"The Blackening" was a surprise hit in 2023, gaining positive reviews and grossing over $18 million despite a small budget and minimal promotional efforts. The film set itself apart with its all-Black cast and cleverly poked fun at cliches in the horror genre while also subtly commenting on race in movies and TV. A sequel, "The Blackening 2," has been confirmed, with the same main cast returning and possibly some new additions. The plot will likely be a mystery like the first film, with humor and wit dissecting horror cliches.
After becoming the sleeper hit of 2023, the horror comedy The Blackening is returning with a terrifyingly funny sequel, The Blackening 2. Released in the middle of 2023, The Blackening follows a group of friends who travel to a remote cabin and soon find themselves stalked by a vicious killer who plans to exact deadly revenge. Horror comedies are nothing new, but The Blackening set itself...
After becoming the sleeper hit of 2023, the horror comedy The Blackening is returning with a terrifyingly funny sequel, The Blackening 2. Released in the middle of 2023, The Blackening follows a group of friends who travel to a remote cabin and soon find themselves stalked by a vicious killer who plans to exact deadly revenge. Horror comedies are nothing new, but The Blackening set itself...
- 11/23/2023
- by Dalton Norman
- ScreenRant.com
Lionsgate is in talks with writers Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins to develop a sequel to the successful horror comedy film, The Blackening. The Blackening, which premiered at TIFF in 2022 and had a theatrical release in 2023, was a surprise hit, grossing over $18 million against a $5 million budget. Tracy Oliver, one of the film's writers, expressed how the success of The Blackening has empowered black creators and opened up opportunities for smaller budget films.
The Blackening became the sleeper horror comedy hit of the summer after it was released back in June 2023, grossing over $18 million dollars against a budget of only $5 million, and now it looks as if a sequel is in the works that will see original writers Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins pen the screenplay.
As per Variety, Lionsgate has entered talks with Oliver and Perkins, as well as producer E. Brian Dobbins to develop a sequel to The Blackening,...
The Blackening became the sleeper horror comedy hit of the summer after it was released back in June 2023, grossing over $18 million dollars against a budget of only $5 million, and now it looks as if a sequel is in the works that will see original writers Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins pen the screenplay.
As per Variety, Lionsgate has entered talks with Oliver and Perkins, as well as producer E. Brian Dobbins to develop a sequel to The Blackening,...
- 11/21/2023
- by James Melzer
- MovieWeb
When director Tim Story’s horror comedy The Blackening was released back in June, co-writer and star Dewayne Perkins told Variety that he envisioned the film being the start of a franchise, one that could bring back the “same group, sprinkle in some new people. I feel like we’ve got something good, and I love the dynamic, but fresh blood always turns things up a little bit.” Now Variety has confirmed that a sequel to The Blackening is officially in development!
The Blackening didn’t exactly set the box office of fire, earning just $18.5 million… but since the movie had a budget of $3 million (plus another $2 million for marketing), that’s enough for producer MRC and domestic distributor Lionsgate to feel that it’s worth going back to for a sequel. They’re developing the follow-up with Perkins, co-writer Tracy Oliver, and producer E. Brian Dobbins.
Story directed The...
The Blackening didn’t exactly set the box office of fire, earning just $18.5 million… but since the movie had a budget of $3 million (plus another $2 million for marketing), that’s enough for producer MRC and domestic distributor Lionsgate to feel that it’s worth going back to for a sequel. They’re developing the follow-up with Perkins, co-writer Tracy Oliver, and producer E. Brian Dobbins.
Story directed The...
- 11/21/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
After scaring up $18 million in theaters earlier this year, horror-comedy The Blackening is getting a sequel from Lionsgate, Variety has exclusively announced this afternoon.
Variety notes, “producer MRC and domestic distributor Lionsgate have entered into talks with Dewayne Perkins, Tracy Oliver and producer E. Brian Dobbins to develop a follow-up film.”
The first film was made on a production budget of just $5 million, so there’s needless to say lots of potential for this to become a profitable Scary Movie-type horror franchise.
Stay tuned for more on The Blackening 2 as we learn it.
The Blackening, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along,...
Variety notes, “producer MRC and domestic distributor Lionsgate have entered into talks with Dewayne Perkins, Tracy Oliver and producer E. Brian Dobbins to develop a follow-up film.”
The first film was made on a production budget of just $5 million, so there’s needless to say lots of potential for this to become a profitable Scary Movie-type horror franchise.
Stay tuned for more on The Blackening 2 as we learn it.
The Blackening, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along,...
- 11/20/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
MRC and Lionsgate are developing a sequel to “The Blackening,” the hit horror-comedy from Dewayne Perkins and Tracy Oliver.
After the microbudget production (just $5 million) made more than $18 million at the box office, producer MRC and domestic distributor Lionsgate have entered into talks with Perkins, Oliver and producer E. Brian Dobbins to develop a follow-up film.
Directed by Tim Story and co-written by Perkins and Oliver, “The Blackening” follows a group of college friends who reunite for Juneteenth weekend and are hunted by a killer who asks them to determine who is the Blackest among them — lampooning the common horror movie trope that sees the Black character die first. Perkins initially conceived the story as a sketch for his comedy troupe 3Peat, which developed into a short for Comedy Central, before Oliver reached out to develop it into a feature.
The project premiered in 2022 as a TIFF Midnight Madness selection,...
After the microbudget production (just $5 million) made more than $18 million at the box office, producer MRC and domestic distributor Lionsgate have entered into talks with Perkins, Oliver and producer E. Brian Dobbins to develop a follow-up film.
Directed by Tim Story and co-written by Perkins and Oliver, “The Blackening” follows a group of college friends who reunite for Juneteenth weekend and are hunted by a killer who asks them to determine who is the Blackest among them — lampooning the common horror movie trope that sees the Black character die first. Perkins initially conceived the story as a sketch for his comedy troupe 3Peat, which developed into a short for Comedy Central, before Oliver reached out to develop it into a feature.
The project premiered in 2022 as a TIFF Midnight Madness selection,...
- 11/20/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Spoiler Alert: This interview contains spoilers from “The Blackening,” now streaming on Starz and available on VOD.
Tracy Oliver is best-known as the co-writer of “Girls Trip” and the creator of “Harlem” and “First Wives Club,” but she’s also quite proficient with numbers. And in terms of the success of her latest film, “The Blackening,” the numbers tell an important tale.
“I don’t think people understand the math of it all,” Oliver says, settling into a plush beige armchair in the lobby of the 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami Beach on a sweltering day in June. “Even my family thought I made more on “Girls Trip” than I actually did.”
Despite the 2017 comedy becoming a massive box office hit — earning more than $140 million worldwide — Oliver didn’t have any backend on the film. “It was considered such a risk when we made it that they weren’t going...
Tracy Oliver is best-known as the co-writer of “Girls Trip” and the creator of “Harlem” and “First Wives Club,” but she’s also quite proficient with numbers. And in terms of the success of her latest film, “The Blackening,” the numbers tell an important tale.
