Ready Or Not Movie Review (2019)

2019 was a slack year for Horror movies, but there was a lone highlight for me – Ready or Not. The film featured actress Samara Weaving who was fresh off the success of the made for Netflix Horror flick, “The Babysitter”. Prior to that Weaving was also in the wildly popular “Mayhem” which I wouldn’t really consider Horror, but nowadays if there’s gratuitous violence and thrills it tends to get lumped into the genre. Ready or Not also features the legendary Andie MacDowell and while I’m not her biggest fan, she’s always been attractive and well-rehearsed in the roles I’ve seen her portray. I’d be a more of a fan of her previous efforts if they were in the Horror genre – Romcom’s aren’t something I enjoy much these days, they’re formulaic and unoriginal. Ready or Not isn’t your typical Horror movie, there’s no question as to who the villains are, they’re not hiding in the shadows under masks waiting for their turn to stalk and slash. And as much as this might bore some, for me it worked better for the movie – it adds to campiness and the excitement of what’s happening on screen. Luckily, I was able to catch this on the big screen twice which was a real treat!

The synopsis of the film is simple Grace (Weaving) is marrying her dream guy, Alex, in his family home on his family’s large estate. Alex’s family is old money rich – Bluebloods and they’re known for making their fortune in games – think Parker Brothers, Monopoly etc. They also own 4 professional Sports teams. Backstory, Great Grandfather met a mysterious man Mr. Le Bail, on a boat long years ago who told him if he could figure out the secret of a box he had, he could have anything he wanted. And of course, Great Grandfather figured the box out and this man became the family’s benefactor. From that point forward when anyone joins the family through marriage, they must play a game at the stroke of midnight that’s decided on by this mysterious box. You just place a blank playing card in it, pass it around the table and it comes back to the new family member who then pulls the card. It could pop out with any game, but the one card you don’t want to pull is “Hide and Seek”. The gist of “Hide and Seek” is simple, if the spouse pulls that card, then the family must hunt her down in hopes to sacrifice her to Satan before dawn! Naturally, Grace doesn’t know about any of this, and she pulls the Hide and Seek card and giggles about it because she doesn’t think any of this is a big deal. It doesn’t take her long to figure out, it’s for real and she’s in deep shit. From this point onward the movie twists and turns with Grace doing her absolute best to survive these crossbow wielding, axe carrying maniacs. The only member who doesn’t participate is Alex who was estranged from his family. So, for a good part of the flick, he’s trying to help Grace and cheer her on. There are some great kills in this film – one of the maids’ winds up catching an arrow in the throat complete with gurgling sounds and hilarious comments and silliness from the sister who shot her. Another of the maids gets crushed in the dumbwaiter, which I thought was a nice touch considering all the weaponry the family was carrying around. There’s also a pretty gruesome scene where Grace attacks her new Mother-in-law (MacDowell) and she bashes her face in with the box the Hide-and-Seek was card was pulled from. There are several moments where you want to turn your head away from the screen – there’s one where Grace is trying to squeeze through an iron fence, and it cuts a deep gash in her back that opens wide. Uncomfortable is the best word for this scene. The actors and actresses in this movie are brilliant, every single one of them, there’s not a dud on the screen. Alex’s brother, Daniel and his sister, Emilie are without a doubt the most hilarious of the cast as they just pour on the silliness as the movie goes on. “Clean up for the Fuckups”!!!

I won’t give the ending away of the film, it’s too much fun! If you’re looking for a movie filled with cheekiness and cheap thrills that work, look no further than Ready or Not. While I don’t consider the movie Classic Horror it still works well and puts me in the mind of several Vincent Price movies due to the delivery and dialog of the characters within. Another thing I find fascinating is the coloring of the film, while it’s not black and white, it’s a hazy sepia color in several of the house scenes. The house itself ultimately becomes a character in the movie if you pay close attention. It might be wild to say but this is probably the best Horror movie I’ve seen in the past 20 years. It’s wickedly funny and diabolical in all the right places. I’m hopeful that the success of it will push Weaving further into the Horror genre. She has one of best screams I’ve ever heard, a true SCREAM QUEEN! I went to the theater twice and watched it and then I stood in line to purchase the Blu-ray when it was released. Much to my surprise the Blu-ray is already out of print which makes little sense to me considering it’s still new by today’s standards. In March of this year, it was announced that a sequel is in the works with Weaving reprising her role as Grace.  I’m excited to see that! If you haven’t watched this movie, stop what you’re doing and go have a watch, you’ll thank me later. I’ve watched this movie at least 50 times since its release, it’s just that good to me – so much FUN! “Shem HaMephorash! Hail Satan!!