The Blackening’s Offensive Board Game Design Explained In BTS Clip [EXCLUSIVE]

Screen Rant is thrilled to present an exclusive clip from the dark horror comedy The Blackening. In the movie, a group of friends plans to celebrate Juneteenth together at a cabin in the woods. However, things take a turn for the couple, Morgan and Shawn, who arrive first and are forced to play a game called The Blackening. When Shawn answers a trivia question inaccurately, he is killed, and Morgan is taken. As their other friends arrive, they too are forced to play.

Now they must sacrifice one based on who they decide is “the blackest.” Things continue to go downhill as the killer or killers close in and the friends are unable to find help. In order to survive, they must discover who planned this twisted game and stop them before they pick off each and every one of them.

More About The Blackening

In Screen Rant’s exclusive The Blackening clip, director Tim Story breaks down the creation of the board game. He explains how they looked at other games, including Life and Monopoly, for inspiration. He also shares why they intentionally made it as offensive as possible, especially with the clock in the middle of the board. Story discusses how they wanted a visceral reaction from the audience just as the characters were having their own reaction. He also reveals that the point of the movie was to make the audience talk back to the movie, ask questions, and think, all while still entertaining them.

The Blackening not only has clever comedy that leans into the tropes of the horror genre, but it also forces audiences to think while having fun. From start to finish, the movie takes a satirical view of stereotypes in a way that makes audiences reevaluate them, including this idea of “the blackest,” the expectation of who the killer is, and even what happens if the group asks for help. Story explains that they intentionally made the movie’s game board as visually offensive as possible to get an instinctual reaction out of the audience, just as the characters’ reactions show the thought that was put into every element of this movie.

The Blackening is directed by Tim Story from a screenplay penned by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. The horror comedy stars Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Dewayne Perkins, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jay Pharoah, and Yvonne Orji. The Blackening is rated R with a runtime of 97 minutes.

The Blackening is available on Digital, On Demand, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD now.