“I don’t think people understand the math of it all,” Oliver says, settling into a plush beige armchair in the lobby of the 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami Beach on a sweltering day in June. “Even my family thought I made more on “Girls Trip” than I actually did.”
Despite the 2017 comedy becoming a massive box office hit — earning more than $140 million worldwide — Oliver didn’t have any backend on the film. “It was considered such a risk when we made it that they weren’t going...
- 10/4/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Ordinarily, curling up for a night of games, laughter, (optional stimulants) and fun with old friends is a perfect recipe for a catch-up. Real friends can always pick up where they left off – no matter how long they’ve been apart – and adding a pack of cards, a super sweet cocktail and some random board games into the mix should guarantee a good time.
Another good way to find out who your real friends are is for a crazed killer to force you to choose which one should die.
Morgan (Yvonne Orji) and Shawn (Jay Pharoah) are excited to set up for their annual Juneteenth celebration with college friends. The cabin in the woods they’ve rented for the occasion is super cute and Morgan’s trusty group bonding activity – her games night set-up – is good to go. Unfortunately so is The Blackening; the offensively ‘retro’ game the couple stumble...
Another good way to find out who your real friends are is for a crazed killer to force you to choose which one should die.
Morgan (Yvonne Orji) and Shawn (Jay Pharoah) are excited to set up for their annual Juneteenth celebration with college friends. The cabin in the woods they’ve rented for the occasion is super cute and Morgan’s trusty group bonding activity – her games night set-up – is good to go. Unfortunately so is The Blackening; the offensively ‘retro’ game the couple stumble...
- 8/23/2023
- by Emily Breen
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Screen Rant presents an exclusive behind-the-scenes clip from The Blackening, a dark horror comedy about friends forced to play a twisted game of sacrifice. Director Tim Story discusses the creation of the offensive game board, aiming for a visceral reaction from the audience while entertaining them. The Blackening cleverly satirizes stereotypes, making audiences reevaluate them and challenging expectations in the horror genre. It's available now on various platforms.
Screen Rant is thrilled to present an exclusive clip from the dark horror comedy The Blackening. In the movie, a group of friends plans to celebrate Juneteenth together at a cabin in the woods. However, things take a turn for the couple, Morgan and Shawn, who arrive first and are forced to play a game called The Blackening. When Shawn answers a trivia question inaccurately, he is killed, and Morgan is taken. As their other friends arrive, they too are forced to play.
Screen Rant is thrilled to present an exclusive clip from the dark horror comedy The Blackening. In the movie, a group of friends plans to celebrate Juneteenth together at a cabin in the woods. However, things take a turn for the couple, Morgan and Shawn, who arrive first and are forced to play a game called The Blackening. When Shawn answers a trivia question inaccurately, he is killed, and Morgan is taken. As their other friends arrive, they too are forced to play.
- 8/22/2023
- by Caitlin Tyrrell
- ScreenRant.com
The Blackening is a riotous new comedy horror that excels in both of the genres it’s mashing together. With a huge ensemble cast, full of talented comedic performers, we had the pleasure to speak to, well, pretty much all of them, in the global junket.
Below you can watch our entertaining interviews in their entirety, beginning with Dewayne Perkins, X Mayo & Jermaine Fowler. Following that is a second grouped interview, this time consisting of Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls & Grace Byers, We then speak to Jay Pharoah and Melvin Gregg, before ending on the talent behind the lens, speaking to both Tracy Oliver and Tim Story. Enjoy!
Dewayne Perkins, X Mayo & Jermaine Fowler
Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls & Grace Byers
Jay Pharoah & Melvin Gregg
Tracy Oliver & Tim Story
Synopsis
Seven friends go away for the weekend, only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta.
Below you can watch our entertaining interviews in their entirety, beginning with Dewayne Perkins, X Mayo & Jermaine Fowler. Following that is a second grouped interview, this time consisting of Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls & Grace Byers, We then speak to Jay Pharoah and Melvin Gregg, before ending on the talent behind the lens, speaking to both Tracy Oliver and Tim Story. Enjoy!
Dewayne Perkins, X Mayo & Jermaine Fowler
Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls & Grace Byers
Jay Pharoah & Melvin Gregg
Tracy Oliver & Tim Story
Synopsis
Seven friends go away for the weekend, only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta.
- 8/22/2023
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Director Tim Story‘s The Blackening is now available on PVOD ($19.99), and up next the horror-comedy heads to Digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD this month.
The Blackening is available on Digital and On Demand August 15 and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (+Blu-ray & Digital), Blu-ray (+DVD & Digital) and DVD August 22 from Lionsgate.
Check out an exclusive clip from the film’s featurettes package below, wherein the cast and crew discuss the house that became the central location in this year’s horror-comedy satire.
“We were lucky enough to find… in Brentwood of all places… this old house has been there probably 100 years. We wanted this house that we were gonna be locked into to have a character of itself. A character that looks spooky at times, but also in the daylight is inviting,” Tim Story explains in the featurette for The Blackening, which you can watch down below.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along,...
The Blackening is available on Digital and On Demand August 15 and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (+Blu-ray & Digital), Blu-ray (+DVD & Digital) and DVD August 22 from Lionsgate.
Check out an exclusive clip from the film’s featurettes package below, wherein the cast and crew discuss the house that became the central location in this year’s horror-comedy satire.
“We were lucky enough to find… in Brentwood of all places… this old house has been there probably 100 years. We wanted this house that we were gonna be locked into to have a character of itself. A character that looks spooky at times, but also in the daylight is inviting,” Tim Story explains in the featurette for The Blackening, which you can watch down below.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along,...
- 8/14/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Lionsgate gave director Tim Story’s horror comedy The Blackening a theatrical release on June 16th, with a Premium VOD release following last Friday, July 7th. Now they have announced that a digital release is coming down the line on August 15th, with the 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD release following on August 22nd. The 4K will be released in a combo pack with the Blu-ray, and there will also be a combo pack that contains the Blu-ray, the DVD, and the digital release. Copies are already available for pre-order on Amazon.
Story directed The Blackening from a screenplay by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. Inspired by a Perkins-scripted 3Peat comedy sketch that aired on Comedy Central in 2018, the film is about a group of Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who forces them to play a game with life-or-death consequences.
Story directed The Blackening from a screenplay by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. Inspired by a Perkins-scripted 3Peat comedy sketch that aired on Comedy Central in 2018, the film is about a group of Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who forces them to play a game with life-or-death consequences.
- 7/11/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
After scaring up an estimated $7 million in theaters over Juneteenth weekend, director Tim Story‘s The Blackening is now available on PVOD. Even better? The horror-comedy heads to 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD in August!
The Blackening arrives on Digital August 15 and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (+Blu-ray & Digital), Blu-ray (+DVD & Digital), and DVD on August 22 from Lionsgate.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
Joe Lipsett wrote in his 4-star TIFF review, “While the film isn’t Scream levels of meta, The Blackening fuses social commentary about the Black experience in contemporary America with slasher conventions in a highly entertaining fashion.”
