Will There Be A Sequel To The Blackening? Sounds Like Another Killer's On The Loose
It appears as though another killer is on the loose, now that a sequel to "The Blackening" is officially moving forward.
In a year that's seen many a high-profile box office bomb (and not just the big-budget variety either), director Tim Story's well-received slasher comedy is a testament to the power of thriftiness. While the film only made $18.5 million at the global box office, that was more than enough to cover its $5 million budget and then some. It's also further proof that no genre is consistently thriving in the post-2020 lockdowns era quite like horror, with "The Blackening" joining "M3GAN" and "Five Nights at Freddy's" as horror flicks that successfully launched shiny new film franchises in 2023.
According to Variety, "The Blackening" writers Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins — who based their script on the short sketch of the same name by Perkins' comedy troupe 3Peat — are now in talks to develop a follow-up with returning producer E. Brian Dobbins. In an interview with the outlet, Oliver singled out the cost of the film (which only had a $3 million production budget, not accounting for the additional $2 million in expenses) as a key factor in its success.
"I keep telling the cast and other writers, there's money out there. $3 million is a lot easier to come by than $20-50 million," she said, noting that the greater creative freedom that comes with a smaller budget really allows artists to remain true to their original vision, especially Black creatives and those from other historically marginalized groups. "We don't have to necessarily wait for a studio to say 'Yes' anymore. For a Black person, that's inspiring," she added.
'Same group, sprinkle in some new people'
"The Blackening" follows a group of old college friends as they reunite at a remote cabin in the woods over the Juneteenth holiday weekend, unaware they've been targeted by a mysterious killer with a chip on their shoulder. Part cultural comedy and part genre sendup, it's a funny and even tender film that's perhaps more concerned with the nuances of Black friendship than it is with horror movie cliches involving Black characters (and is all the better for it). Admittedly, Story has a firmer grasp on the film's humor and relationships than its slasher elements (which makes sense, given his background is mainly in comedy), but at the same time, he and his crew give the movie's horror some extra oomph by having the killer wear a racist "Sambo" mask and wield a crossbow rather than a more typical bladed weapon.
As for the franchise, Perkins — who also co-stars in "The Blackening" as Dewayne, the rare "gay best friend" archetype who's actually allowed to be a fully realized character — is planning something more along the lines of "Scream" and "Scary Movie" (both of which heavily inspired "The Blackening"), where each sequel follows the same group of core heroes while introducing some new ones along the way. As he told Variety:
"Same group, sprinkle in some new people. I feel like we've got something good, and I love the dynamic, but fresh blood always turns things up a little bit."
Considering the "Scream" films are still chugging along nearly 30 years after Wes Craven's original forever changed the slasher landscape, that sounds like a wise approach to keeping the franchise going for a long while. In the meantime, we'll keep you posted on the status of the sequel to "The Blackening."