31 Days of Halloween

31 Days of Halloween: Day #26, The Blackening

Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween in Movies.

Hello, my friends. Welcome or welcome back to the blog for the 31 Days of Halloween in Movies series.  It’s a typical day here in my world, and I’m enjoying the sights and sounds of the season.  If you’re looking for a fun playlist, check out a preview of my list on Tidal.  I’ve sprinkled in a little bit of everything.

As we get closer to the day, it all feels like it came and went way too fast.  I mentioned Halloween decor several times, but here’s a little bit of ye’ old homestead.

Today is Day 26 of this Movie Edition, where I recommend one movie every day for October. 🍂💀🎃 Thank you so much for checking out this post today, and without further ado…and so it goes. 

Halloween Quote
“It’s Halloween …everyone is entitled to one good scare”. [Sherif Bracket, Halloween]

For an archive of all the movie madness, click here. Also, check out the freebies page for all the free downloads, games, and other Halloween fun.

Here are the latest quizzes …

Horror Movie Quotes Quiz
A Nightmare On Elm Street Quiz 
Guess The Modern Horror Novel
Name That Killer Quiz

Today’s Feature

 

MOVIE: The Blackening
Rated: R
Year: 2023
Director: Tim Story
IMBD Rating: 6.0
Runtime: 1h 37m
Tomato Meter: 87% 🍅
Genre: Horror/Comedy
Kill Meter: 💀💀💀💀

SYNOPSIS:  The Blackening centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize this ain’t no motherfu**in’ game. Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (The Amber Ruffin Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), The Blackening skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first? (Rotten Tomatoes)

MY RATING: (★★★★★) Released in time for Juneteenth, I love the movie tagline, We Can’t All Die First….we (black folks) know that if there is an African American side-kick, best friend, friend adjacent, we are ALWAYS the first to die in most horror movies. I don’t know where this originated, but if you sit down to watch a few, you’ll see what I mean.  This is the funniest horror movie I’ve seen in a long time, and yes, I’m biased because it’s for us by us, but also, you can’t deny the many tropes that we tend to fall into within this genre.  The Blackening centers around a game, and you must play the game to survive.  The questions are “supposedly” everything Black people should know about movies, TV, sports, and an overall lifestyle.

The main characters then reveal how much they knew but didn’t realize they knew.  It’s sorta like a “Black Card Revoked” situation. The Blackening is not particularly graphic, but it’s a horror movie, so yes, some folks will not make it.

With that said … Happy Viewing, and enjoy the movie!