Say His Name: Disgust, Abjection, and the Moral Work of Black Horror

"Say his name" is Candyman's haunting refrain, but it is also a demand to witness, to name, and to refuse erasure. This talk, interspersed with short clips of key scenes, examines how Black horror films like Ganja & Hess (1973) and Candyman (2021) use abjection (the visceral disgust at violated bodies and transgressed boundaries) to expose systemic injustice. Drawing on Julia Kristeva's theory of abjection and Myisha Cherry's work on Lordean rage, we reflect on disgust as a form of moral knowledge, in which our bodies register injustice before our minds can rationalize it away. Black horror films intentionally use emotional responses like disgust and anger (emotions which are often dismissed as negative) to deepen the ethical awareness of their audiences. Rooted in Black experience yet resonant beyond it, these films challenge all viewers to feel what injustice does to the body, to recognize the truths that feeling reveals, and to reflect on what this moral awareness requires of them. In keeping with the legacy of Dr. King, Black horror compels viewers to bear witness to injustice, confront systemic oppression and our place within it, and transform the raw force of disgust into ethical reflection and action.

Presenter: Shaula Schneik Edwards, Bates College - RIOS Institute

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