On June 16, the horror comedy film The Blackening will be released in theaters. In the narrative, during a weekend getaway in celebration of Juneteenth, a group of Black friends find themselves stranded inside a cabin. Despite the serious risks involved, they are forced to participate in a game by a disturbed killer. Together, they must use their knowledge of horror clichés to stop the killer and protect themselves.
Lionsgate has unveiled the official trailer for the movie, which is based on the 2018 Comedy Central sketch with the same title. The clip starts with the group having a good time in a secluded cabin in the woods until there is a power outage. The situation escalates into a familiar pattern that the movie doesn't follow: the Black friend always dies first. A board game called "The Blackening" forces the group to confront the trope and puts them in a difficult situation. A scene in the trailer shows the characters picking a game card that says "In your predicament, the black character always dies first. I will spare your lives if you sacrifice the person you deem the blackest.” This sparks the idea that the group needs to find a creative way to defy this idea and win the game"
Through references and subtle suggestions in the situations they find themselves in, the trailer also hints at other horror movie stereotypes the group will encounter. You can check out the full clip below:
Taking Stereotypical Narratives to a New Level
Based on the trailer, The Blackening challenges traditional assumptions to make a point. According to Collider, writer Dewayne Perkins aims to break through the clichés and make the audience recognize the characters for who they are.
"Being able to take these tropes and find exactly what makes them complex, what gives them depth, and then forcing that in the movie so that when you start watching it, you see what has been in horror movies before and then the goal of the movie is to constantly break down your assumptions of these characters by constantly forcing depth."
Starring Yvonne Orji, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Jay Pharoah, Antoinette Robertson, and Sinqua Walls, The Blackening is a film directed by Tim Story and written by Dewayne Perkins. Tracy Oliver of Harlem and Girls Trip co-wrote the screenplay with Perkins. Marcei A. Brown, Jason Clark, E. Brian Dobbins, and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett produced the film, with Perkins serving as co-producer and Vicky Story as associate producer. Perkins, who also co-wrote the film, stars in it as well. The film is intended to challenge viewers and bring a fresh perspective to these commonly used narrative strategies.