“The humour is successful,...
The Blackening arrives on Digital August 15 and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (+Blu-ray & Digital), Blu-ray (+DVD & Digital), and DVD on August 22 from Lionsgate.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
Joe Lipsett wrote in his 4-star TIFF review, “While the film isn’t Scream levels of meta, The Blackening fuses social commentary about the Black experience in contemporary America with slasher conventions in a highly entertaining fashion.”
“The humour is successful,...
- 7/11/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Cruel Angels Past Sundown: "New Mexico Territory, 1882: She comes to the Klein ranch at sunset, a strange naked pregnant woman dragging a cavalry saber. Annette Klein and her husband have built peace between their marriage and secret relations beyond, but their serenity dies in bloodshed tonight through a cannibalistic demon and a mad preacher.
Annette barely escapes the bloodbath to the nearby town of Low’ s Bend, where she might find safety with a shotgun-toting barkeep, two no-nonsense boarding room ladies, and the gunslinging bounty hunter who’ s captured Annette’ s heart.
But hell is at her heels. If she’ s going to survive until dawn, she’ ll have to forget everything she knows about peace and mercy, and face a hollow malevolence more ancient and ruthless than she’ s ever imagined."
Written by Hailey Piper, Cruel Angels Past Sundown will be available on July 25th from Death’s Head Press!
Annette barely escapes the bloodbath to the nearby town of Low’ s Bend, where she might find safety with a shotgun-toting barkeep, two no-nonsense boarding room ladies, and the gunslinging bounty hunter who’ s captured Annette’ s heart.
But hell is at her heels. If she’ s going to survive until dawn, she’ ll have to forget everything she knows about peace and mercy, and face a hollow malevolence more ancient and ruthless than she’ s ever imagined."
Written by Hailey Piper, Cruel Angels Past Sundown will be available on July 25th from Death’s Head Press!
- 7/7/2023
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Lionsgate gave director Tim Story’s horror comedy The Blackening a theatrical release on June 16th – but if you didn’t catch the movie on the big screen or if you did and want to watch it again in the comfort of your home as soon as possible, we have some good news. The Blackening is set to receive a Premium VOD release on July 7th. Yes, tomorrow!
Story directed The Blackening from a screenplay by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. Inspired by a Perkins-scripted 3Peat comedy sketch that aired on Comedy Central in 2018, the film is about a group of Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who forces them to play a game with life-or-death consequences. The idea asks a reasonable question: since it seems that Black characters are usually the earliest victims in horror films,...
Story directed The Blackening from a screenplay by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. Inspired by a Perkins-scripted 3Peat comedy sketch that aired on Comedy Central in 2018, the film is about a group of Black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who forces them to play a game with life-or-death consequences. The idea asks a reasonable question: since it seems that Black characters are usually the earliest victims in horror films,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Prepare to head back into the Further this week. The long Fourth of July Weekend means a lighter week ahead for new horror releases, but there’s still plenty to keep you busy. That includes a highly anticipated horror sequel arriving in theaters this week and a home release for one of the year’s funniest horror comedies.
Here’s all the new horror releasing July 3– July 7, 2023!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
Alice Maio Mackay’s acclaimed slasher film Bad Girl Boogey released on digital platforms July 4 with a DVD release on July 11.
“Bad Girl Boogey follows Angel, whose mother was brutally murdered one Halloween night when blood was shed by a deranged killer wearing a parasitic mask cursed with black magic and bigotry. Sixteen years later, when Angel’s best friend is slaughtered by a killer with the same mask, they must overcome their personal struggles,...
Here’s all the new horror releasing July 3– July 7, 2023!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
Alice Maio Mackay’s acclaimed slasher film Bad Girl Boogey released on digital platforms July 4 with a DVD release on July 11.
“Bad Girl Boogey follows Angel, whose mother was brutally murdered one Halloween night when blood was shed by a deranged killer wearing a parasitic mask cursed with black magic and bigotry. Sixteen years later, when Angel’s best friend is slaughtered by a killer with the same mask, they must overcome their personal struggles,...
- 7/5/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
After scaring up an estimated $7 million in theaters over Juneteenth weekend, director Tim Story‘s The Blackening is now headed home to Premium Video On Demand outlets this Friday, July 7, Bloody Disgusting has learned.
The Blackening, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
Joe Lipsett wrote in his 4-star TIFF review, “While the film isn’t Scream levels of meta,...
The Blackening, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
Joe Lipsett wrote in his 4-star TIFF review, “While the film isn’t Scream levels of meta,...
- 7/5/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Spoiler Alert: This interview contains spoilers from “The Blackening,” now playing in theaters.
Dewayne Perkins is living his dream — though the $8 million box office tally for “The Blackening” wasn’t something he actually dreamed was possible.
The microbudget (just $5 million) horror-comedy, co-written by and starring Perkins, follows a group of college friends who reunite to celebrate Juneteenth at a cabin in the woods, only to be hunted by a killer. But in a genre where the Black character usually dies first, what happens when all the characters are Black?
Perkins conceived the idea in 2016 as a sketch for his Chicago-based comedy troupe 3Peat. When it aired as a short on Comedy Central in 2018, the clip went viral and got the attention of Tracy Oliver, who — hot off the $140 million box office success of 2017’s “Girls Trip” — called with the idea that they could expand “The Blackening” into a feature film.
Dewayne Perkins is living his dream — though the $8 million box office tally for “The Blackening” wasn’t something he actually dreamed was possible.
The microbudget (just $5 million) horror-comedy, co-written by and starring Perkins, follows a group of college friends who reunite to celebrate Juneteenth at a cabin in the woods, only to be hunted by a killer. But in a genre where the Black character usually dies first, what happens when all the characters are Black?
Perkins conceived the idea in 2016 as a sketch for his Chicago-based comedy troupe 3Peat. When it aired as a short on Comedy Central in 2018, the clip went viral and got the attention of Tracy Oliver, who — hot off the $140 million box office success of 2017’s “Girls Trip” — called with the idea that they could expand “The Blackening” into a feature film.
- 6/24/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
The Blackening is a potent blend of comedy, and thrills that parodies and challenges the genre’s tropes, specifically those around a mostly Black cast. Under the direction of Tim Story and script by Tracy Oliver, and Dewayne Perkins, the film pays homage to some iconic horror franchises like Scream, Friday the 13th, and Saw with a bit of Cabin In The Woods sprinkled in for some extra razzle dazzle. In the midst of the chaotic hijinks, the narrative centers Black American culture and all of its complexities. The film also stars Perkins, Jermaine Fowler, Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, with Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah.
Things start at a cabin in the woods like most horror movies these days. Morgan (Orji) and Shawn (Pharoah), a couple who are a part of a group of college friends reuniting after 10 years. The plan is...
