Accompanied by her husband, son and daughter, Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o) returns to the beachfront home where she grew up as a child. Haunted by a traumatic experience from the past, Adelaide grows increasingly concerned that something bad is going to happen to her family.
Her worst fears soon become a reality when four masked strangers descend upon the house, forcing the Wilsons into a fight for survival. When the masks come off, each stranger takes the appearance of a different family member.

This screening is part of The Schwarzman Centre’s season ‘Black Horror in “Post-Racial” America’ and will be introduced by season curator Dr Christy Wensley. To find out more about the season, click here.

Reviews

‘Fearsomely entertaining, consistently thought-provoking and occasionally bloody scary.’
★★★★ Mark Kermode, The Observer

Black Horror in “Post-Racial” America: Fear on Film After Obama through Trump 2.0 is a week of screenings exploring the rise of contemporary Black horror cinema and the genre’s power to confront histories of racism, violence and inequality. Featuring landmark films including Get Out, Us, Candyman, Sorry To Bother You and Sinners, the series examines how horror can unsettle dominant narratives, challenge systems of power and reimagine America’s relationship to race, class and identity. 

Films in the series
• Us (Jordan Peele, 2019) – Tuesday 26 May (at The Ultimate Picture Palace)
• Sinners (Ryan Coogler, 2025) – Thursday 28 May (at the Schwarzman Centre)
• Double feature: Candyman (Bernard Rose, 1992); Candyman (Nia DaCosta, 2021) – Friday 29 May (at the Schwarzman Centre)
• Sorry To Bother You (Boots Riley, 2018) – Saturday 30 May (at the Schwarzman Centre)
• Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017) – Sunday 31 May (at the Schwarzman Centre)

Presented by Schwarzman Centre in partnership with Ultimate Picture Palace. 

Curated by Dr Christy Wensley, Faculty of English, whose work is supported by a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship.