This was a pretty fun marathon of movies featuring Black main characters in paranormal peril due to bad choices made by white people.
BLACKSTOCK BONEYARD (2021)
Blackstock Boneyard is apparently based on a true story of two Black men that were framed for theft, rape, and murder and then wrongly executed back in the day, which is encompassed in the opening segment of the film, but that’s where the true story element ends.
After that this becomes a fun ghost revenge flick reminiscent of early 2000s direct-to-DVD horror, with a satisfying theme of a couple of Black ghosts killing off horribly racist white people. That’s right. There are two killers in this one. Double the fun.
Our main white girl learns she has inherited property in a small southern town. She heads there with a group of friends and is soon being pressured by the most powerful white man in town to give up her land to him.
Just for kicks, a very weak romance between her and a Black dude is barely developed and completely pointless beyond giving her the ability to demonstrate to the revenge ghosts that she can’t be racist because she had an interracial relationship written into her story.
For a generally light, fluffy, supernatural slasher, the film does go in surprisingly hard on the racist stuff. White characters say some pretty vile things to Black characters, the ‘n’ word is tossed around, and there’s a near lynching scene that is tough to watch.
However, that all makes you want to cheer when the Black brothers bust from their graves and begin killing all the redneck bigots.
I live for grave bust out scenes…and dead redneck bigots.
The classic creepy killers are big and ominous and still wearing the sacks that were placed over their heads when they were put in the electric chair. The kill scenes add to the good time, delivering just enough violence and gore to make this a traditional slasher experience.
MAMA BEAR (2022)
There is what might be an unintentionally campy tone to this film, but whether intended or not, it makes it quite endearing and complements the indie look and feel.
The only real problem is that the movie runs way too long at two hours, and the creepiest parts are reserved for the beginning and end. There’s really no horror whatsoever for a majority of the film.
So, there’s this man raising his son alone and dealing with the loss of his wife and daughter in a car accident several years before. With mama bear out of the way, it would be great if papa bear decided he needed a daddy bear in his life.
But alas, he instead brings a white, blonde girl home after a first date together. Big mistake. Should have gone for a daddy bear. This blonde be-otch wants to see his house because she heard it’s haunted, so she starts poking around the place while he’s getting them drinks. Things get crazy fast, and it doesn’t end well for her. This is a damn good opening sequence.
However, the main guy thinks the date simply left when he was out of the room, so he goes on with his life. We get a few scenes with his soon referencing a presence in the house that he calls his “other mommy”. Eek!
The main guy catches glimpses of her himself and has some seriously eerie nightmares. There’s even a moment with him waking up and seeing his son standing in the doorway with a knife, like Angela from Sleepaway Camp. Yikes!
Before long, the police come looking for the missing white girl, and the main guy is drawn into a legal situation due to him being a prime suspect. His son disappears for a majority of the movie, but his sexy, deadbeat brother-in-law appears on the scene, and eventually they have to team up to rid the house of the evil that dwells there. I wish they would have teamed up for some other things as well.
It all comes down to performing a ritual in the house, which makes for a damn thrilling final confrontation with a freaky demon. The movie simply needed more of the supernatural scares in the house rather than the bloated legal plot that stalls the action throughout the central section.
As for the “Mama Bear” title, it is incorporated into the story in the form of a personalized mug that belonged to the dead wife, and it even makes a final appearance in a totally cheesy final frame.
THEY WHISPER (2024)
This movie is so intriguing for a majority of its runtime, but it somehow veers off into hokey territory for the final act, which is a bummer.
Some white kids coax their Black friend into being the first one to climb down a mine shaft. Things don’t go as planned, and the boy ends up in a coma.
The families of the white kids totally shun the Black parents for fear of being held responsible for the son’s condition. One dad is particularly douchey…and also a big burly daddy.
Meanwhile, a black mist is floating around the houses of the kids, and its first appearance in the home of the Black family is particularly effective. There’s even a play on the Lights Out schtick.
There are all sorts of weird developments. The son awakens from his coma, but they find a strange mark on his skin. The douche bag’s son, who is also acting kind of comatose even though he isn’t, says one thing…”they whisper in the ground”.
Unfortunately, as the main father tries to figure out what happened to his son down in the mine shaft, nothing all that suspenseful or scary transpires beyond him running into John Schneider in the woods, whose douche-baggery isn’t an act.
The movie falls apart somewhat in the final act when the wife goes down in the hole and has a conversation with the black mist. Ugh. Their son turns on them, and they have to figure out a way to save him from the grip the supernatural presence has on him.
It’s an underwhelming finale after all the buildup, and quite honestly, the ending is kind of sad and seems like it would lead to a whole lot of bad repercussions. Perhaps a sequel?
