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The Blackening

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02:22

The Blackening

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• Comedy
• Horror

• 2023
• Tim Story
• 97 mins
• 15

Summary

Horror comedy starring Grace Byers and Jermaine Fowler. A group of friends reunite for a weekend stay at a cabin in the woods. However, in the basement they find a bizarre board game with a racist caricature on the box, and soon a mysterious voice demands that the gang correctly answer its trivia questions about African-American culture - or face death.

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Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Kevin Harley

Based on an improv comedy short from 2018, this raucous horror spoof mixes "hangout" chuckles with race-conscious genre commentary. At a cabin in the woods, a group of Black friends converge for a weekend reunion. As tensions simmer between them, they discover a racist, trivia-based board game in the house, which threatens lethal punishments for incorrect answers. Director Tim Story (Ride Along) swiftly establishes the camaraderie and conflicts within the group, then nimbly switches to jump shocks and gross-out gags as masked, crossbow-wielding killers attack. He's helped by energetic performances from his cast, notably Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler and a live-wire Dewayne Perkins, who is the original short's co-creator and the film's co-writer. While the boisterous result doesn't summon enough story or suspense to earn the extended treatment, the script vigourously subverts racist clichés in slasher movies, right up to the pleasingly daring twist ending.

imdb-square

6.0/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• BBC iPlayer
• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameAllisonGrace ByersCliftonJermaine FowlerKingMelvin GreggShanikaX MayoDewayneDewayne PerkinsLisaAntoinette RobertsonNnamdiSinqua WallsShawnJay PharaohMorganYvonne Orji

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Crew

rolenameDirectorTim Story

Details

Theatrical distributor

Universal Pictures Int (UK)

Released on

2023-08-25

Languages

English

Guidance

Violence, swearing, racism, drug abuse

Formats

Colour

News & features about The Blackening

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