‘The Blackening’ Review – An Outdated Trope Is Reimagined With Hilarious Results In This Horror-Comedy

Black characters, and characters of color, generally don’t survive too long in horror movie scenarios. At least, this was the universal belief about many classic horror films. The Black Dude Dies First has been around for decades, and it’s understood that the token minority character in horror movies isn’t likely to make it to the final credits. 90s horror classic Scream 2 even lampshades this in its opening before dispatching two Black characters gruesomely.

Director Tim Story and screenwriters Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins take this idea and attempt to deconstruct it in The Blackening. Seven African American college friends decide to celebrate Juneteenth weekend together at a cabin in the middle of nowhere. When it becomes clear that someone intends to end their life, the group must participate in a mysterious game that tests their knowledge of Black culture. Every failed answer means being hunted by the mysterious crossbow-wielding killer.

The movie is jam-packed with an all-star cast of known and up-and-coming black talent; the film stars Grace Byers, Sinqua Walls, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Dewayne Perkins, Antoinette Robertson, Yvonne Orji and Jay Pharoah.

This film is laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end. The type of movie must be seen with an audience because the shared experience will help heighten its enjoyability. As a Black man and film critic who grew up loving horror movies and rolled my eyes every time someone who looked like me or who didn’t fit the straight, white archetype that permeates the horror genre lost their life, it’s refreshing to watch a movie that addresses this and openly parodies it.

Robertson’s character, Lisa, and Walls’ character, Nnamdi, are at the story’s heart. The two had a nasty breakup during their college years, and the tensions from that doomed relationship reverberated in the friend group years later. Perkins’s character, Dewayne, is her emotional support, and isn’t eager to see his friend get hurt again. This creates a delicious tension that adds to the terror throughout the film.

There’s also Fowler’s character, Clifton, an awkward outsider the gang was friendly to in college, and thus, has become a part of the group against everyone’s wishes. Gregg and X Mayo’s characters are primarily comedic relief, and although Byers’s character, Allison, brings a unique perspective due to being biracial, she is also largely comedic relief. If there are any complaints about the movie, it is that only three or four of the characters get any substantial development and subplots that add to the meat of the story.

The film’s strength lies in the comedy and references to African American culture that are peppered throughout the film. The scenes during which the characters participate in The Blackening tabletop game are hilarious because the killer is well-versed in African American culture. For example, some questions involve the popularity of Friends versus its Black counterpart, Living Single. During the film’s opening, Orji and Pharoah openly talk about horror films that can only afford big-name actors for the opening scenes, the irony being that the pair are those actors for this film. There are other questions involving Tyler Perry films, and how many children Nick Cannon has. These questions are hilarious, and it makes perfect sense within the context of the film.

There’s a running joke in African American families that no one wants to teach someone how to play the game of Spades but expects them to learn through sheer osmosis. I bring this up because the mastermind behind the group’s horrific situation reveals that their motive and long-held grudge against the group ties into this. It’s a brilliant touch and perfectly ties into the filmmaker’s goal of borrowing as many jokes and tropes of Black culture as they can while writing the movie. It’s as if Black Twitter got together to make a movie, and in this rare case, that isn’t a bad thing.

Overall, The Blackening is a funny and enjoyable exploration of a long-outdated trope and reimagines it hilariously. Fans of horror movie satires will absolutely enjoy it.

The Blackening is now playing in theatres everywhere courtesy of Lionsgate. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moiRCJR4ToY]