Things start at a cabin in the woods like most horror movies these days. Morgan (Orji) and Shawn (Pharoah), a couple who are a part of a group of college friends reuniting after 10 years. The plan is...
- 6/21/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
The Blackening star Grace Byers didn’t just take on the tired trope of Black characters dying prematurely in horror movies. Her no-nonsense character, Allison, also challenged the idea that Blackness can be measured.
The Tim Story-directed horror-comedy revolves around a group of college friends who reunite for some fun at a remote cabin, but things quickly go awry when they become the target of a masked killer and his menacing board game, The Blackening. Eventually, Byers’ character suggests that the group split up, and this approach is yet another horror trope that rarely works out well for everyone. Recognizing this pattern, the college friends immediately criticize Allison’s judgment, attributing it to the white side of her biracial identity. (The friend group ultimately heeded Allison’s advice.)
The Pennsylvania-born, Cayman Islands-raised Byers is also biracial, so she understands exactly what her character is going through when her identity is constantly called into question.
The Tim Story-directed horror-comedy revolves around a group of college friends who reunite for some fun at a remote cabin, but things quickly go awry when they become the target of a masked killer and his menacing board game, The Blackening. Eventually, Byers’ character suggests that the group split up, and this approach is yet another horror trope that rarely works out well for everyone. Recognizing this pattern, the college friends immediately criticize Allison’s judgment, attributing it to the white side of her biracial identity. (The friend group ultimately heeded Allison’s advice.)
The Pennsylvania-born, Cayman Islands-raised Byers is also biracial, so she understands exactly what her character is going through when her identity is constantly called into question.
- 6/21/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
While the comparison is inevitable, it is certainly a bit unfair to compare Tim Story‘s The Blackening to Jordan Peele‘s Get Out. Both are horror comedies starring black characters and attempt to be both entertaining while also providing social commentary on black identity.
While both films obviously have different goals and approaches, it makes sense as to why the two films are being compared. However, while the comparison may be a bit unfair, it is also not unjustifiable either because in terms of being both a horror film and a comedy, Get Out is the superior film that manages to be both more entertaining and socially purposeful in a way that The Blackening fails to achieve.
Everything about The Blackening is incredibly surface level from its comedy to the social commentary about black identity to its obvious satire on the tropes pertaining to black characters in horror films and everything in between.
While both films obviously have different goals and approaches, it makes sense as to why the two films are being compared. However, while the comparison may be a bit unfair, it is also not unjustifiable either because in terms of being both a horror film and a comedy, Get Out is the superior film that manages to be both more entertaining and socially purposeful in a way that The Blackening fails to achieve.
Everything about The Blackening is incredibly surface level from its comedy to the social commentary about black identity to its obvious satire on the tropes pertaining to black characters in horror films and everything in between.
- 6/20/2023
- by Timothy Lee
- Uinterview
In the vein of the Scary Movie and A Haunted House franchises, The Blackening is written and co-produced by co-star Dewayne Perkins (The Amber Ruffin Show) alongside screenwriter Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip), and is directed by Tim Story (Barbershop). Arguably destined to be an instant classic, it all takes place during a secluded cabin getaway adventure that brings back together a group of friends. A horror comedy, The Blackening, is the refreshingly hilarious anti-trope of the scary movie cliché where the Black person dies first. In this case, all the characters are Black. Thus, the uproarious hook: they can't all die first.
Taking place against the backdrop of Juneteenth — a national holiday that is set aside to honor the emancipation of enslaved African Americans — The Blackening has an innovative plot that was directly inspired by and developed from a smash hit viral Comedy Central sketch also called “The Blackening” which...
Taking place against the backdrop of Juneteenth — a national holiday that is set aside to honor the emancipation of enslaved African Americans — The Blackening has an innovative plot that was directly inspired by and developed from a smash hit viral Comedy Central sketch also called “The Blackening” which...
- 6/20/2023
- by Philana Marie Boles
- MovieWeb
Lionsgate’s horror-comedy The Blackening was released into theaters for the long Juneteenth weekend, and Lionsgate is surely celebrating the film’s box office performance today.
Playing in 1,775 theaters across the country, The Blackening‘s 5-day total thus far is an estimated $7 million, which includes nearly $1 million from Thursday night previews.
The Blackening opened in sixth place at the crowded box office in its debut weekend, behind much larger studio blockbusters including The Flash, Elemental, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and The Little Mermaid. The good news for The Blackening is that the film’s production budget was just $5 million, which should allow for Lionsgate to start making box office profits real soon. The low budget horror-comedy was set up for success, whereas a mega budget film like DC’s The Flash was set up to fail.
That’s the beauty of the horror genre, as...
Playing in 1,775 theaters across the country, The Blackening‘s 5-day total thus far is an estimated $7 million, which includes nearly $1 million from Thursday night previews.
The Blackening opened in sixth place at the crowded box office in its debut weekend, behind much larger studio blockbusters including The Flash, Elemental, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and The Little Mermaid. The good news for The Blackening is that the film’s production budget was just $5 million, which should allow for Lionsgate to start making box office profits real soon. The low budget horror-comedy was set up for success, whereas a mega budget film like DC’s The Flash was set up to fail.
That’s the beauty of the horror genre, as...
- 6/20/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film reviews for the new releases “The Blackening,” a tart horror/comedy directed by Tim Story and the mystery comedy/romance “Maggie Moores(s), directed by John Slattery. Both In theaters since June 16th.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
“The Blackening” makes fun of the trope that the African-American character is often the first to die in horror movies by placing an all-Black group of friends in the proverbial cabin in the woods, during the Juneteenth weekend. There are confronted by a masked killer who demands that they rank their “degree of blackness” so that he can determine the correct order in which to kill them, and the cabin dwellers must rely on a combination of street smarts and their own knowledge of black history and horror films to survive.
”The Blackening” is in theaters since June 16th. Featuring Dewayne Perkins, Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg,...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
“The Blackening” makes fun of the trope that the African-American character is often the first to die in horror movies by placing an all-Black group of friends in the proverbial cabin in the woods, during the Juneteenth weekend. There are confronted by a masked killer who demands that they rank their “degree of blackness” so that he can determine the correct order in which to kill them, and the cabin dwellers must rely on a combination of street smarts and their own knowledge of black history and horror films to survive.
”The Blackening” is in theaters since June 16th. Featuring Dewayne Perkins, Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg,...
- 6/19/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Antoinette Robertson “never felt able” to watch horror movies.The 29-year-old actress stars alongside the likes of Melvin Gregg and Grace Byers in the upcoming movie ‘The Blackening’ – which sees seven friends trapped in a cabin with a killer – but felt when she was growing up that black people were “never valued” in the genre of horror. She told The Hollywood Reporter: “To be perfectly honest, because people of color — and black people specifically — weren’t valued in the horror space, it never made me feel like it was a space I wanted to veer towards. But I also had some pretty cruel cousins that liked to scare me a lot. So it put me in a world where I was a little bit of a fraidy cat, and I stayed away from the genre anyway.”The ‘Block Party’ star went on to add that it was in high...
