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“Scary Movie” returns to theaters this week for the sixth installment in the horror-comedy franchise, and it’s already confirmed it’ll cast its mocking gaze on many of the genre’s most popular modern entries from “Sinners” to “Weapons.” “Scary Movie” is unashamedly stupid, reveling in low-brow humor, but spoofing the horror genre doesn’t have to be brainless.
Case in point, 2022’s “The Blackening” is a horror-comedy that pokes fun at the predictable nature of many horror movies, while also spinning up its own frighteningly enjoyable story. It’s a much smarter way of lampooning horror cliches, without the need for endless references to genre rivals, a crutch that every “Scary Movie” leans on in its effort to parody popular flicks.
“The Blackening” was just added to Prime Video (as of June 5), so if you’re looking for something to watch before heading to your local theater to watch “Scary Movie 6,” or you're looking for an enjoyable comedy-horror that’s a little smarter (and almost certainly a lot funnier), here’s the scoop.
What is ‘The Blackening’ about?
“The Blackening’s” setup is intentionally cliché; after all, this is a flick making fun of horror tropes. It opens with a group of longtime friends heading to a remote cabin in the woods for a relaxing weekend away.
If you watched even a few horror movies, you can probably tell where this is going. Upon arrival, they discover a mysterious board game, and after closer inspection, a creepy voice informs them they must play this twisted game; otherwise, there will be lethal consequences.
Soon enough, what was supposed to be a weekend full of fun and bonding becomes a battle for survival as the group is trapped in the cabin and stalked by a ruthless killer with a personal grudge. They’ll need all their knowledge of horror movies to survive the night.
‘The Blackening’ is a smarter spoof movie than ‘Scary Movie’
The "Scary Movie" franchise mocks horror by recreating scenes and characters from popular genre efforts and then twisting them in silly ways. Whereas “The Blackening” takes the more intelligent route of spoofing the genre by calling out tropes and subverting expectations. This horror-comedy is more than a collection of reference points and parody scenes.
As you might have inferred from the name, “The Blackening” prominently aims at the stereotypical role of Black people in the horror genre. Over the years, it became something of a troublesome trend in horror for Black characters to be killed first, but in this case, as the movie’s tagline mocks, “[They] can’t all die first.” And in a broader sense, the movie looks beyond horror cliches to cleverly comment on societal stereotypes, too.
Horror fanatics should know that “The Blackening” is definitely closer to an outright comedy than a terrifying creepfest. Unless your tolerance for jump scares is essentially nil, it’s unlikely you’ll be spooked by the rudimentary scares here. But that’s not a criticism; using a horror framework for comedy isn’t a new idea, and “The Blackening” is often very funny. Just not scary!
I’m not alone in enjoying “The Blackening.” It scored an impressive 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. The review site’s “Critics Consensus” reads, “While it could stand to be a little funnier and quite a bit scarier, 'The Blackening' is a thoughtful satire that skewers horror tropes and racial stereotypes.” And audiences appear to agree on this one, rating "The Blackening" an 85%.
So, if you’re looking for a comedy-horror this weekend, my advice is to save the money you would spend on movie theater tickets (not to mention overpriced popcorn) and spend your evening enjoying “The Blackening” on Prime Video. It’s a horror spoof mashup that made me laugh significantly more than any of the “Scary Movie” flicks ever had. But if you’re not fully sold, here’s a guide to everything new on Prime Video in June 2026.
Watch "The Blackening" on Prime Video now
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