Written by: Tracy Oliver & Dewayne Perkins
Starring: Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Dewayne Perkins, Antoinette Robertson
Rating: [4/5]
Over the years and many films released, certain patterns emerge in the stories we tell, and picking up on those raises some curious questions. For example, in horror films, why does the Black character always happen to die first? Many more of these become quite apparent and the making of them can become its own feeding ground for comedy, which The Blackening seeks to accomplish. Although you can tell where this narrative goes, it more than makes up for it with its hilarious humor.
Reuniting for the first time in years since college to celebrate Juneteenth, Lisa (Antoinette Robertson), Allison (Grace Byers), and Dewayne (Dewayne Perkins) arrive at a fairly secluded cabin awaiting the arrival of more. As they all get reacquainted they find a mysterious game that contains an overtly racist game called “The Blackening.” They quickly realize a crazy man will kill them if they do not continue to play the game.
Riffing on many horror stories we know and love but still very much existing as its own unique experience, The Blackening utilizes stereotypes and horror tropes to their comedic advantage in making several winks to the audience. We know Black people never have the best experiences within horror films, and this one fully acknowledges that and poses the question as seen on the poster that they all cannot die first. This idea of which of them will die first then makes for one of the best scenes in the film where they have to decide which of them is the blackest and therefore should die first when forced by the Jigsaw stand-in here. A hilarious sequence that gets into in-fighting that displays what these characters believe defines blackness and what certainly does not. This film comes jam-packed with moments like this, and each of them land incredibly well.
Navigating the humor of this film comes with a combination of comedy the general audience member will get, but many jokes definitely feel like inside jokes that specifically speak on the Black experience in only a way Black folks have experienced it. They manage to weave it together in such an inventive and smart manner where it never quite feels alienating, while the film remains unapologetically Black at its core. Not everyone will get every joke and that’s completely okay because there’s plenty to go-around and laugh at throughout with this fantastic hit rate it has and I’m not talking about the arrows shot out from a bow as seen by this villain.
As this group of friends navigate this horrific game they hope to survive, we also get some insight to the dynamics held within the group that have caused some drama in the past. Lisa seemingly has gotten back together quite slyly with Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls), which her best friend Dewayne does not like for reasons disclosed in the film. This group goes back all the way to college in their more immature days, which allows the sobering impact of some time passing, allowing for the right time to review their relationships. It certainly plays into the decisions made throughout the film, which ultimately puts this group in harm’s way in moments.
Trying to decide best-in-show for this feature comes as no easy feat, with each of these characters bringing their own hilarity, but no one can quite reach the level of Grace Beyers. Barely holding it together physically because of her ailments, the way Beyers goes about this film from beginning to end completely takes the cake in hilarity. From taking a pill she really should not have and what she does later on, it just marks the peak of the humor this film has to offer. In firm second place has to be Dewayne Perkins as he pieces together the perfect archetype of the gay best friend to Lisa while also driving his own comedy throughout, and pretty much everything he says produces gold. The quality of his performances makes the fact he co-wrote the script for the film make all the more sense. Again, each of these characters represent some element of the Black experience and the conversations held within the community, which even includes the fact one of them has a white wife, who’s not present in the film but certainly gets talked about.
Quite the fun time through and through, The Blackening hits the right notes in navigating its meta-humor in addition to adding its horror elements to make a wonderfully effective horror-comedy. While Tim Story has not had the best record with the quality of his films, he produces his best here with this one. He allows these actors to play out these characters in such an engaging manner and fully buys into the ridiculousness of this feature overall. Watching this with a crowd will further elevate the experience of this film because of the many laughs it brings and the cultural jabs it takes in the process as well.
Films with Josh 
