By MICHAEL GINGOLD

The horror/comedy takes aim at the racial tropes of the mad-killer genre.

Lionsgate releases THE BLACKENING in theaters June 16. Directed by Tim Story (RIDE ALONG, BARBERSHOP) from a script by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins, it stars Antoinette Robertson, Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji and Jay Pharoah. The synopsis: “THE BLACKENING centers on 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 motherfu**in’ game. THE BLACKENING skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: If the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?”