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Often, Black movies aren’t given their flowers for breaking boundaries and creating long-lasting legacies. That’s why Eve’s Bayou deserves to get its credit more than three decades after it arrived in movie theaters. As a first-time director, Kasi Lemmons knocked it out of the park with this beloved Southern Gothic family drama. While coded as a family melodrama, the film might be one of the best Black horror movies ever.
Varying degrees of horror elements are present throughout the modern-day cinema classic. Unfortunately, it’s not mentioned among the best horror movies ever. That’s why I’m making the case for Eve’s Bayou being a low-key horror classic.
Spoiler Alert: This article contains specific about the plot of Eve’s Bayou. If you haven’t seen the movie, proceed with caution.
The Past’s Effect on the Present
Taking cues from Lemmon’s direction and story allows the family’s past to present current-day consequences. This angle is clear as Tamara Tunie narrates as an older Eve talking about the tragic circumstances that changed her family’s life in the 1960s.
An essential element of the Southern Gothic film is the use of flashbacks. This technique adds an extra layer of suspense and supernatural as Eve taps into her gift of sight, allowing her to see what happened in the past while forecasting the future. The combination pushes Eve to confront and recount what events led to this life-changing summer at age 10.
The introduction of supernatural and horror elements begins upon first seeing local fortuneteller Elzora. These aspects allow the film to dive into the family’s troubled past, back to the early years of Louis and Roz’s relationship and Aunt Mozelle’s tragic marriages. Elzora sets the past and present collide in unusual ways. Confronting these dynamics plays a crucial role in setting up the dramatic and tragic events that plague the well-to-do Batiste family.
The Louisiana Bayou and Gothicism Setting the Tone
Gothic horror lives and dies by the story’s setting, and Eve’s Bayou is no exception. The Batiste are an affluent Black family living and loving their life in Louisiana’s upper society (a rarity in the 1960s American South). Of course, using the Bayou State is the perfect setting as the state is steeped in religious history, supernatural elements, and mystic traditions. So, having those elements working together makes sense for the genre.
The cinematography captures the Southern city’s spirit as seen in the Gothic architecture, spooky aesthetics, and coastal nature throughout the film. Looking at the Batiste’s home and Elzora’s shop is only a peek into why the city is the perfect setting for a horror film. Even the lighting and direction add a bleakness to the Gothic horror’s disturbing and supernatural story.
Louisiana’s beautiful and ornate Gothic architecture adds to the supernatural angle. The subtle details, triple-gabled rooflines, and Spanish moss set the tone for the film with this sense of horror and haunting as Eve comes into her gift and the effects on her family dynamics.
Leaning into Psychic Elements and Dark Themes
Eve’s Bayou’s Gothic horror lives and breathes in the main character’s storytelling. Introducing psychic/premonition aspects and dark themes only amplifies this opinion as the Batistes experienced drama and tragedy. Eve and Aunt Mozelle are the catalysts for these events as each sees the near future or delves into the past. Elzora’s rumored tie to witchcraft adds more suspense and uncertainty to the film’s narrative. Her influence leads to a conflict between aunt and niece as Mozelle and Elzora are in direct competition despite their differing abilities; Eve seeks the latter’s advice with her family issues.
Eve’s learning and using her newfound abilities already set the tone with her premonition about Aunt Mozelle’s loss of her third husband. Things only intensify for the 10-year-old as the supernatural elements lean on the darker side with mature and taboo themes. These aspects spell trouble for Samuel L. Jackson’s Louis (in one of his best performances) as his pompous attitude leaves him vulnerable. Abuse, infidelity, incest, etc. make him the horror flick’s ultimate antagonist. It’s as if status and money have corrupted his spirit as he and his youngest daughter face off multiple times in the film.
Mixing psychic elements with heavier themes makes the film’s events scarier and bleaker as things come careening to a tragic conclusion.
Focusing on Mysticism, Voodoo, and Religious Fanaticism in the Black Community
Leaning into Southern Gothic elements allowed Black specificity to enter the horror lexicon. Elzora’s proposed witchcraft and Eve and Mozelle’s gift of sight enhance Eve’s Bayou’s exploration of Black culture. The themes of hoodoo, voodoo, and mysticism are present at every turn. The relationship between Eve and Mozelle is tied as the former seeks refuge amongst her family strife. This connection allows them to share their gifts without any pretense.
The stakes increase as Elzora becomes the go-to advisor for the Batiste. Her fortunetelling and petition for mysticism align with the Batistes’ ills as Roz and Mozelle seek her advice about their family. Things ramp up when Eve asks the sought-after fortuneteller to craft a voodoo doll of her father for his misdeeds. Of course, Eve regrets this request as she tries to warn him of her act. Unfortunately, he got shot before she could reach him, leaving the young girl feeling guilty for his tragic end.
Diving into hoodoo, voodoo, and mysticism heightens the Black perspective as religious fanaticism rivals these ancient practices. Of course, the Batistes keep up appearances by attending church and praising God. Outside of seeking Elzora’s help, Roz prays as her family deteriorates. Even Eve’s sister, Cisely, dives into prayer as she begins adolescence.
These reasons are why Eve’s Bayou is a horror classic. Having watched the movie multiple times over the years years, the merging of genres allowed the supernatural and horror elements to take center stage. Watching these elements allowed me to see the depth and cultural significance added to a traditional Black melodrama. As I mentioned, certain scenes still leave me frightened and taken aback by the interconnecting family drama and mysticism. Thankfully Lemmons was able to draw upon her childhood experience and grounded this horror film. Maybe one day, this low-key horror classic will be named among the best.
In the meantime, you can watch Eve’s Bayou by streaming it on Amazon Prime Video. Follow a viewing of the Southern Gothic classic by checking out the best horror movies of all time. Don’t forget to check out any upcoming horror movies hitting theaters this year.