Friday the 13th Belongs to Tananarive Due
2 min read
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When people talk about modern horror, certain names get repeated over and over. And yet one of the most consistent, brilliant, and foundational voices in Black supernatural fiction is still somehow treated like a hidden gem.
Tananarive Due is not new to this. She has been shaping Black horror for decades.
She is a novelist, screenwriter, educator, and producer. She is also one of the architects of contemporary Black supernatural storytelling. Long before “elevated horror” became a marketing phrase, Due was blending psychological dread, ancestral trauma, spiritual cosmology, and cultural history into layered narratives that refuse to let readers look away.
Her horror is not just about monsters.
It is about legacy.
It is about survival.
It is about what haunts us personally and collectively.
The Scholar and the Storyteller
Due is also deeply rooted in the academic study of Black horror. She co-produced the documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror, based on the groundbreaking book by Robin R. Means Coleman. That documentary reframed how audiences understand Black presence in horror cinema.
She is not only creating the genre. She is preserving and defining it.
That duality matters.
Many writers tell stories. Few build foundations.
What Makes Her Horror Different
Let’s get specific.
Tananarive Due’s horror works because it refuses to separate the supernatural from the real.
• Generational trauma becomes literal haunting.
• Racism becomes a cosmic imbalance.
• Family secrets become portals.
• Love becomes both protection and vulnerability.
Her books are deeply emotional. The horror hits harder because the characters feel real. When something breaks, it breaks inside you too.
That is craft. That is masterful.
TananariveDue.com
