The Blackening Spoiler-Free Movie Review: A Blessed Addition to the Holiday Horror Catalog

[L-R] Melvin Gregg as KING, Grace Byers as ALLISON, Antoinette Robertson as LISA, Sinqua Walls as NNAMDI, Jermain Fowler as CLIFTON, DeWayne Perkins as DEWAYNE, and Xochitl Mayo as SHANIKA in THE BLACKENING. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson.

The Blackening is a horror comedy, directed by Tim Story, written by Tracy Oliver & Dewayne Perkins, and starring Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Dewayne Perkins, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jay Pharoah, and Yvonne Orji. 

Description of the movie: A group of friends decide to celebrate Juneteenth together at a rented cabin and settle in for a weekend of spades, sugary Kool Aid, and a little harmless fun. Instead, they find themselves pawns forced to play a game that means life or death. In a genre that often sees the Black character die first, what do you do when all the characters are Black? In this review, discuss the themes of the movie, as well as the similarities and differences to Bill Posley's Bitch Ass.

Release date: June 16, 2023

Final score: 4 out of 5