'The Blackening' Scares Up A Few Laughs But Fails To Deliver On Horror
Halfway through the opening sequence of The Blackening, two soon-to-die characters make a disturbing discovery. And no, not just the creepy, racist board game in the center of the basement. The couple, Shawn and Morgan, realize that Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps died at the beginning of Scream 2, likely due to the studio not having enough money to pay for them to have a major role in the film. The mention of this fact feels like an offhand comment initially, until the two characters share a look of horror moments after. These characters, played by Jay Pharoah and Yvonne Orji, who are, on average, more famous and therefore more expensive than the co-stars they share the film with, realize that they will likely have the same fate. The moment is almost painfully self-referential, and yet, still funny. This moment serves as a pretty good representative of the film as a whole.
Tim Story’s The Blackening basically only has one joke, and thankfully, it’s a pretty good one. Flipping the trope of the black character dying first on its head, the film features a primarily black cast living in the most cliche horror movie you could imagine. The concept may seem simple, but The Blackening gets a good amount of mileage out of this joke. Although nearly as cliched as the films it attempts to satirize, the film remains entertaining throughout, especially due to its charming cast.
The Blackening, directed by Ride Along and Fantastic Four director Tim Story, released in theaters on June 16, 2023. The film follows a group of friends who are celebrating Juneteenth by spending a night in a cabin in the woods. Exploring the basement, the friends decide to play a game called The Blackening, which they realize is more deadly than they had anticipated. Once they realize they are being hunted, they know they must play the game in order to survive.
For the plot of the film itself, it relies heavily on cliches–taking place in the most stereotypical horror location, a cabin in the woods. At times, it feels that the film is trying to use these cliches as a subversion of the genre itself, but the end result feels the same; The Blackening is still a slasher set in a cabin in the woods, which can come off as uninspired. Because of this, the horror feels unoriginal and played-out, as if you’re watching an SNL sketch of a horror film rather than an actual horror film. This certainly contributes to the film’s fun atmosphere, but it comes at the expense of the film’s ability to exist as a true horror film. The film seems to suffer from a bit of an identity crisis—too focused on making fun of horror films that it forgets it is a horror film in the first place.
That’s not to say the film fails at all—the humor is solid enough to keep the film entertaining. The film’s tongue-in-cheek humor primarily revolves around race, both playing into and subverting racial stereotypes. Many of the characters also make fun of the horror genre itself, often saying the thoughts of the audience out loud. The actors deliver these jokes with ease and impact, even as the jokes become a bit repetitive toward the end. The chemistry between the main five friends alone makes the film worth the watch. The characters really do feel like long-time friends, with all the love and playful criticism you’d expect from a group of close friends. Because of this, even in the threat of death, it still feels like a good time.
There are certainly some moments of tension in the film, especially when the characters play the game that the film is named after. The audience never forgets that the threat of danger is always lurking around the corner. The villains feel unbeatable at times, having access to many unfair advantages like technology and weapons. The antagonists will often appear out of nowhere, much to the surprise of the characters and the audience. This makes the film feel tense but, coincidentally, also makes it feel cartoonish at times when the villain starts to feel more Scooby-Doo than a serial killer.
Sadly, a number of flaws hold back this film from transcending the satire horror genre. Many meant-to-be-serious scenes are filled with shoddy physical effects, particularly in the film’s opening scene. The breaking of the fourth wall also felt redundant at times, beating the audience over the head with how tongue-in-cheek it all is. The use of a crossbow as the primary weapon also causes the threat of violence to be less potent as characters walk off after getting an arrow to the chest multiple times throughout the film. The stakes don’t really live up to the situation at hand. The mystery at the center of the film also feels undercooked by the film’s end. A “surprise” twist at the end can be easily guessed from minute five and becomes more and more obvious beyond that point. These flaws would be unforgivable in a more serious horror film, but in this film, they don’t sour the experience of the film, just hold it back from being more.
The Blackening delivers a solidly entertaining watch to audiences, filled to the brim with enough humor and excitement to make the film worthwhile. While it certainly suffers from engaging too heavily with cliches, the film still manages to feel engaging as you see the charm of each of the main actors on full display.
