The Blackening

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.

So I watched The Blackening's preview online and it looked really fun so I decided to give it a try. To it's credit it is actually kind of fun and funny. While there are some scary moments here, I wish they had taken a little extra time to further develop those scary moments as they kind of take a backseat to the humour/race aspects of the story rather than getting equal time. That's unfortunate as I think the script writers were a bit heavy handed on the race element and those messages I feel could have been better served and a lot more effective if given a slightly more deft touch, as opposed to the obvious/hit you over the head approach. I enjoyed most of the performances with the exception of the Clifton character. I'm sure he is a very talented actor (I've not seen him in anything else) but this was not the part for him. The Blackening has some serious shortcomings but despite all of that it was still kind of fun and maybe worth checking out if you're curious.

If you're a die hard, hard core horror fan, you probably won't like this.

If you're a casual, horror/comedy fan, this is right up your alley.

Make no mistake: this is a horror/comedy. There are numerous, over-the-top, smack-in-you-in-the-face tropes. Some of the more race-related ones will even make some viewers uncomfortable. All of that is fine, because - together - it all works.

Simply put: this film is about a bunch of black people (yes, that's relevant!) playing a deadly game. Correction: a deadly RACIST game. And yes, that's relevant, too. Some die, some fight back, some live...it goes around and around, with little twists and turns (some obvious, others not).

Overall, it's a fun movie. There was just enough gore to make me happy and just enough comedy to make me laugh.

I'd love to see more films like this.

The trailer made this look like Scary Movie: Black People Edition. I thought the satire was gonna be tight like Chappelle's Show and The Boondocks. But what I got was corny jokes and mid writing. The opening is strong but then drops like a rock.

The whole movies feels unpolished. Like the script is a first draft. Sometimes it's okay, sometimes it's bad. A lot of dragging. Like "just get to the point" kinda dragging. And it has no idea how to satirize what it's satirizing. Like did the writers only watch one horror movie?

The trailer is the most entertainment you'll get from this. Hell, go watch that "Ray Ray" scene from "A Haunted House". That 3 minute scene is 10x better than this crap.

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-