The BLACKening

Last year we had Bodies Bodies Bodies, which very cleverly poked fun at slasher movies, and I enjoyed it very much. There are few people who have absolutely no knowledge of what goes into a typical slasher, though most people you ask would know who Michael Myers is. One of the well known horror movie issues that is brought up, mostly tentatively, is the fact that African Americans do not fare well in the slasher. If they appeared at all (barely ever) they were almost always the first person killed. Sure, there was Night of the Living Dead in 1968 with a brave and resourceful black character. But we all know he didn’t survive the movie. It’s not until the 1980s that you begin to find black characters who weren’t killed first and only a handful of times made it through to the end.

In the modern era a typical person will be more familiar with race issues in the world, especially the United States than they will a decades old horror genre. The BLACKening merges these two topics beautifully. After a title card that starts the film with “based on true events … that never happened” the basic story is that a group of friends from college are reuniting for a Juneteenth celebration at a swank but secluded cabin in the woods. Carnage ensues.

And that becomes one of the recurring jokes of this film, actual naming of the movies the makers drew inspiration from, like The Cabin in the Woods. They don’t name [rec], but of course there is a famous image directly from that as well as references or thefts from The Hills Have Eyes, The Big Chill, Get Out, Poltergeist, Saw, Jumani, Evil Dead, and of course many more that I’m sure I missed. It’s not unusual to hear a line of dialogue that goes something like, “That’s just like [horror movie named]!” Several times the fourth wall was darn near broken  with self referential dialogue in their joking-not-joking way.

The BLACKening is an ode to horror parodies, a celebration of facsimile with an unrelenting series of not so tongue in cheek references to modern race relations and African American roles in the movies. So much of the humor depends on understanding things that African Americans hate about modern life, like being followed in a store because the clerk assumes they’re going to shoplift. The characters’ mantra “we can’t all die first” is both funny and a wry indictment of horror movies and race relations. The Jumanji-like game they are forced to play has a super offensive face that spends plenty of time in a close shot, which is another thing a discerning viewer will laugh in horror at. I could not believe I was seeing it, and didn’t find it funny. But that way-out-there sense of “we’re going to be as harsh as possible while making you laugh” is perfectly demonstrated by that face. A lot of the jokes were funny without the race card, but I loved how the filmmakers dared viewers to laugh while being insulted or feeling guilty.

The cast is stellar across the board and the humor is unrelenting from beginning to end. I laughed and laughed and laughed, and also squirmed uncomfortably. I didn’t feel antagonized by the filmmakers but definitely challenged, to understand where the jokes were coming from and to be able to laugh at things that shouldn’t be funny. The game face made my jaw drop, but the end credits scene shocked me with its ruthlessness. You need to understand history to truly get the last moment. I absolutely recommend you watch this movie. It’s super clever and as is becoming more common, has an ending that will shock you in a great way.

LINKS:

• The BLACKening – Official Website
• The BLACKening – IMDB
• The BLACKening – Wikipedia

The one below has audience reactions.

MORE VIDEO LINKS!!! (may contain spoilers)

• THE BLACKENING Interview | On Behalf of 1428 Elm (and with Halloween Daily News)
• The Blackening Cast Talks Chemistry Between Cast Members, Horror Movies + More
• The Cast Of ‘The Blackening’ Speaks On Creating A Horror Film From The Black Perspective + More

And finally, the SOURCE sketch that started it all.

CFR: In Addition:

*snort* *laugh* *choke* Oh this is good. Alas, I have not yet seen it. I can’t really see horror movies now for reasons that I will not get into, but I really want to see this for the humor. The biting, “let’s look at ourselves and go OUCH!” humor.

When I first saw the preview, I was impressed. After watching the source sketch (see above) I’m sure I will like it. Maybe I can get Mildred to come to my house when the sun is high and watch it with me. That would be doubly awesome.