrifying movie I had ever seen was The Exorcist.
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www.cbc.ca
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Digging Up the Indian Burial Ground Trope
By Shea Vassar · Published on October 15th, 2020 Through a Native Lens is a column from film critic and citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Shea Vassar, who will dive into the nuance of cinema's best and worst cases of Indigenous...
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filmschoolrejects.com
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How indigenous zombie horror film 'Blood Quantum' became ...
Jeff Barnaby never thought he'd be releasing his zombie outbreak movie "Blood Quantum" during an actual global pandemic, or that the real-life parallels within a film bursting with blood, guts, a samurai-sword-wielding grandpa and severed body...
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www.latimes.com
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Watch on Shudder/AMC (free with subscription), Amazon (rent) |
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WATCH: The Girl with All the Gifts (2016) |
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The Girl With All the Gifts' Racebending Means So Much...
When The Girl With All The Gifts first hit theaters in the U.K. last September, the world was a different place. The film has recently opened in the United States, which is a much scarier place now. Last fall, Donald Trump wasn't our president.
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gizmodo.com
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'The Girl With All The Gifts' and Black girls destroying ...
As someone who has studied and worked in film and television for most of my professional life, I have resigned myself to a set of facts: no film made for mass audiences is truly (or at least fully) an endorsement of Black liberation, and the...
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blackyouthproject.com
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Watch on Cinemax (free with subscription), Spectrum (subscription),
Amazon, Redbox, Apple (rent)
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“Newly released from Blumhouse this month (told y’all I’m on this), Madres tells the story of Diana and Beto, who move to a rural migrant farming community in the 1970’s. Diana is expecting, but learns none of the other women in her community have any children. Terrifying all the more because it’s based on true events, let this serve as your spoiler free trigger warning.”
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'Madres' and 'The Manor' Review: Maligned Women Uncover...
"Madres," a new film directed by Ryan Zaragoza, claims to be "inspired by true events," like many paranormal thrillers before it. But unlike many of those films, this one isn't borrowing from urban legends or famous ghost stories - it's drawing ...
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www.nytimes.com
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WATCH: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) |
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“Am I really recommending an Iranian spaghetti western horror movie? Yes I am! This is going to be guaranteed to be one of the more unique horror movies you will ever see. The Girl skateboards her way to her next victim is pristine black and white and I guarantee you’ll be transported.” |
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Feminism, Vampires, and Rebellion against Misogyny in "A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
This is the story portrayed in Ana Lily Amirpour’s debut feature film “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”, dubbed as the first Iranian vampire western. What makes this movie superbly unusual and unique in the vampire-film canon is its central focus on a female protagonist, who could easily be seen as a personification of an emancipated and independent woman refusing to yield to traditional patriarchal norms.
majapasovic.org
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"A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night" Is The Feminist...
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is not your typical horror movie. It is not your typical movie in any sense, to be completely honest, but regardless - it is a great one.
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medium.com
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Watch on Tubi, Kanopy (free), AMC/Shudder (subscription), Amazon (rent) |
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“If you want quality horror, turn to A24 pictures. The Witch is a difficult feminist movie to pin down, does Thomasin have enough agency in her life to truly be able to make a choice which sees her through to the end? Wherever she is, I hope she’s living deliciously.”
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The Witch Is Sinister, Smart, and Wildly Feminist
The Witch is the kind of horror film diehard genre fans constantly hunger for, but rarely get. That's because while it's as unsettling as any scary movie should be, writer-director Robert Eggers' first feature is also smarter than much of its...
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www.wired.com
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'The Witch' Isn't a Horror Flick-It's a High-Powered...
The real horror in Robert Eggers' new film The Witch: A New England Folktale isn't satanic goats, baby abduction, or even nefarious witches in the woods-it's the limited and punishing road to womanhood. Welcome to 1630 New England, where our...
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www.marieclaire.com
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Watch on Kanopy (free), Showtime (free with subscription),
Spectrum (free with subscription), Amazon, Redbox, Apple (rent)
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“Newly out on Amazon, Black Box features an all BIPOC cast to deliver a powerful message about family. Their race isn’t necessarily relevant to the storyline, and for many horror fans of color, that’s important representation who may not want to see race at the forefront of every issue in cinema when it’s also their everyday life. It’s a genuinely heartwarming horror movie with rock solid performances, you won’t regret watching!” |
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Amazon Prime's 'Black Box' Is a Must-Watch for Horror Fans
If Jordan Peele's and Black Mirror had a love child, then I imagine it would look something like. The Blumhouse sci-fi horror flick, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime, initially caught my attention because of its striking poster art, where a ...
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www.purewow.com
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We Need More Films Like Black Box - Fearless & Favoured
How many times have you watched a horror film and the first person to go was the black character? They somehow just couldn't keep up with their white friends or took a wrong turn down an unassuming hallway.
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www.fearlessandfavoured.com
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WATCH: No One Gets Out Alive (2021) |
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“This one might not be super popular with movie critics, but they’re failing to see what I see in this movie. Ambar moves to Ohio as an undocumented immigrant to a rundown Cleveland boarding house, and some strange things start to go bump in the night. More final girls of color, please!” |
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No One Gets Out Alive - a stylish Netflix immigration horror
uried in the middle of a drab and unremarkable glut of factory-made Netflix genre product, gothic chiller No One Gets Out Alive elevates itself from the pack almost immediately. It's a film made with a lick of style and a grasp of location, a...
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www.theguardian.com
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'No One Gets Out Alive' Review: Seeking Shelter, Finding ...
When Ambar (Cristina Rodlo) arrives in Cleveland after being smuggled into the United States, she needs a place to stay that won't ask questions. So she turns to an all-female boardinghouse with the basic amenities: apparitions. Flickering...
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www.nytimes.com
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WATCH: Tigers are Not Afraid (2019) |
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“Just like how I love Pan’s Labyrinth, Tigers are not afraid is not afraid to shy away from the horror that even children have to experience. Director Issa Lopez made an absolutely STUNNING visually acclaimed horror movie, centered around a final girl of color, with elements of magical realism and heartbreaking poetry. This is my last recommendation to the Law Foundation for a reason.”
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In 'Tigers Are Not Afraid,' A Dark Fantasy Amid Mexico's ...
Estrella, age 11, is granted three magical wishes after a tragic event at her school - only to find out that her fate is about to take an even worse turn. It sounds like the beginning of a dark fairy tale, but the movie, Tigers Are Not Afraid, is ...
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www.npr.org
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How Mexican filmmaker Issa López defied expectations...
Darkness suits Issa López. Her black leather jacket and highlighted gray hair feel like a natural fit. However, as the Mexican director and seasoned writer walks into a West Hollywood restaurant for our conversation, she drags a bright pink suitcase.
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www.latimes.com
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Watch on AMC/Shudder (free with subscription) |
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Law Foundation's REI Workgroup 6 Cultural Celebration is creatively curating content that highlights local heritage celebrations and elevate the diverse cultures represented in our Santa Clara County. Law Foundation has seen that integrating community celebrations as part of the office culture presented an opportunity for our staff to share their heritage and traditions and to better understand and connect with the diverse community we serve.
Kindly,
Anuja, Melanie R., Nuemi, Christine N. & Vicky
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We encourage feedback and recommendations for future celebrations! |
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![A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) - Official Trailer [HD]](https://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/thumbnail?url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_YGmTdo3vuY/hqdefault.jpg)
![Tigers Are Not Afraid - Official Trailer [HD] | A Shudder Exclusive](https://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/thumbnail?url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KyoE0mSJXO8/hqdefault.jpg)
