If you're a die hard, hard core horror fan, you probably won't like this.

If you're a casual, horror/comedy fan, this is right up your alley.

Make no mistake: this is a horror/comedy. There are numerous, over-the-top, smack-in-you-in-the-face tropes. Some of the more race-related ones will even make some viewers uncomfortable. All of that is fine, because - together - it all works.

Simply put: this film is about a bunch of black people (yes, that's relevant!) playing a deadly game. Correction: a deadly RACIST game. And yes, that's relevant, too. Some die, some fight back, some live...it goes around and around, with little twists and turns (some obvious, others not).

Overall, it's a fun movie. There was just enough gore to make me happy and just enough comedy to make me laugh.

I'd love to see more films like this.

With a concept so good you can't believe it hasn't already been done, 'The Blackening (2023)' pastiches the horror genre from the perspective of its black characters and the black audiences who so often have to watch the people that look like them die first. It's a comedy-horror that leans further towards the former but is still competent at the latter and has a really strong grip on the tropes it so effectively satirises. The first act is perhaps a little sloppy, spending time setting up its various dynamics but lacking any real suspense (after its opening sequence) and feeling a bit light on the laughs, too. However, though it takes a little while to come together, it really lifts off once its characters become aware of the danger they're in. At a certain point, you realise that you're having an absolute blast and have been for quite a while. It's generally really funny and the humour always feels authentic to the characters, meaning that even the silliest and most obviously 'written' jokes feel totally at home even in the narrative's deadly scenario. It's a well-written, witty experience that uses its self-aware nature to make some keen observations about its genre and black culture in general (and, of course, the ways in which they intersect). It's fairly light, but it does have some tense sequences and its cast are all charming enough that you don't want to see any of them leave the picture early. Although its slightly underwhelming ending is very predictable, the flick subverts expectation on occasion and features a few satisfying surprises. It's a really fun time, especially once it gets properly going. It isn't as good as its most obvious inspiration, 'Scream (1996)', but it very much feels in the same spirit as that seminal slasher (even if it isn't anywhere near as compelling when it comes to its slashing). It's a really enjoyable film that has its finger on the pulse and should have you chuckling throughout.

The Blackening is a good time; it's a fun, well paced, well written (for the most part) comedy that had a lot of genuine laugh-out-loud moments for me. It begins extremely well, introducing us a very likeable and memorable cast of characters, even if they do feel a bit trope-y at times.

The movie looks great and I actually loved the set design quite a bit. The cabin that the characters inhabit is a great setting with kooky details that immediately stuck out to me. And the performances, generally, are really good. The actors have a lot of chemistry and while no one in particular stuck out to me, you can tell this was a fun set and there's an energy with these actors that conveys a realistic friend group.

So...why the 6? Well, The Blackening really succeeds as a comedy, but fails quite miserably as a HORROR comedy. I hate it when films have no stakes; when every character seems completely able to get through any situation and the antagonists seem like the underdogs. That's how a lot of this movie felt to me. While you can look at it as a subversion of horror itself, it didn't land for me. Yes, it's funny, but it stops being thrilling.

I think there was a purposeful attempt to "empower" the black characters in this movie and have most of them survive. While I get where that's coming from, it doesn't do much for me to see characters so obviously MORE capable than the masked killer chasing them quipping constantly. You can have a horror comedy where, you know, not everyone makes it (see Shaun of the Dead, Tucker & Dale, Hell of a Summer). Hell, even Scary Movie gave us hilarious death sequences.

The dialog in this film can be quite divisive and certainly not everyone's cup of tea. I'd describe some of it as "millennial, critical race theory" stuff and that might put some people off. It's not necessarily the ideas themselves, but the way they're communicated that felt a bit cringe inducing to me. But, I also recognize for a particular audience, that might not be the case.

Overall, this is a fun movie. I wish it emphasized the horror elements more, so to be honest, I wouldn't really recommend it for a Halloween watch, but it is a good time.