- 6/19/2023
- by Jordan Beck
- Bang Showbiz
Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse nearing $300m; Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts crossing $100m.
Updated: There was a lot riding on Warner Bros/DC’s The Flash and Disney/Pixar’s Elemental at the North American holiday weekend box office although the fact that both disappointed will not come as great surprise to Hollywood.
Both tentpoles were challenged. In the case of The Flash, a $200m-plus Ezra Miller headliner, it opened top of the charts on an estimated $55.1m over three days and earned $64.2m through Monday over the four-day Juneteenth federal holiday weekend.
The film had been tracking to...
Updated: There was a lot riding on Warner Bros/DC’s The Flash and Disney/Pixar’s Elemental at the North American holiday weekend box office although the fact that both disappointed will not come as great surprise to Hollywood.
Both tentpoles were challenged. In the case of The Flash, a $200m-plus Ezra Miller headliner, it opened top of the charts on an estimated $55.1m over three days and earned $64.2m through Monday over the four-day Juneteenth federal holiday weekend.
The film had been tracking to...
- 6/18/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
As a child, The Blackening star Antoinette Robertson was easily scared by horror movies, but it wasn’t until she got older that she realized the genre was scaring her off for a whole different reason.
Written by Dewayne Perkins and Tracy Oliver, the Tim Story-directed The Blackening is a horror-comedy that expands on Perkins’ 2018 short, parodying the age-old trope that Black characters are the first to die in horror films. Robertson plays Lisa, an ambitious lawyer who reunites with her college friends for a weekend getaway at a remote cabin. And despite some personal drama involving her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls), Lisa must step up to help save her friends from a masked killer, who’s ensnared them into playing a dangerous board game called The Blackening.
For Robertson, The Blackening was especially meaningful because she and her fellow collaborators were able to bring a bit...
Written by Dewayne Perkins and Tracy Oliver, the Tim Story-directed The Blackening is a horror-comedy that expands on Perkins’ 2018 short, parodying the age-old trope that Black characters are the first to die in horror films. Robertson plays Lisa, an ambitious lawyer who reunites with her college friends for a weekend getaway at a remote cabin. And despite some personal drama involving her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls), Lisa must step up to help save her friends from a masked killer, who’s ensnared them into playing a dangerous board game called The Blackening.
For Robertson, The Blackening was especially meaningful because she and her fellow collaborators were able to bring a bit...
- 6/18/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Blackening will go on. A California judge today denied a request for a temporary restraining order to delay the horror comedy’s release after saying the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Lionsgate failed to make their case.
In her ruling (read it here), United States District Court for the Central District of California, Judge Dale S. Fischer of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California said Zahara Ariel and Jaryah Bobo “have not demonstrated any substantial likelihood of success on the merits.” They were trying to block today’s release of the pic, claiming that it infringes on their copyrights a screenplay, Southern Education, and a card game called Black Card Revoked.
“Plaintiffs present little to no detail regarding either the game or the screenplay, and there is no reason to believe that the expression of ideas in either has been copied in the making of the film,...
In her ruling (read it here), United States District Court for the Central District of California, Judge Dale S. Fischer of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California said Zahara Ariel and Jaryah Bobo “have not demonstrated any substantial likelihood of success on the merits.” They were trying to block today’s release of the pic, claiming that it infringes on their copyrights a screenplay, Southern Education, and a card game called Black Card Revoked.
“Plaintiffs present little to no detail regarding either the game or the screenplay, and there is no reason to believe that the expression of ideas in either has been copied in the making of the film,...
- 6/16/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Asteroid City, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Flash and Secret Invasion.
The Flash premiere
Ezra Miller made their long-anticipated return on Monday at The Flash premiere in Los Angeles, joined by director Andy Muschietti and co-stars Ben Affleck, Sasha Calle, Kiersey Clemons and Michael Shannon.
Andy Muschietti and Ezra Miller Antje Traue, Michael Shannon and Sasha Calle Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
Extraction 2 premiere
Chris Hemsworth joined director Sam Hargrave and producer Anthony Russo at the New York premiere of their Netflix action film sequel.
Anthony Russo, Chris Hemsworth and Sam Hargrave
Chanel Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner
Chanel hosted the 16th annual Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner at Balthazar on Monday, honoring the artists who have contributed original artwork to the festival’s award-winning filmmakers.
The Flash premiere
Ezra Miller made their long-anticipated return on Monday at The Flash premiere in Los Angeles, joined by director Andy Muschietti and co-stars Ben Affleck, Sasha Calle, Kiersey Clemons and Michael Shannon.
Andy Muschietti and Ezra Miller Antje Traue, Michael Shannon and Sasha Calle Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
Extraction 2 premiere
Chris Hemsworth joined director Sam Hargrave and producer Anthony Russo at the New York premiere of their Netflix action film sequel.
Anthony Russo, Chris Hemsworth and Sam Hargrave
Chanel Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner
Chanel hosted the 16th annual Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner at Balthazar on Monday, honoring the artists who have contributed original artwork to the festival’s award-winning filmmakers.
- 6/16/2023
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Have you ever felt the need to yell at the screen while a character in a horror film decides to investigate some strange noise they’ve heard? Or how about after identifying that there’s a killer around, a group of friends decides to split up to increase their chances of survival? These tropes have consistently been used in the genre, but director Tim Story is here to kiss them goodbye in his latest horror comedy/satire The Blackening. Written by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins and based on the digital short film, this hilarious feature deconstructs the genre through a Black cultural lens while unpacking what “Blackness” in America truly means.
To celebrate Juneteenth, seven Black friends reunite at a cabin in the woods after years of not seeing each other. The longtime group of friends, including Lisa (Antoinette Robertson), Dewayne (Dewayne Perkins), Nnamdi (Sinqua Wells), Allison (Grace Byers...
To celebrate Juneteenth, seven Black friends reunite at a cabin in the woods after years of not seeing each other. The longtime group of friends, including Lisa (Antoinette Robertson), Dewayne (Dewayne Perkins), Nnamdi (Sinqua Wells), Allison (Grace Byers...
- 6/16/2023
- by Patrice Witherspoon
- ScreenRant.com
"The Blackening" is finally changing the narrative for Black characters in the horror space - and it's about damn time.
The Tim Story-directed horror-comedy mashup, cowritten by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins, reunites a group of friends - portrayed by Perkins, Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jay Pharoah, and Yvonne Orji - for a Juneteenth cabin trip gone horribly (and gorily) wrong, as they all find themselves trapped playing a deadly game with a deranged killer on the loose. While the scenario may sound familiar, it's unlike anything audiences - especially Black audiences - have ever seen before.
With its comedic moments, satirical elements, and hero-esque endgame, "The Blackening" is rare compared to traditional horror stories where Black characters don't get to control their own fate, much less survive until the end of a movie. So the cast consider it an honor...
