‘The Blackening’ Horror Parody Starring Jay Pharoah, Grace Byers Gets Juneteenth 2023 Release Date

The Blackening (Credit: Lionsgate)

The Blackening, a horror parody featuring a Black cast, is set to arrive in theaters on Juneteeth 2023.

The comedy skewers horror film tropes — and the idea that Black characters often get slashed first — by posing the question: If the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, then who dies first?

The film stars Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah.

Related Story: Mary J. Blige Inks First-Look TV Production Deal With Lionsgate

Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man), and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (The Amber Ruffin Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), the comedy premiered in September at the Toronto International Film Festival and was acquired by Lionsgate.

It received strong reviews at TIFF and reportedly sold in the $20 million range after a bidding war.

Here’s the official description: “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 motherf–ing game.”

The film is produced by Marcei A. Brown, Jason Clark, E. Brian Dobbins, Tracy Oliver, Tim Story, and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett. Perkins serves as a co-producer, with Vicky Story as associate producer.

The Blackening arrives in theaters on June 16, 2023.