Film Review: The Blackening

I feel like the whole “black character dies first in a horror film” is one of those tropes that has maybe only really appeared in earnest a small handful of times, but the reputation of it has far outgrown it’s actually significance. Not to say there isn’t anything meaningful to take out of the use of this trope whenever it does pop up, mostly in how Black people and other people of color are seen as disposable, unimportant, and this extends far beyond the horror genre. But it is nonetheless, an amusing observation that has been parodied to death, but there might be enough to mine for one flick.

The flick in question is The Blackening, written by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins, based on the 2018 sketch of the same name by comedy troupe 3Peat, and directed by Tim Story. It follows a group of friends who are having a get-together at a fancy cabin in the woods that they are renting out. We have Allison (Grace Byers), Lisa (Antoinette Robertson), Dewayne (Dewayne Perkins), King (Melvin Gregg), Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls), Shanika (X Mayo), and Clifton (Jermaine Fowler), they arrive, settle in, play some games. But they realize that two other friends who were already supposed to be there aren’t around.

They discover a door to the basement that was previously locked, but is now unlocked, leading them to a game room. A game is presented on the table – The Blackening, full with minstrel imagery. An ominous voice asks to pick a card as the television turns on, revealing their other friend, Morgan (Yvonne Orji), tied to a chair under the threat of death if the group do not cooperate and play the game. Of course, things don’t quite go smoothly, and the friends find themselves hunted by a masked killer.

The original sketch is pretty funny, you can find it on YouTube, and the film gets that whole sequence over it fairly quickly once we’re introduced to the game. Stretching a sketch to a feature is a hefty task, and for the most part, Oliver and Perkins’ screenplay do a solid job at expanding exactly where a film like this needs to in order to work. The friends and their individual dynamics are established early on, the action is of course far more expansive in scope, and there’s even some amusing twists and turns along the way as everyone tries to survive the night.

Like with most horror-comedies, especially in the west, and not surprising given Story’s track record, the film leans more on the comedy side than anything else. There’s a lot of banter and quips and bits of pure physical comedy that I really found funny. The threat does feel genuine though, even if some characters react a bit over-the-top to it or respond with dialogue that feels “very online.” When people get hurt, it really seems like they get hurt. Although, it is unfortunate that the lighting during some of these set-pieces, all of which take place at night, often in the dark, isn’t lit in a way that is most clear.

Ultimately, The Blackening does take a lot of relatively easy swings, both with its jokes and with its horror. That doesn’t mean those swings aren’t effective, quite a bit of the humor does land, but one can’t help but imagine a more nuanced, a more ambitious, a more genre savvy version of this. And I did wish that the exploration of the Black experience as portrayed in horror films was touched on beyond the one scene where they talk about the Black character dying first. But as a film based on a sketch, it is enjoyable and light, and the cast is very charming and fun to watch. It works where it needs to, and it’s the kind of film that really works well with a crowd. I did have a good time with it, and the film flies by pretty fast, it’s over before you know it. It’s a fun flick.

 

The Blackening is now out in theaters.