"The Blackening" may not exactly reinvent the wheel of the horror-comedy hybrid genre, but it's a very entertaining and clever film that deconstructs racist stereotypes commonly found in the horror genre, as well as representation of Black people within the genre. The film centers around a group of friends getting together to celebrate Juneteenth, until they realize that a killer with a deadly game is targeting them. While that concept sounds generic, the film's writing fortunately is not. The interpersonal dynamics, chemistry, and humor between the characters is genuinely entertaining, and there are some laugh-out-loud belly laughs to complement the scares. The film isn't overtly scary, but that is expected given the comedic tone. Instead, the greater part of the film's entertainment value comes from the humorous and satirical writing. This writing certainly isn't as sharp as, say, a Jordan Peele film or even the better entries in the "Scream" franchise, but it still manages to be thought-provoking while not taking itself very seriously.
At just over an hour and a half, the film is deftly paced, and never feels too long nor too short. The plot twists are clever and engaging, and the effects of these twists are also rooted in camaraderie between the primary characters. While not all of the jokes work and some of the plot developments in the first act are not as engaging as the film thinks they are, this film generally works as an entertaining and incisive thrill ride. 7/10.
At just over an hour and a half, the film is deftly paced, and never feels too long nor too short. The plot twists are clever and engaging, and the effects of these twists are also rooted in camaraderie between the primary characters. While not all of the jokes work and some of the plot developments in the first act are not as engaging as the film thinks they are, this film generally works as an entertaining and incisive thrill ride. 7/10.