Peacock Adds Hilarious Horror Comedy

Peacock is now streaming one of the best horror comedies in recent years.

The Blackening, Tim Story’s 2022 horror-comedy based on 3Peat Comedy’s 2018 sketch of the same name, joined the NBCUniversal streamer’s content catalog in June.

Centered around a group of friends who reunite at a cabin in the woods to celebrate Juneteenth only to find themselves targeted by a masked killer, The Blackening fuses comedy and horror as it pays homage to and satirizes iconic horror franchises including Scream, Saw, Friday the 13th, Cabin in the Woods, and more. It stars Dewayne Perkins, Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, X Mayo, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jay Pharoah, and Yvonne Orji.

The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018 before going on to release in theaters that June, ultimately grossing $18 million and receiving both critical and audience praise. The Blackening currently holds an 87% critics score and 85% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics and audience members described it as “a laugh-out-loud horror comedy” that “is a thoughtful satire that skewers horror tropes and racial stereotypes.”

“The Blackening is hands-down one of the best comedies of the year,” Valerie Complex wrote in their review of the film for Deadline. “The combined and balanced elements of comedy, horror, and insightful social commentary will have folks talking about the film long after its over. “

Boston Movie News’ Dana Barbuto described the movie as “self-aware and hilarious with rapid-fire one-liners and fresh takes on classic horror beats,” as Victoria Luxford added for City AM, “While many horror satires are simply too silly to hold much value, The Blackening is a thoughtful look at the conventions of a genre while still managing to be entertaining and funny.”

The Blackening’s addition to Peacock comes as fans of the horror-comedy hit await its sequel. Variety reported in November 2023 that MRC and Lionsgate had “entered into talks with Dewayne Perkins, Tracy Oliver and producer E. Brian Dobbins to develop a follow-up film.” Further information hasn’t been released regarding the potential sequel, but Perkins previously stated that he envisioned a franchise leaning toward a Scary Movie-esque anthology.

“Same group, sprinkle in some new people,” he said. “I feel like we’ve got something good, and I love the dynamic, but fresh blood always turns things up a little bit.”

The Blackening is now streaming on Peacock.