The Blackening | Review by: Luke Elisio

When a comedy opens with a disclaimer as nonsensical as, “the following is based on true events…that never happened” you know you’re in for a raucous good time. That’s exactly what “The Blackening” is. Less than five minutes into the movie this horror-comedy lived up to its genre. The movie is legitimately spooky and legitimately silly almost like an entry from the “Scary Movie” franchise but the best possible version of one of those movies. 

The premise of the movie - that friends staying in a cabin who are being stalked by a killer must rely on their knowledge of Black culture and horror movies to survive - is such a great idea for a horror-comedy. The execution of “The Blackening” is mostly successful, with the energetic performances of the talented cast carrying the movie through the subpar writing. The script was tight and full of laughs, it just needed some fine tuning. Inconsequential drama among friends, egregious exposition and obvious twists easily could have been left out as it makes the ending drag on for longer than necessary. Overall though, “The Blackening” is a solidly fun time at the movies with your friends. 

3/5

Review by: Luke Elisio 

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