The Tim Story-directed horror-comedy mashup, cowritten by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins, reunites a group of friends - portrayed by Perkins, Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jay Pharoah, and Yvonne Orji - for a Juneteenth cabin trip gone horribly (and gorily) wrong, as they all find themselves trapped playing a deadly game with a deranged killer on the loose. While the scenario may sound familiar, it's unlike anything audiences - especially Black audiences - have ever seen before.
With its comedic moments, satirical elements, and hero-esque endgame, "The Blackening" is rare compared to traditional horror stories where Black characters don't get to control their own fate, much less survive until the end of a movie. So the cast consider it an honor...
- 6/16/2023
- by Njera Perkins
- Popsugar.com
“Elemental,” an opposites-attract love story set in a world of, well, elements, began its domestic box office jaunt with $2.4 million in Thursday previews. With merely decent reviews (75% fresh and 6.5/10 on Rotten Tomatoes) and little being sold beyond “Hey, it’s the next Pixar film!”), the Peter Sohn-directed flick could struggle to match the $29 million Fri-Sun debut (amid a $39 million Wed-Sun launch) of “Toy Story” back in 1995, let alone the over/under $39 million Fri-Sun debuts of “The Good Dinosaur” in 2015 and “Onward” (which opened a week before Covid shut down the world) in 2020.
Just running the numbers, if “Elemental” legs over the weekend like “Lightyear” ($51 million from a $5.2 million Thursday), it’ll open with just $23.5 million by Sunday night. Being more optimistic, however unlikely, if “Elemental” legs like “Cars 3” ($53 million/$2.6 million), well, then it opens with $49 million and you can ignore the next few paragraphs of doom-n-gloom.
Elemental trailer
Generally speaking,...
Just running the numbers, if “Elemental” legs over the weekend like “Lightyear” ($51 million from a $5.2 million Thursday), it’ll open with just $23.5 million by Sunday night. Being more optimistic, however unlikely, if “Elemental” legs like “Cars 3” ($53 million/$2.6 million), well, then it opens with $49 million and you can ignore the next few paragraphs of doom-n-gloom.
Elemental trailer
Generally speaking,...
- 6/16/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Antoinette Robertson as Lisa, Grace Byers as Allison, Jermaine Fowler as Clifton and Dewayne Perkins as Dewayne in The Blackening. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson. Courtesy of Lionsgate
A group of college friends gather at a cabin in the woods, for a weekend reunion of sorts. What could go wrong? Well, we know what could go wrong, but the twist in the comedy-horror film The Blackening is the all-black cast and the comedy-horror film’s determined satiric skewering of that old horror film knack for killing off the Black character first. But like the film’s tagline says, they can’t all die first.
In fact, The Blackening leans much more into satiric comedy than horror, having fun with every little horror trope, not just the racist ones. But it does whittle down the group of friends as it goes and provides some jump scares. On one level, the humor is...
A group of college friends gather at a cabin in the woods, for a weekend reunion of sorts. What could go wrong? Well, we know what could go wrong, but the twist in the comedy-horror film The Blackening is the all-black cast and the comedy-horror film’s determined satiric skewering of that old horror film knack for killing off the Black character first. But like the film’s tagline says, they can’t all die first.
In fact, The Blackening leans much more into satiric comedy than horror, having fun with every little horror trope, not just the racist ones. But it does whittle down the group of friends as it goes and provides some jump scares. On one level, the humor is...
- 6/16/2023
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Blackening is a Horror Movie directed by Tim Story, starring Antoinette Robertson and Sinqua Walls
Seven black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. Will their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies help them stay alive? Probably not.
Release date
June 16
Where to Watch The Blackening
Theaters
The Cast Antoinette Robertson Sinqua Walls
Dewayne Perkins
X Mayo
The post ‘The Blackening’ (2023) Release on June 16 appeared first on Martin Cid Magazine.
Seven black friends who go away for the weekend only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. Will their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies help them stay alive? Probably not.
Release date
June 16
Where to Watch The Blackening
Theaters
The Cast Antoinette Robertson Sinqua Walls
Dewayne Perkins
X Mayo
The post ‘The Blackening’ (2023) Release on June 16 appeared first on Martin Cid Magazine.
- 6/16/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
One of the most offensive tropes in horror movies is that the Black characters die first. Tim Story's upcoming horror comedy, "The Blackening," sets out to find out what happens when all the characters are Black. "We can't all die first," the film's tagline reads. The movie, which hits theaters on June 16, focuses on a group of Black friends staying at a remote cabin in the woods who are targeted by a masked killer on Juneteenth weekend. In order to stay alive, the group must play a game called "The Blackening" that makes them question their own and each other's Blackness. As part of their first task, the group must sacrifice who they think is the "Blackest," which leads to chaos as the friends argue over who's deserving of the title.
The premise of the film was based on a 2018 short film of the same name by 3Peat. In a 2022 interview with Collider,...
The premise of the film was based on a 2018 short film of the same name by 3Peat. In a 2022 interview with Collider,...
- 6/15/2023
- by Michele Mendez
- Popsugar.com
So much has happened in mainstream horror since Jordan Peele released Get Out that it would be understandable if you felt uneasy about The Blackening, a slasher thriller directed by Tim Story (Barbershop). Peele’s feature debut subjected us to a wave — or maybe a better word is tsunami — of copycats and derivatives. They were labeled “social horror,” written furiously about, sometimes critically praised, commercially erratic and left to collect dust.
They quickly became their own kind of joke, a sign of desperate times. These films aspired to Peele’s Get Out but lacked its humor and its smarts. Their narratives were a Mad Libs-esque exercise of transgressions against Black Americans: They were about racist legal codes, police brutality, microaggressions on campus and macroaggressions everywhere. In a frantic rush to tell us something about ourselves, these flicks rarely said anything at all.
The Blackening is not like those other...
They quickly became their own kind of joke, a sign of desperate times. These films aspired to Peele’s Get Out but lacked its humor and its smarts. Their narratives were a Mad Libs-esque exercise of transgressions against Black Americans: They were about racist legal codes, police brutality, microaggressions on campus and macroaggressions everywhere. In a frantic rush to tell us something about ourselves, these flicks rarely said anything at all.
The Blackening is not like those other...
- 6/15/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Plot: Seven Black friends go away for the weekend and end up trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. Will their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies help them stay alive? Probably not.
Review: I absolutely love the concept of The Blackening. As a lover of the Scream franchise, I love a film that dissects the genre’s tropes. While this is considerably more comedy than horror, I still hoped there would be clever dissections. And there are definitely moments like that, but they’re less prominent than I’d hoped. In fact, there are long stretches where it seems like the film forgets to be a satire.
This is the story of a group of college friends getting back together for their 10-year reunion to celebrate Juneteenth. The friends feel believable, and their dynamics, while stereotypical, feel true to life. This was my first...
