A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Messages
some
It takes communication skills, perseverance, teamwork, and courage to stand up to horrifying circ*mstances.
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Positive Role Models
some
The friends have to work together to survive against a killer who's targeting them because of their race. Throughout the film, they use their friendship -- which includes constant communication and teamwork -- to save one another. They also show courage when fighting against the villain, as well as perseverance, intelligence, and moxie.
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Diverse Representations
a lot
Made by a Black director and Black writers. All-Black central cast, with characters who are given the space to be individuals. White characters are portrayed in stereotype, but this is a pointed reversal of how Black characters are often portrayed in horror films. Several key characters are women, and, except for one, most aren't defined by their relationships. Instead, they're defined by their friendships and how they defend themselves and their friends. One stereotype does crop up: A physical disability (a missing eye) is used to portray a character as "scary."
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Peril, killing, torture, and blood. Racial violence. A character tells another character to "kill yourself" as a joke for the audience.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
One scene with kissing and allusion to sex, scenes with sexual humor (a character promises her husband that she'll touch his penis in exchange for a favor; a character tells another character that she smells "like d--k" after having sex).
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Language
a lot
Strong language includes "damn," "motherf----r," "f---ed," "f--k," "bitch," "hell," "ass," "s--t." Colloquial use of the "N" word among Black people.
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Products & Purchases
a little
Rap Snacks are featured. Kool-Aid, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and O'Reilly's Auto Parts are mentioned (with characters singing the O'Reilly's jingle).
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a lot
Characters are shown drinking and taking recreational drugs like marijuana, mushrooms, and Molly. Some also abuse prescription drugs like Adderall.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Blackening is a horror comedy about a group of Black friends who have to survive the night against a killer with a deadly board game about Black American culture. Expect violence (peril, killing, torture, blood), much of it racially motivated. There's also swearing ("s--t," "f--k," and more, plus colloquial use of the "N" word among Black characters). Characters drink, use drugs like mushrooms and Molly recreationally, kiss, make allusions to sex, and rely on sexual humor for some jokes. The film is a critique of racial clichés used in many horror films, particularly the "Black character dies first" chestnut. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
THE BLACKENING follows a group of friends -- Lisa (Antoinette Robertson), Dewayne (Dewayne Perkins), Nnamdi (Sinqua Walls), Allison (Grace Byers), Shanika (X Mayo), King (Melvin Gregg), and Clifton (Jermaine Fowler) -- who are set to have a fun Juneteenth weekend with fellow friends/married couple Morgan and Shawn (Yvonne Orji and Jay Pharoah). But the weekend turns scary once the friends realize that they're trapped in the house with a mysterious, deadly game that wants them to prove who's the blackest among them.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stereotypes in film. How does The Blackening challenge stereotypes about Black people?
What kind of racial injustices are covered in the film? Are you familiar with the clichés that the movie is satirizing?
How do the characters use their skills to survive? Do you consider them role models?
How are White characters portrayed? How does that differ from what you're used to seeing?
Movie Details
- In theaters: June 16, 2023
- On DVD or streaming: June 7, 2023
- Cast: Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, X Mayo, Jermaine Fowler, Grace Byers
- Director: Tim Story
- Inclusion Information: Black directors, Female actors, Black actors, Latino actors, Multiracial actors, Female writers, Black writers, Queer writers
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Friendship
- Character Strengths: Communication, Courage, Perseverance, Teamwork
- Run time: 96 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: pervasive language, violence and drug use
- Last updated: June 26, 2024
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FAQs
The Blackening tells the story of friends reuniting over the Juneteenth weekend, the US holiday which celebrates the end of slavery. "Growing up there was always the one black person, the token black person that would get killed first," Story says.
Who is the killer in The Blackening? ›
Clifton should not have had one if he was never meant to be there. Another clue that Clifton is The Blackening's killer is that he keeps urging the group to participate in the games and follow what the masked man says.
Why did Clifton do The Blackening? ›
With that, the movie's final act reveals that Clifton orchestrated the whole thing, desperate to make the others pay for "revoking his Black card" after he fluffed up a game of Spades 10 years prior.
