Jay Ellis On Producing The Psychological Horror Film ‘Black Box’

Jay Ellis, vastly known for his role on Insecure, recently spoke with Shadow and Act about producing the new psychological horror film Black Box and how crucial it is to amplify Black voices, especially in genres where people of color are often underrepresented or utilized as plot devices.  

Black Box tells the story of single father Nolan Wright (Mamoudou Athie) who loses both his wife and his memory in a tragic car accident. He starts an experimental treatment introduced to him by Dr. Lillian Brooks (Phylicia Rashad), a neuropsychiatrist who uses a hypnosis-inducing device called the “Black Box” to work with the subconscious mind and potentially restore lost memories. Yet, this device takes Nolan deep into his shattered-psyche, unearthing the haunting memories of his dark past and leading him to question who he truly is.  

This unique psychological thriller is a result of the joined efforts of Lisa Bruce (Blumhouse, producer of Get Out), Jay Ellis and Aaron Bergman (Black Bar Mitzvah), and Amazon Television.  

Ellis shared his thoughts with Shadow and Act about the experience of working behind the camera, referring to it as a “whole different animal.” 

“Getting to be on this side was a great educational experience. It was very uncomfortable in a way, and when I say that I mean the uncomfortability of figuring it all out and pieces not coming together exactly the way you want them to,” he said. “In the moment, it was an uncomfortable challenge, but I liked it. Getting to tell a story with a first-time writer of color – a young Black man – a first-time director of color – a Nigerian-American man – and this amazing cast, to help these guys tell a story and bring their vision for this film to screen, I’m honored to be able to do it.”

Ellis’s own production company Black Bar Mitzvah was co-founded a few years ago with Aaron Bergman. The goal is to create fruitful opportunities for Black actors in Hollywood who have struggled to free themselves from the industry’s standards that have placed them in a box.

 More and more, there’s a need to tell the stories that haven’t yet been told from marginalized groups, and Ellis is using his platform to create space for this.  “We really wanted to champion those voices and give those filmmakers and storytellers an opportunity to get into rooms,” he said.”

With Black Box, we see a continuation of Black psychological horror films, which has fortunately been on the rise within the last five years (Get Out, Us, and Antebellum, to name a few). 

“The film bringing all these pieces together with a cast of people of color in a genre where we typically don’t get to see [us] 100% fits the bill for what we do, and that’s across all genres – comedies, dramas, horror stories, etc.,” Ellis told Shadow and Act. 

“When you watch [Black Box], know that you are a part of the future as well, because a lot of times we’re not in those futuristic stories. We can be in these kinds of genres of films, be entertained, and still connect to people whether they look like us or not.”

Read the full interview with Ellis on Shadow and Act.  Black Box is now available to stream exclusively on Amazon Prime.