Ready or Not (2019)

Sometimes, the splashiest horror movies of the summer aren't the ones that reinvent the wheel, but the ones that just jack the speed up to 10 on said wheel. That's what we get with Ready or Not, a horror-comedy funfest that takes a little bit of Clue (1985), a dash of You're Next (2013), and buckets of Sam Raimi-style gore effects to produce one of the most gleeful, popcorny fright flicks of the season. Are you ready?

Ready or Not (U.S.A.)
Released: August 21, 2019
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
Screenplay: Guy Busick & R. Christopher Murphy

Tagline: "The Game Begins"

Cast:
Samara Weaving as Grace
Adam Brody as Daniel Le Domas
Mark O'Brien as Alex Le Domas
Henry Czerny as Tony Le Domas
Andie MacDowell as Becky Le Domas

Former foster child Grace is marrying into the staggeringly wealthy, blue-blooded Le Domas family, who made their fortune as a gaming dynasty generations ago thanks to a generous benefactor. Despite their misgivings, Grace is marrying her fiance Alex for all the right reasons. She's a kind, genuine person happy to have found the big family she always wanted. But Grace soon finds that there's a lot you take on when you marry into money. Strange traditions must be upheld. Rituals that could end in either merrymaking or murder.

Ready or Not takes the conventions of The Most Dangerous Game (1932) and spruces them up for a modern critiquing of the 1%. The film makes no bold statement or offers any sort of scathing critique we've never encountered before--excessive wealth is dangerous, whether inherited or otherwise, and those that have it will go to great lengths to keep it rather than see their lifestyle threatened. What mattes here is the delivery, which is brutal, blood-soaked, and a total rollercoaster of jumps, jolts, and laughs. There's a certain balance that needs to be achieved in order to fashion a top-notch horror comedy, and it can be tricky to get just right, but Ready or Not is such a precise, tightly-written film that they really do nail that mixture. A fantastic and game cast adds to the viewer's delight as well.

Horror darling Samara Weaving leads the fray, delivering a phenomenal performance that will make you squeal and cheer in equal measure. Adam Brody also stands out as brooding brother Daniel, despondent over the family legacy and his own role in maintaining that status. All of the characters end up fleshed out by the time the credits roll, including the gorgeous mansion setpiece, whose secret passageways, twisted hallways, and gilded floors make it a character all its own. You can tell the production design team must have been giddy laying out the plans for the labyrinthine Le Domas mansion.

It seems like everyone had a blast making this movie, in fact, which is one of the things that make sit so refreshing. Ready or Not is summer movie from days of old, unconcerned with setting up dark mythologies, larger universes, or never-ending franchises. It's an original story seeking only to deliver thrills and chills while being funny as hell along the way. And in that regard, it's a winner.


Ready or Not
5 - Totally Terrifying
4 - Crazy Creepy
3 - Fairly Frightening
2 - Slightly Scary
1 - Hardly Horror