Will there be The Blackening 2? ›
The Blackening 2 Is Confirmed
The surprise horror hit of 2023 is getting a sequel, and The Blackening 2 has been officially confirmed. Though the movie only premiered in June 2023, it is clear that producers want to strike while the iron is still hot and make the little movie into a big franchise.
Is Clifton still alive in The Blackening? ›
The friends go into another room, where they find Ranger White's and Clifton's bodies, only for the latter to spring awake and reveal himself as the mastermind.
What is The Blackening a parody of? ›
There are nods to plenty of horror films, and horror parodies like “Scary Movie” and its many sequels, but this film is so much smarter than those. It's inspired by films like “Saw,” “The Shining,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and others, which are subtly referenced rather than just reenacted for comic effect.
Is The Blackening based on a true story? ›
Right from the start, it becomes clear that this horror-comedy will lean a lot more into the comedy side. As the film begins, words come onto the screen which says, “Based on true events…which never happened.” Since the film is more heavy-handed on comedy, almost all 90 minutes of The Blackening are totally hilarious.
Is Clifton the bad guy in The Blackening? ›
Type of Villain
Clifton is the main antagonist in the 2023 horror/comedy The Blackening. He portrays himself as a nerdy, innocent man, but in truth, he is a vengeful manipulator.
What is the plot of The Blackening? ›
How does The Blackening end ending? ›
Everyone ends up choosing Clifton after he admits he voted for Trump twice. Clifton goes outside and is shot in the chest with an arrow by the killer. When the friends are free, they attempt to go look for Morgan and find help. Despite knowing better, they agree with Allison's idea to split up.
Brother Clifton's death was the primary catalyst for his mental upset and successive actions. His death, caused by the white police, acts as a symbol of racial connections impacts the community more than any of his life's work did.
Where was The Blackening filmed? ›
The production schedule for The Blackening was 20 days, none on studio soundstages. Most of the L.A.-based shoot took place on location at a house in Brentwood and a house in West Adams. The Brentwood house was used for all exteriors and also had a game room, living room and kitchen where much of the story unfolds.
How much did it cost to make the blackening? ›
Then, the early box office returns came in: “The Blackening” grossed $2.5 million in its first day, opening in 1,775 theaters. Independently produced by Oliver and Story with MRC films financing, the horror-comedy carried a production budget of $3 million, with a final tally of $5 million after factoring in P&A.
Why was Black 2 cancelled? ›
The source claims that there was a disagreement between key members of Criterion and EA over how to proceed with the game and the direction it should take. Allegedly, Stuart Black, a senior designer on the first game, actually left the company over the matter.
Will there be more Riddick movies? ›
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Diesel is officially returning to the world of Pitch Black with another Riddick movie, Riddick: Furya. While Riddick: Furya was announced back in February 2023, it has now been announced that the movie will officially begin filming on August 26, 2024.
What is the purpose of blackening? ›
Black oxide or blackening is a conversion coating for ferrous materials, stainless steel, copper and copper based alloys, zinc, powdered metals, and silver solder. It is used to add mild corrosion resistance, for appearance, and to minimize light reflection.
What was the point of the Black War? ›
Tasmania's Black War (1824-31) was the most intense frontier conflict in Australia's history. It was a clash between the most culturally and technologically dissimilar humans to have ever come into contact. At stake was nothing less than control of the country, and the survival of a people.
What was the origin point of the Black Death? ›
Based on their analysis of the preserved genetic material, the researchers report that the Black Death arrived in 1338 or 1339 near Issyk-Kul, a lake in a mountainous area just west of China in what is now Kyrgyzstan.
What was the significance of the Black Death begins? ›
Clinical Significance
The Black Death or bubonic plague killed more than 25 million people in fourteenth-century Europe. Yersinia pestis (the plague bacteria) can be easily weaponized as a bioterrorism agent. Early plague treatment is curative, but its symptomatology can be nonspecific.
