‘The Blackening’ sequel puts gay lead in horror comedy again

*Photo Credit: Glen Wilson

When The Blackening first came out it flipped the horror genre on its head. Now, it gets to do it again with an upcoming sequel. 

On Monday, Variety reported the popular film would be returning to the silver screen for a part two all thanks to the commercial success of the first film. Because who doesn’t love a good horror movie? 

Penned by comedian Dewayne Perkins and Girls Trip creator Tracy Oliver and directed by Tim Story (Dashing Through the Snow), The Blackening focuses on a group of friends who escape to a cabin in the woods for a reunion, only to find themselves at the mercy of a masked killer demands who the crew rank their degrees of Blackness to determine their killing order. To save themselves from a grisly fate, these friends must combine wits and their knowledge of horror film tropes in order to survive the night. 

Upon release, The Blackening was lauded for its satirical take on tropes tied to Black people in horror. Thanks to Perkins and Oliver’s storytelling, The Blackening, built on a microbudget of $5M, grossed $18M at the box office and with an all-Black cast, writing team, and director, The Blackening pushed horror comedies into a more inclusive direction. 

Honestly, who doesn’t love being properly represented in any genre of film? 

“To see a joke turn into a movie, it feels very unique and specific to me in my journey,” Perkins said for INTO. “I love that this experience has been something that is of me. And yeah, that’s something that I’ll forever be grateful for.”

Related:

Dewayne Perkins Was Destined for Stardom and The Blackening Will Prove That

Dewayne Perkin’s success took a little serendipity, a lot of hard work, and Black women in Hollywood rooting for him.

In addition to writing the film, Perkins also stars in it as a gay lead character. The film also features Antoinette Robinson, Grace Byers, Sinqua Walls, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Insecure’s Yvonne Orji, and SNL’s Jay Pharaoh. 

While some of the characters (spoiler alert) didn’t make it to the end, survivors are expected to return for another terrifying time, but with some new faces along for the ride. 

“Same group, sprinkle in some new people,” Perkins said for Variety. “I feel like we’ve got something good, and I love the dynamic, but fresh blood always turns things up a little bit.”

The Blackening was originally conceived as a sketch for Perkins comedy troupe 3Peat, which made its way onto Comedy Central. Now The Blackening has the potential to turn into a full-fledged franchise, something the Chicago native seemingly manifested in a previous interview with Variety.

“In my mind, it’s giving franchise,” Perkins said for Variety. “I’m not sure who’s going to do it but somebody’s gonna make some more.”

It seems like Perkins (and Oliver) will be the ones making The Blackening and its cast members live to see another day.