Every holiday needs a horror film, and this year we get a movie loosely connected to Juneteenth. The Blackening is a horror comedy that's a scathing sendup of typical slasher films. The quote on the poster references the trope that in so many horror films, the one Black member of the group is the first to be killed off. In The Blackening, the cast is a group of friends who get together for Juneteenth, and find themselves in a cabin in the woods with a crazed killer who wants to play games with them before he kills them all. That's scary enough, but critics say the best part of the film is the on-the-nose jokes and the genuine fellowship among the friends. The Blackening was inspired by a 2018 comedy skit by 3Peat. Check out the trailer, which contains NSFW language.
While The Blackening is a horror/slasher film and a comedy, it's also a love letter to Black culture and solidarity. Halloween Daily News recently sat down with director Tim Story, writers Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins, and most of the cast to discuss The Blackening.
The Blackening opens in theaters nationwide on June 16.