The Blackening Reviews Are In, See What Critics Are Saying About The Horror Comedy
© Lionsgate ZeroWith several quality films releasing, horror fans are sure to get their money's worth at the theaters this year. The critically acclaimed M3GAN and Evil Dead Rise are just some of the horror games hitting the silver screen this year. Another movie is coming out this week, a horror comedy called The Blackening . Unlike the previously mentioned films, this film aims to make the audience laugh and scream. Now the pre-release reviews are finally out, so what are the critics saying?
Balancing horror and comedy can be difficult, and ideally you don't want one overpowering the other. This is exactly the challenge that director Tim Story and co-writers Tracy Oliver and Dwayne Perkins face. Of course, they also had to come up with a story that made sense and had believable characters. And judging by the number of published reviews, they mostly succeeded. CinemaBlend's Mike Reyes liked Blackest the best. While he noted that it starts off slow, Reyes noted that it's only when it really picks up that it hits the mark;
This film changes the pace for several reasons. One of the main reasons is that it only features African-American talent. It's no secret that horror films of the past used many clichés and stereotypes when it came to characters of color. But as Aisha Harris pointed out when praising the film in her NPR review, this macabre entry deftly avoids those pitfalls. As a result, the main players are much more dynamic than most of us are used to;
A film about a group of friends who gather at home for the weekend to celebrate June 10th. While the team's celebration starts out happy and lighthearted, things take a dangerous turn when they become victims of a sadistic killer. Pop critic Owen Gleiberman, judging by his glowing review, appreciates both elements. In addition, he highlighted the social commentary and compared the film to other notable works of the genre;
But not all reviews were positive. Mike Shutt of SlashFilm is one of the critics who did not like the film. While he was impressed with the premise and found it promising, Shute believes that the latest version of Team Story ultimately falls short;
However, there seem to be more fans than critics. Marcus Shorter, writing for Consequence, praised the cinematography. In his estimation, the jokes and the story mostly work, but what really sets Shorter apart is the way the film flips images and asks important questions;
Again, this balance is incredibly important and should not be taken lightly. (Two of the film's stars, Melvin Gregg and Jay Pharoah, are particularly interested in the pair.) All in all, it seems that those who enjoy horror films would do themselves a favor by watching this film. It will be interesting to see if it resonates with the general public as well as experts.
The Blackening opens on June 16 as part of the new 2023 film release schedule. After watching (or even before) reading about other upcoming horror movies coming out this year and beyond.
