With an opening red scrawl that reads: “The following is based on true events… that actually didn’t happen!” you know what kind of movie you’re in for with The Blackening. The latest entry from the ‘storied’ career of Tim Story (see what I did there?), The Blackening is the funniest stalker film I’ve seen this year.
It’s more than that, of course. You can’t simply have a creepy stalker film anymore. In The Blackening, 8 friends have been invited for a 10-year post-college reunion at a cabin in the woods. Eight friends spending the Juneteenth weekend at a cabin in the woods. Anybody with even passing familiarity with horror tropes can see that something absolutely ghastly is about to occur. There is no way they are getting out of that cabin unscathed.
To that end, the ghastly event is discovered within the Game Room, a copy of a terrible, racist, Jim Crow-era game titled The Blackening. Part Candyland, part Trivial Pursuit for Black people. This game is moderated by a toy version of Sambo. This creepy Sambo face, perched within the game board, sets a two-minute timer every time a question, or even a challenge, is issued. If the participants fail to answer the question correctly or they let time run out, somebody dies. The slashing monsters, in this case, seem to be these two rednecks in Sambo leather daddy masks; at least, that’s the most accurate depiction I can make of their face coverings.
Yvonne Orji as Morgan and Jay Pharaoh as Shawn in The Blackening. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson
“…discovered within the Game Room, a copy of a terrible, racist, Jim Crow-era game titled The Blackening.”
The Blackening is not Tim Story’s first rodeo. This man directed the first two Fantastic Four movies in the early 00s. He has done a great many films concerning Black America since then. I would argue The Blackening is undoubtedly the most fun film Mr. Story has ever directed. This is a gloriously demented thrill ride that takes you through every nook, cranny, and swimming hole within crossbow distance of the aforementioned cabin.
The ensemble cast for this one is a bunch of great up-and-comers. Of the eight celebrants, the standout performances come from Clifton (Jermaine Fowler), Dewayne (Dewayne Perkins), and Alison (Grace Byers). Byers mixed-race character is an absolute hoot. Every time she mentions her White dad is an opportunity for a dark giggle. Clifton, the black man from Vermont, is the fish out of water. I enjoy his anal retentiveness as well as his devotion to his Android. As a man who solely uses an Android, I completely agree with Fowler’s Clifton that the Android is the superior mobile device. Perkins’ Dewayne is a beautiful blend of introverted and chemically induced party boy. I loved his portrayal of Dewayne coming out of his shell with the aid of a little Molly.
While it will not win many (if any) awards, The Blackening is hands down the best time that has been offered up in a movie theater since the Dungeons and Dragons movie last March. This horror comedy plays with genre conventions in a sparkling and vividly delightful way. I was entirely captivated by the action from beginning to end. If you’re looking for a good popcorn and soda pop film, The Blackening is for you.
