Idea for movie: 10 out of 10. No notes. Execution of idea: 4 out of 10 with a big question mark on why the filmmakers tried to make a genuine film. The idea here is that a Jumanji-type horror scenario breaks out at a Black school reunion, and, of course, the most obvious question is how anybody survives; horror fans are used to “the black guy” being first to die in horror film after horror film after horror film. The Blackening seemed like a pretty damn good way to mock racism and blaxploitation at the same time.
The film starts well … the location is a remote cabin retreat for a Juneteenth celebration (what else?) when two “scout” characters, Morgan and Shawn, discover a racist Jumanji-type game. The Blackening sports a sentient Little Black Sambo caricature who asks Black-related questions that are almost entirely entertainment related. “Friends” -the current benchmark for modern non-diversity- gets namedropped more than once. Don’t sweat it; before long, most game-players will be wearing crossbow arrows as accessories.
The main crew shows up shortly after and wonders where the scouts disappeared to. It is only a matter of time before they, too, discover “The Blackening” and are forced to play this racist and potentially lethal board game. And this is where the film and I parted ways. I couldn’t really figure out why the group of black people necessarily acted like idiots in a bad horror film. I was hoping The Blackening would be a smarter picture, with better insights into horror racism, and it was clever for a time — the players are required at one point to sacrifice the “blackest” among them when Clifton (Jermaine Fowler) protests he is not the blackest as he voted for Trump … twice.
There’s a horror story right there, huh?
The Blackening, however, devolved from a semi-clever commentary into a standard bad horror f
ilm. Why the people in the film kept paying attention to the game-master or why they didn’t leave or how they couldn’t, en masse, take out a redneck or two with a crossbow, I will never know. Have you ever tried to reload a crossbow? It’s a ridiculous weapon to face down a crowd.
This is a movie that didn’t play well in the theater … and then aged poorly. Years ago, I learned that the best way to critique a film is to make a different film. American Fiction is the ideal critique of The Blackening. Fiction takes a much bigger and more evolved swipe at blaxploitation and standard Black roles in film. It is a shame The Blackening wasn’t a better film, however there exists in efficient sequence the film that The Blackening should have been.
There once was a board game of doom
That claimed all souls who entered the room
It was racist, to boot
But that detail is moot
When rolling dice ends in a tomb
Rated R, 97 Minutes
Director: Tim Story
Writer: Tracy Oliver, Dewayne Pwerkins
Genre: Self-aware horror
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: The cliché crowd
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Fans of subtlety