Review: I absolutely love the concept of The Blackening. As a lover of the Scream franchise, I love a film that dissects the genre’s tropes. While this is considerably more comedy than horror, I still hoped there would be clever dissections. And there are definitely moments like that, but they’re less prominent than I’d hoped. In fact, there are long stretches where it seems like the film forgets to be a satire.
This is the story of a group of college friends getting back together for their 10-year reunion to celebrate Juneteenth. The friends feel believable, and their dynamics, while stereotypical, feel true to life. This was my first...
- 6/15/2023
- by Tyler Nichols
- JoBlo.com
One of the year’s most infectious horror comedies, The Blackening, arrives in theaters this Friday, June 16, 2023.
The Blackening centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sarcastic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
The Blackening stars Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah.
Melvin Gregg as King, Grace Byers as Allison, Antoinette Robertson as Lisa, Sinqua Walls as Nnamdi,...
The Blackening centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sarcastic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
The Blackening stars Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah.
Melvin Gregg as King, Grace Byers as Allison, Antoinette Robertson as Lisa, Sinqua Walls as Nnamdi,...
- 6/14/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Horror and comedy have always been a beautiful blend in cinema. While there are plenty of horror satires or spoofs that miss the mark, The Blackening, directed by Tim Story, is nearly pitch-perfect in its execution, delivering the funniest movie of the year so far and the best horror movie of this summer. This is in large part due to an endearing yet hilarious ensemble cast and a tight, clever script by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins.
A group of friends -- Lisa (Antoinette Robertson), Dewayne (Perkins), Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls), Allison (Grace Byers), Shanika (X Mayo), King (Melvin Gregg), Clifton (Jermaine Fowler), Morgan (Yvonne Orji) and Shawn (Jay Pharoah), reunite for a Juneteenth celebration. Upon arriving to their cabin, they quickly become the subjects of a twisted game called The Blackening.
Related: Review: You'll Never Find Me is a Tense Thriller You Can't Look Away From
With such a huge ensemble,...
A group of friends -- Lisa (Antoinette Robertson), Dewayne (Perkins), Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls), Allison (Grace Byers), Shanika (X Mayo), King (Melvin Gregg), Clifton (Jermaine Fowler), Morgan (Yvonne Orji) and Shawn (Jay Pharoah), reunite for a Juneteenth celebration. Upon arriving to their cabin, they quickly become the subjects of a twisted game called The Blackening.
Related: Review: You'll Never Find Me is a Tense Thriller You Can't Look Away From
With such a huge ensemble,...
- 6/14/2023
- by Caitlin Chappell
- Comic Book Resources
Box office preview: ‘The Flash,’ ‘Elemental,’ ‘The Blackening’ will keep the summer movie love going
After strong releases to kick off the month of June, three more wide releases will try to split up any potential business to give the summer box office a boost. This weekend should also benefit from Father’s Day on Sunday and the Juneteenth government holiday on Monday. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.
The widest release of the weekend is Warner Bros’ “The Flash,” starring Ezra Miller and more, which ties some of Zack Snyder‘s Dceu movies into the upcoming plans by James Gunn, or so it’s been said. The movie has been plagued with problems almost going back to Miller’s casting for Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” in 2016, which includes various writers and directors coming on board and then leaving. The movie was also delayed a few times due to Covid, and then last year, Miller (who uses they...
The widest release of the weekend is Warner Bros’ “The Flash,” starring Ezra Miller and more, which ties some of Zack Snyder‘s Dceu movies into the upcoming plans by James Gunn, or so it’s been said. The movie has been plagued with problems almost going back to Miller’s casting for Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” in 2016, which includes various writers and directors coming on board and then leaving. The movie was also delayed a few times due to Covid, and then last year, Miller (who uses they...
- 6/14/2023
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
The Blackening assembles a talented cast of Black actors to play characters in the horror comedy. Directed by Tim Story, The Blackening tackles horror movie tropes as they pertain to Black people, such as the trend where the Black person in a friend group dies first. Hollywood has addressed these tropes in the past at times with the Scary Movie franchise, but The Blackening looks to update the commentary for current times. This means bringing together a group of rising Black actors to headline The Blackening's cast and bring the friend group's characters to life.
The Blackening is based on a short film by comedy group 3Peat that debuted in 2018. The movie focuses on a group of nine friends as they reunite years after college over Juneteenth. The reunion is in a cabin in the woods, where they find a game called The Blackening that asks questions specifically about Black people's experiences in media,...
The Blackening is based on a short film by comedy group 3Peat that debuted in 2018. The movie focuses on a group of nine friends as they reunite years after college over Juneteenth. The reunion is in a cabin in the woods, where they find a game called The Blackening that asks questions specifically about Black people's experiences in media,...
- 6/14/2023
- by Cooper Hood
- ScreenRant.com
Unlike the character he wrote and plays in the horror spoof The Blackening, comedian Dewayne Perkins will not be staying at a cabin in the woods anytime soon. “I went camping once and it was one of those moments where I was like, ‘This is what this is? We’re really sleeping on the ground … outside?’ ” he says with a quizzical eyebrow during a video interview a few weeks before The Blackening opens in theaters June 16. “I never went back.”
However, as onscreen Dewayne (yes, he and his character share the same name, and they are both openly gay), he joins nine college besties at a cabin deep, deep in the woods over Juneteenth weekend. What was supposed to be a much-needed get-together among friends drinking highly sweetened drinks and indulging in trash-talking hijinks turns into them playing a bloody trivia game called The Blackening, which determines who’s Black enough and who isn’t.
However, as onscreen Dewayne (yes, he and his character share the same name, and they are both openly gay), he joins nine college besties at a cabin deep, deep in the woods over Juneteenth weekend. What was supposed to be a much-needed get-together among friends drinking highly sweetened drinks and indulging in trash-talking hijinks turns into them playing a bloody trivia game called The Blackening, which determines who’s Black enough and who isn’t.
- 6/14/2023
- by Cori Murray
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
From left: Melvin Gregg, Grace Byers, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jermaine Fowler, Dewayne Perkins, Xochitl Mayo in The BlackeningPhoto: Lionsgate
A satire that begins with its title, The Blackening relentlessly “uses humor, irony, exaggeration, to expose and criticize stupidity.” That is, of course, the Oxford dictionary definition of the word...
A satire that begins with its title, The Blackening relentlessly “uses humor, irony, exaggeration, to expose and criticize stupidity.” That is, of course, the Oxford dictionary definition of the word...
- 6/14/2023
- by Timothy Cogshell
- avclub.com
Juneteenth is a national holiday that is set aside to honor the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. In The Blackening, a group of, well, Black friends rent a secluded cabin for the weekend to celebrate. It’s mostly all good until they encounter a Blackface “Sambo” game.
It's creepy to look at, with its offensively bright red lips, and is equally frightening to listen to. “Play the game or die,” it insists. The game includes a series of witty but challenging questions about Black culture that sets up the film. What happens if the entire cast is Black? Who, then, dies first? In terms of "wokeness" and knowledge about Black history and popular culture, the game requires this to be the person who is "the Blackest." With universal charm and relatable humor, The Blackening is an uproarious and politically incorrect salute to friendship within the Black culture and a warm-hearted re-awakening within the horror genre.
