The Blackening

I went into The Blackening without watching any trailers. In a time where comedy movies seem to be going extinct, I instantly had interest in this new horror-comedy. And as someone who grew up on Fresh Prince and Martin, I miss black-themed comedies.

The Blackening definitely scratches that itch. Early on I wasn't laughing much. But the farther we get into the movie and story, the more I was laughing. I cracked up numerous times at some really funny jokes. And the entire premise and story is amusing.

My one criticism would be that it's a little lacking on the horror side. It's more of a comedy about horror than a horror-comedy. I didn't really mind that, but I could have enjoyed it even more if there were stronger horror elements.

I had a great time with this movie and will definitely watch it again. And while comedy movies are still so rare, I'm pretty happy to have two in 2023 that I really enjoyed, along with House Party from earlier this year.

(2 viewings, early access fan screening 6/14/2023, 10/3/2024)

A few moments notwithstanding, 'The Blackening' is largely a dull affair.

At least they chose a run time of around 90 minutes, that stops the movie from overly dragging. Still, though, not enough is produced to entertain. The humour is probably its 'strongest' element (relatively), not that it's all that funny but bits of the dialogue (much of which was apparently improvised) are mildly amusing.

The antagonists are kinda lame and the twist isn't much of one at all. The cast, though, are all perfectly fine. Jermaine Fowler gives a solid performance, to be fair. Aside from him, X Mayo was the one I liked seeing onscreen the most. The board game element is a good one - think 'Jumanji', but racist.

Sounds like a sequel is on the cards. If so, hopefully it'll be an improvement on this unfortunately forgettable flick.

Don't mind the 1-star and adjacent reviews-clearly these movie goers either cannot appreciate Black comedy or was expecting some Stephen King-type horror plot. You get what you get with this film: some recognizable stars, plenty of good laughs, enough suspense to keep you going.

By all means, there are plenty of areas where the movie could've improved. While I don't think the horror elements need to be too clearly defined for a comedy, I would've appreciated more scary moments without the "cheese" (ie typical slasher film moments that felt cliché). I also think more character development wouldn't hurt. I loved the characters themselves but no one's arc was nearly developed enough.

All this is to say--see the movie for what it is: a dare to turn the narrative of what it means to feature black characters in horror films. It's meant to be edgy with a whiff of political. And if you can't accept that, then this movie isn't for you.

The Blackening is a good time; it's a fun, well paced, well written (for the most part) comedy that had a lot of genuine laugh-out-loud moments for me. It begins extremely well, introducing us a very likeable and memorable cast of characters, even if they do feel a bit trope-y at times.

The movie looks great and I actually loved the set design quite a bit. The cabin that the characters inhabit is a great setting with kooky details that immediately stuck out to me. And the performances, generally, are really good. The actors have a lot of chemistry and while no one in particular stuck out to me, you can tell this was a fun set and there's an energy with these actors that conveys a realistic friend group.

So...why the 6? Well, The Blackening really succeeds as a comedy, but fails quite miserably as a HORROR comedy. I hate it when films have no stakes; when every character seems completely able to get through any situation and the antagonists seem like the underdogs. That's how a lot of this movie felt to me. While you can look at it as a subversion of horror itself, it didn't land for me. Yes, it's funny, but it stops being thrilling.

I think there was a purposeful attempt to "empower" the black characters in this movie and have most of them survive. While I get where that's coming from, it doesn't do much for me to see characters so obviously MORE capable than the masked killer chasing them quipping constantly. You can have a horror comedy where, you know, not everyone makes it (see Shaun of the Dead, Tucker & Dale, Hell of a Summer). Hell, even Scary Movie gave us hilarious death sequences.

The dialog in this film can be quite divisive and certainly not everyone's cup of tea. I'd describe some of it as "millennial, critical race theory" stuff and that might put some people off. It's not necessarily the ideas themselves, but the way they're communicated that felt a bit cringe inducing to me. But, I also recognize for a particular audience, that might not be the case.

Overall, this is a fun movie. I wish it emphasized the horror elements more, so to be honest, I wouldn't really recommend it for a Halloween watch, but it is a good time.

I have a soft spot for these kinds of horror comedies. Last year it was "Bodies Bodies," a hilarious takedown of performative ally-ship disguised as a slasher film. "The Blackening" gives us an all-black cast, and has a similar social commentary vibe. In this one, the characters have to decide throughout the movie which one of them isn't "black" enough, which gives the movie a chance to explore the topic of racial identity. But it's never heavy handed, and the movie stays mostly tongue in cheek. I never had to wait too long for an image or a line that would make me chuckle.

And I want the cabin featured in this movie. It's so nice that I'll even take it with the psycho killer included.

Grade: A-