A mishmash of half-baked ideas
Since Get Out’s release in 2017, there have been a spate of social horrors that have come to light. While some, such as His House, were decent efforts, others like The Nun and A Quiet Place were truly horrifying. ..
Despite some jump scares and a decent performance from Keith David, Black as Night falls squarely into the latter category. The story is slow to build and feels like it’s dragging on for too long. The characters are one-dimensional and the plot is convoluted. Despite these flaws, Black as Night is still an enjoyable watch.
This movie is a coming of age story set in the city of New Orleans during the height of the vampire pandemic. Shawna, a teenager, must fight for her life as she struggles with her self-esteem and relationships. The vampires in this movie are very dangerous and will do anything to keep Shawna safe.
Shawna, best friend Pedro, Chris, and rich girl team up to save the day from vampire threat. ..
Black as Night is a movie that feels like a watered down version of Netflix’s Fear Street movies this summer. Only, with less twists and turns and less interesting characters, it doesn’t hold up to the same standards. ..
The film feels like it’s been dragged out for too long, and could have been trimmed down significantly.
The other issue with this movie is the narration. It’s awkwardly contrived and – at its worst – throws jokes in completely inappropriate moments. However, there’s not a single bit of comedy that lands.
The idea of vampires preying on the vulnerable in this community could have been a home-run. The movie’s social themes are actually quite good and highlighting gentrification and the inequality in New Orleans is vey much appreciated. The trouble is, this same forethought hasn’t translated into any other aspect of the movie, including a cheesy and contrived romance that adds absolutely nothing to the film, despite its attempts to make Shawna more interesting. Which it fails to do.
Black as Night is a poorly made movie. It’s a mishmash of different concepts and ideas that don’t work well together. Regardless of how much fun the cast and crew had making it, the same can’t be said for moviegoers watching it. ..
