This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

The Blackening follows a group of Black friends reunited for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a masked killer who forces them to play a twisted board game by his rules, which they soon realize ain’t no motherf****** game. The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: If the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?

For in-depth thoughts on The Blackening, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of The Blackening offers a stellar presentation in 2160p/HDR10 which offers subtle yet welcome improvement over the already lovely accompanying Blu-Ray. There is a tremendous amount of detail present in nearly every frame. From the unique flourishes of the production design to the outfits, you are gaining so much unfettered texture that allows the film to feel more tactile. The locations keep things mostly stationed in interiors, but every location is crisp and filled with aspects to explore. Skin tones appear natural with facial detail apparent such as stubble and makeup.

The HDR finds more nuances within the colors to unlock some notable hues that pop off the screen. Black levels are especially strong here, staying deep and inky with great detail in the shadows (which are plentiful). Highlights are more defined with whites firm and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. Elements in more foregrounded lighting situations are vivid and distinctly delineated. This 4K UHD presentation delivers a top tier presentation on all fronts including depth, clarity, color and detail. Lionsgate has really delivered for fans.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release delivers a Dolby Atmos presentation that brings this movie to life perfectly. This is a film that has put a surprising amount of thought into sound design and this disc executes every element better than you could have hoped. When the film gets more lively, this disc brings these exciting moments right into your living room with clarity and a robust depth. Every incident is given the amount of heft the scenario deserves. The low end makes itself known when the situation warrants it.

Dialogue comes through clearly without getting drowned out by the soundtrack or any sound effects. The experience is immersive with various environmental sounds flowing out of your side, rear and height channels. Each sound is precisely placed with careful spatial awareness. The track engages all of the channels with a thoughtfully mixed experience that captures the contained setting with a brief sojourn into nature. This is realized even more in the height channels, which rarely take on the focus of any moment but always adds some expansion. Lionsgate has delivered a fantastic audio experience on this outing. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Tim Story and Writers Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins provide a very lively and informative commentary track in which they discuss how the film came to be, playing with horror tropes, working with the cast members, the location shooting, production hiccups and more.

Do The Write Thing: A 14-minute piece which takes a look at the process of adapting this feature from the short film, the larger inspirations behind certain choices, the tonal balance between horror and comedy, getting a different perspective in the horror space and more.

They Can’t All Talk First: A nine-minute reunion of the cast in which they answer various amusing questions that allow them to riff and have fun together.

Shall We Play A Game?: A four-minute look at the game at the center of the movie, the provocative imagery within it, how it impacts the story and more.

Cabin In The Woods: A three-minute dive into the production design of the film, the locations and more.

Who’s The Blackest? Game Show: A nearly 12-minute hilarious spoof of a game show in which the cast and creative team compete for bragging rights.

Deleted Dewayne Dance Scene: A minute-and-a-half unused scene in which Dewayne honors a Fresh Prince legend.

Outtakes: A nearly five-minute collection of amusing moments on set, flubbed lines and more.

Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

The Blackening is a great exploration of genre conventions which both embraces them and subverts them in very funny ways. The film leans more towards the comedy side of the equation, but there are still some effective thrills that lets the audience know that the creative team is not looking down on the horror genre. The ensemble gathered here are really great all around, quickly letting you into each of these characters even when the script comes up short when it comes to some of the tertiary characters. There is room for refinement to make this an even more well-rounded experience, but this remains a genuinely fun time at the movies. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that sports a fantastic A/V presentation and a good selection of supplemental features. Recommended

The Blackening is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.