The Blackening Review: Slashing Horror Clichés and Tropes!

Pack your bags, party favors, snacks, iPhone chargers (because we don’t do Androids), pack of cards, and a safety weapon because we’re heading to the woods. As the tagline says: We Can’t All Die First. The question now leads to: What happens when a horror movie has an all Black cast? For decades horror movies have created the infamous problematic clichés and tropes of Black characters getting axed first and never making it to the end. Although some movies have redefined the rules where Black characters survive, The Blackening does a complete amusing 360 on the horror game.

The Blackening follows a group of friends who reunite after 10 years to celebrate Juneteenth weekend at a secluded cabin in the woods, where their fun-filled weekend is interrupted by masked murderers. The film kicks off with couple Morgan (Yvonne Orji) and Shawn (Jay Pharoah) who are the first to arrive for the festivities. They discover a game room in the basement called “The Blackening”, appearing as a Jim-Crow version of Monopoly. Both are hesitant, but play the game answering questions. When Shawn answers incorrectly the lights go out and an arrow strikes him in the neck, killing him, as Morgan is captured attempting an escape.

The following day, the next batch of friends, Lisa (Antoinette Robertson), Allison (Grace Byers), and Dewayne (Dewayne Perkins), embark on their trip to the cabin. Unknown to Dewayne, their friend King (Melvin Gregg) invited Lisa’s unfaithful ex-boyfriend Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls) for the weekend. Another member of the friend group, Shanika (X Mayo), runs into a former classmate Clifton (Jermaine Fowler) at a gas station who is also joining them for the weekend festivities. Upon arrival Lisa, Allison, and Dewayne encounter Ranger White (Diedrich Bader) who is not allowing King entry to the house. Once the dispute is settled, the friends partake in a fun night full of drinking, drugs, and Spades. Once the lights go out again, they huddle together to restore the power and instead encounter The Blackening, with game pieces specifically matching their personalities. After the game reveals Morgan is captured and a prisoner, the friends must play the game answering trivia questions testing their knowledge on Black stereotypes and Black culture. Together they all must rely on the do’s and don’ts of their horror movie predicament to avoid dying first - or at all.

The Blackening is by far a spectacular satire packed with non-stop laughs, numerous movie references, and interpersonal insights on Black culture. This movie hilariously explores how to rewrite the rules in horror. Taking a page from films like Scary Movie, Friday the 13th, Saw, and many more, The Blackening also ties in punchline jokes connected to Black cinema including Set it Off, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, and Get Out, to name a few. In addition, the film also explores the perception of Blackness in a comedic way. When the game requests for the group to sacrifice who they think is the “blackest” each individual defends themselves with a personal reasoning. Lisa says she’s biracial. Dewayne says he’s queer. King states being married to his white wife. And Clifton admits to never watching Friday and voting for Trump twice. The friends decide on either Nnamdi because of his African background or Shanika because she uses the N-word heavily.

This film has a bold take on redefining the common horror tropes and clichés of Black people dying first, or their inclusion for comedic use or tokenism. As the horror genre evolves, it’s fun to see Black characters make it to the end because we all can be final girls and final boys too, just like notable people including Brandy (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer), LL Cool J (Halloween H20, Deep Blue Sea), Loretta Devine (Urban Legend 1 & 2), and Jada Pinkett Smith (Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight). I love watching movies when Black characters know when to run and not look back, refuse to split up, or if we see something that looks incredibly suspicious we say “Nope!” and immediately walk in the opposite direction. Inspired by a sketch written by Dewayne Perkins - who also stars in the film - for Comedy Central, director Tim Story executes this film exceptionally well, having you laugh from beginning to end.

The Blackening is currently playing in theaters. Rated R for pervasive language, violence, and drug use with a runtime of 97 minutes.