It's creepy to look at, with its offensively bright red lips, and is equally frightening to listen to. “Play the game or die,” it insists. The game includes a series of witty but challenging questions about Black culture that sets up the film. What happens if the entire cast is Black? Who, then, dies first? In terms of "wokeness" and knowledge about Black history and popular culture, the game requires this to be the person who is "the Blackest." With universal charm and relatable humor, The Blackening is an uproarious and politically incorrect salute to friendship within the Black culture and a warm-hearted re-awakening within the horror genre.
- 6/14/2023
- by Philana Marie Boles
- MovieWeb
Lionsgate’s horror-comedy The Blackening is releasing in theaters on June 16, 2023, for Juneteenth weekend, and tickets for the witty film are available now.
The Blackening, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sarcastic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
The Blackening stars Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah.
Ahead of the film’s release,...
The Blackening, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game.
Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sarcastic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
The Blackening stars Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah.
Ahead of the film’s release,...
- 6/13/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Chicago – The poster says, “We Can’t All Die First,” referring of course to the killer/slasher film that regularly murders the black member of friend group first. The film is “The Blackening” and it came from the mind of co-writer and featured actor Dewayne Perkins, who conceived of the idea initially as a sketch.
The film interrogates the trope that the African-American character is often the first to die in horror movies by placing an all-Black group of friends at a cabin in the woods, where they are confronted with a masked killer who demands that they rank their degrees of blackness so that he can determine the correct order in which to kill them, and must rely on a combination of street smarts and their own knowledge of horror film tropes to survive.
Dewayne Perkins of ‘The Blackening’
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
Dewayne Perkins is Chicago born and raised,...
The film interrogates the trope that the African-American character is often the first to die in horror movies by placing an all-Black group of friends at a cabin in the woods, where they are confronted with a masked killer who demands that they rank their degrees of blackness so that he can determine the correct order in which to kill them, and must rely on a combination of street smarts and their own knowledge of horror film tropes to survive.
Dewayne Perkins of ‘The Blackening’
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
Dewayne Perkins is Chicago born and raised,...
- 6/12/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Melvin Gregg, Grace Byers, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jermaine Fowler, Dewayne Perkins, and Xochitl Mayo in The Blackening.Photo: Glen Wilson/Lionsgate
The thing about sleeper hits is that they’re hard to predict. By definition, they’re supposed to catch us by surprise. But sometimes there are signs that a little movie—like,...
The thing about sleeper hits is that they’re hard to predict. By definition, they’re supposed to catch us by surprise. But sometimes there are signs that a little movie—like,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Cindy White
- avclub.com
Horror gets skewered in The Blackening, the new comedy from director Tim Story. The familiar premise of "a bunch of people at a cabin in the woods get hunted by a masked killer" gets turned on its side by a simple twist that plays with the racial politics of the horror genre: the cast is entirely comprised of Black talent. Thus, the old horror adage of, "the Black person always dies first" gets put to the test, with hilarious and unpredictable results.
Based on the short film by comedy troupe 3Peat, The Blackening may present itself as a horror movie, but it's very much a comedy, driven by its script and performances from comedy professionals. Screen Rant got the chance to speak with several of those incredible individuals.
Related: 10 Pioneering Black Actors From The Golden Age Of Hollywood
While promoting the release of The Blackening, actors Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls,...
Based on the short film by comedy troupe 3Peat, The Blackening may present itself as a horror movie, but it's very much a comedy, driven by its script and performances from comedy professionals. Screen Rant got the chance to speak with several of those incredible individuals.
Related: 10 Pioneering Black Actors From The Golden Age Of Hollywood
While promoting the release of The Blackening, actors Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls,...
- 6/9/2023
- by Zak Wojnar
- ScreenRant.com
Lionsgate's The Blackening is a pointed and consistently hilarious horror/comedy. Focusing on a group of friends whose reunion takes a dark turn when they realize they're being hunted by a mysterious and seemingly racially motivated threat, the film juggles a subversive tone that still knows when to indulge in genuine tension or highlight the interplay between the characters.
The result is a comedy that manages to elevate the entire ensemble, taking specific time to play with the conventional conceptions of the characters and flesh them out -- all while keeping true to the hilarious spirit of the story. Ahead of The Blackening's theatrical debut on Jun. 16, Cbr sat down with Grace Byers (Allison), Sinqua Walls (Nnamdi), Antoinette Robertson (Lisa), Dewayne Perkins (Dewayne), X Mayo (Shanika), Jermaine Fowler (Clifton), and Jay Pharoah (Shawn) about the biggest surprises of the project, the joys of finding lived-in energy on set,...
The result is a comedy that manages to elevate the entire ensemble, taking specific time to play with the conventional conceptions of the characters and flesh them out -- all while keeping true to the hilarious spirit of the story. Ahead of The Blackening's theatrical debut on Jun. 16, Cbr sat down with Grace Byers (Allison), Sinqua Walls (Nnamdi), Antoinette Robertson (Lisa), Dewayne Perkins (Dewayne), X Mayo (Shanika), Jermaine Fowler (Clifton), and Jay Pharoah (Shawn) about the biggest surprises of the project, the joys of finding lived-in energy on set,...
- 6/8/2023
- by Brandon Zachary
- Comic Book Resources
A Juneteenth weekend getway turns into a deadly game for survival in the new horror comedy The Blackening, arriving in theaters on June 16th from Lionsgate, and I had a chance to catch up with director Tim Story, who told me all about his horror influences, casting, and his on-set experience:
The Blackening centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game. Directed by Tim Story and screenplay and screen story by Tracy Oliver & Dewayne Perkins, The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
Lionsgate and MRC present, a Story Company / Tracy Yvonne / Artists First / Catchlight Studios production.
Starring Grace Byers,...
The Blackening centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherf****** game. Directed by Tim Story and screenplay and screen story by Tracy Oliver & Dewayne Perkins, The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
Lionsgate and MRC present, a Story Company / Tracy Yvonne / Artists First / Catchlight Studios production.
Starring Grace Byers,...
- 6/8/2023
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
At last year’s TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival), one of the most raucous screenings I attended was The Blackening. Directed by Tim Story, the movie is a horror-comedy mashup about a group of black friends who rent a cabin together for the weekend, only to be stalked by a masked killer. While it may sound like standard stuff, the movie actually works as a pretty funny satire about the role of black characters in horror, which, in the eighties and nineties, often saw them killed off first. They have fun with the genre conventions and ultimately craft a movie that works well as a comedy but at the same time isn’t “zany” in the way something like Scary Movie is.
I was happy to get the chance to speak to many of the people involved with the film recently, and the faith they have in the movie is infectious.
I was happy to get the chance to speak to many of the people involved with the film recently, and the faith they have in the movie is infectious.
- 6/8/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
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