“And we just kept having a lot of fun with it.”

One such question requires them to name every Black character that survived a horror film.

Most of us wouldn’t survive the round.

Yvonne Orji as Morgan and Jay Pharaoh as Shawn in The Blackening. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson

Yvonne Orji and Jay Pharaoh in ‘The Blackening’.Glen Wilson/Lionsgate

Story says that was deliberate.

“You always want to be sure the stakes are real,” the director tells EW.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Were you a fan of horror movies before this?

Grace Byers as Allison in The Blackening. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson

Grace Byers in ‘The Blackening’.Glen Wilson/Lionsgate

I grew up on the early slashers likeFriday the 13thandHalloweenandChild’s Playand all of those punch in of movies.

They were just a part of life.

I didn’t give them much thought.

Melvin Gregg as King, Grace Byers as Allison, Antoinette Robertson as Lisa, Sinqua Walls as Nnamdi, Jermaine Fowler as Clifton, Dewayne Perkins as Dewayne, and Xochitl Mayo as Shanika in The Blackening. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson

(L to R) Melvin Gregg, Grace Byers, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Jermaine Fowler, Dewayne Perkins, and Xochitl Mayo in ‘The Blackening’.Glen Wilson/Lionsgate

You just watch them every now and then.

So I must admit, I realized that I’m probably a bigger fan than I gave respect to.

Were you inspired by any of those films that you loved while making this?

And did directing a horror film change how you felt about them?

I guess there was always a respect for them, but they’re fun to make.

You’ve got to go someplace and sometimes hold onto that shot longer than I’m used to.

Now, as a Black person who can’t play Spades, I feel personally attacked by this movie.

That hit really close to home for me.

Well, that’s what we love.

So many people are finding somebody that they really see themselves in and are having a lot of fun.

Trust me, there’s so many people who said the same thing.

“I don’t know how to play Spades.

And I probably would be that person in the middle of that.”

I also love how Black and howspecificallyBlack this film is.

We never limited ourselves to just do what felt authentic for us.

Although having a lot of fun with it, we’re showing how much we love us.

What was the inspiration behind that scary-ass mask?

And the more offensive we could make it…

If you’re going to do big lips, the lips got to be ashy.

They got to be dry and cracked.

We just kept going into this place that these characters would be extremely offended by.

And we just kept having a lot of fun with it.

We’re excited about the prospects of doing it again.

If that happens, we will definitely do it because the ideas have already started percolating.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity.

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