The Blackening (2022) is a horror-comedy based on the short film of the same name by the comedy troupe 3Peat. As a way for us to celebrate the holiday we decided to monitor this movie set over Juneteenth. Our test subject suffers with Xenophobia, or fear of the unknown. More specifically, she has a fear of strangers. Find out if she survived the barrage of comedy and horror or if she was first to flatline.

SYNOPSIS:

Seven friends go away for the weekend and end up trapped in a cabin with a killer who has a vendetta. Will their street smarts and knowledge of horror movies help them stay alive? Probably not.

Where to Watch: Starz or Hulu

Test Subject: Amara

Age: 39

Gender: Female

Fears: Xenophobia or fear of the unknown

Resting HR: 60-65bpm

Walking HR: 80-85bpm

ANALYSIS:

The Blackening (2022) kicks off the fun with a Scream inspired opening which challenges your horror trivia knowledge. Our subject enjoyed the game until she was hit with a gory shot aimed straight for her heart. This quick attack caused a 72bpm spike. After the initial scare, the movie proceeded to introduce the main characters while they were arriving at a cabin in the woods to celebrate Juneteenth. The comedic acting and fun dialogue had our subject giggling which we still recorded as an escalation of her heart rate. A couple of jump scares padded the numbers and while someone lurked in the cabin, our subject’s tension escalated.

FearScale Fact: When a film establishes gore early on, our subjects tend to be more on edge. Their anxiety gradually increases as they expect the next traumatic scene to be even bloodier than the first. The Blackening, however, did not increase the gore. Instead, our subject was introduced to the game again, where laughs exceeded the scares reducing her anxiety. Even our highest recorded peak of 82bpm, was caused by a combination of shocks and laughs.

CONCLUSION:

The Blackening (2022) is a dark horror comedy that produces more cheers than fears. Share on X There are a plethora of horror tropes that pay homage to some of our favorite scary movies. The Blackening will twist your horror expectations and keep you guessing until the end. While the movie is not terrifying, the combination of jump-scares, belly laughs and blood will have you drinking the Kool-Aid during this Juneteenth celebration.

The Blackening (2022): Burns an average of 178 Calories

Kool Aid: 160 Calories

How many Fear Calories did you burn watching The Blackening (2022) ?  Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook