The Blackening

"We can't all die first."

2023 1h 37m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 443

HorrorComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Seven black friends go away for the weekend, only to find themselves trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. They must pit their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies against the murderer to stay alive.

“We can't all die first.”

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Cast

Grace Byers
Allison
Antoinette Robertson
Lisa
Jermaine Fowler
Clifton
Melvin Gregg
King
Dewayne Perkins
Dewayne
X Mayo
Shanika
Sinqua Walls
Nnamdi
Jay Pharoah
Shawn

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tim Story
Writers: Dewayne Perkins, Tracy Oliver
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Blackening Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tim Story, shot by Todd Dos Reis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dexter Story. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter S. Elliot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Grace Byers and Antoinette Robertson and Jermaine Fowler carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "We can't all die first.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tim Story directs. Todd Dos Reis behind the camera. Dexter Story scores. Peter S. Elliot cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.7× over at the box office.
2Released 3 years ago.
3Part of the "The Blackening Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Tim Story, shot by Todd Dos Reis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Dexter Story. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Peter S. Elliot shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Grace Byers and Antoinette Robertson and Jermaine Fowler carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "We can't all die first.".
9IMDB entry: tt11703244 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 13 themes, including "parody", "murder", "serial killer", "cabin".

The technical file

Cinematography: Todd Dos Reis
Original score: Dexter Story
Editing: Peter S. Elliot
Costume design: Angela Hadnagy
Makeup / hair: Eden Elizalde
VFX supervisor: Matthew Steele Finley
Sound: Troy Ambroff
Stunt coordinator: Eddie J. Fernandez
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $18,563,767
Return: 371% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Blackening (2023)

Part of

The Blackening Collection

The Blackening Collection is a horror, thriller, and comedic collection which follows a group of black friends, who get attacked without any warning or reason.

The Blackening
2023 · this one

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Tim Story

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots2023-08-04
★ 6/10
Director Tim Story‘s “The Blackening” isn’t your typical genre film; it’s a horror spoof with an edge. The perceptive and clever story from co-writers Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins is packed with timely social commentary about stereotypes and “blackness,” which gives this sophisticated satire a fresh and unexpected twist. It’s uncomfortable, it’s whip-smart, and it’s a whole lot of fun. A group of friends (Perkins, Antoinette Robertson, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, Jay Pharoah, Melvin Gregg, Sinqua Walls) plan a reunion at a remote cabin in the woods over the Juneteenth holiday weekend, but there’s a danger lurking nearby. They discover that they are being stalked by a masked killer who plans to murder all of them, starting with the person they deem the “blackest.” The killer works through a very racist looking board game that supposedly tests their “blackness” by asking a series of racially-specific questions. This tests the limits of the group’s friendships as they fight to survive the night. It’s a funny and clever premise for a movie, and the mostly all-black cast really pulls it off. Perfectly cast, the actors are appealing and have terrific comedic timing. The character development is substantial, which makes this one of the more thoughtful horror films in years. The overall vibe is a bit of “Scary Movie” mixed with “Get Out,” but merged together in an original way. It’s really not very scary and isn’t as funny as it probably could’ve been, but the minor stumbles (and predictability) is outweighed by the insightful script. While Story doesn’t quite nail the two genres, there’s still a lot to like. “The Blackening” is a movie that pushes boundaries, challenges audiences, and will inspire many deep discussions. Even better is that it’s also an enjoyable ride.
CinemaSerf2023-08-24
★ 5/10
So a group of friends with the usual collection of personal relationship baggage arrive at a rural cabin after ten years of not meeting. After a brief exploration of the place, they find themselves at the mercy of a board game that requires their undivided attention else a crossbow will put paid to each of them. Initially they are all petrified - especially as two of their number take fairly early exits (perhaps they'd read the whole script?) - but gradually they realise that team work might be their only hope of salvation. What now ensues is just a mess. It contrives to include just about every stereotypical character known to man in what seems like an overlong hundred minutes of attitude that really just fell flat. After about twenty minutes I was merrily supporting the would be killer who just couldn't mow down this lot fast enough. There's a bit of a twist at the end which might have worked better had I cared in the slightest about their survival, but even that seemed engineered only to create something that, horrifyingly, suggested that a sequel might be in the back of someone's mind! Sorry, it's neither funny nor frightening and I was glad when the credits started to roll.
Horseface2023-09-03
★ 1/10
A group of insufferable, KKK-tier racists with little to no redeeming qualities go on a trip, pretending to be friends. Murder and hilarity ensues. No, wait, I misspelled that last one: bigotry. Murder and bigotry ensues. Avoid.