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The Hub Entertainment Watch List: The Reading
Fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy the BET+ original film, The Reading, which stars famed actress Mo’Nique. The film also features rising talents Chasity Sereal, Denisha Hardeman, Ian Haywood, Charlene Brown and Lisa Alavi.
The Reading was written and directed by Courtney Glaudé. Mo’Nique and her husband Sidney Hicks served as producers for the film in addition to Lee Daniels. This marked the first time in more than 10 years since Mo’Nique and Daniels collaborated on a project. The duo worked on the popular 2009 film, Precious. Precious earned Mo’Nique her first Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actress, however, a fallout occurred over Mo’Nique’s refusal to promote the film.
Despite years of public feuding, the two reconciled last year during one of Mo’Nique’s comedy performances in Staten Island, New York. They sealed the reconciliation with a social media post captioned, “No caption needed. I love us 4real.” After putting their differences aside, they found themselves working on The Reading which is Mo’Nique’s debut horror film role.
The film tells the story of Emma Leeden (Mo’Nique Hicks), who is the lone survivor of a deadly home invasion that ended with the death of her family. Sky Brown (Chasity Sereal) travels to a staged reading at Emma’s home, who turned to writing to cope with the aftermath of the experience. Sky was already hesitant of performing the reading due to past experiences with spirits, but the price tag on the reading as well as the push from her counterparts compelled her to move forward with the opportunity. Things soon shift upon the teams’ arrival as Sky ultimately summons evil forces into the home. Once the force is awakened, terror soon follows and dark truths are revealed about what really happened the night of the home invasion.
By the end of the 98-minute film, viewers learn that there is much more to the story than what Emma has been peddling in her book. The BET+ original movie began streaming on February 2 and can be viewed with a BET+, FuboTV or Hulu premium subscription. Fans can also expect to see Mo’Nique and Daniels reunite in another upcoming horror film titled The Deliverance. There is no release date for the highly anticipated project at this time, but it is slated to feature other stars including Omar Epps, Aunjanue Ellis and Tasha Smith.
