Summary
If not the bloodiest film of the year, it’s certainly one of the most fun. This has all the hallmarks of a cult classic in the making.
Every now and then a film comes along that just makes you smile. Sometimes it’s a film that speaks to the heart of your human condition. At other times, it’s because it’s gently charming. READY OR NOT is neither of those things, but damn if I didn’t have a grin on my face for most of this throwback splatterfest.
After opening on a violent parlour game in a stately manor, we jump forward 30 years to the pending nuptials of Grace (Samara Weaving) to Daniel Le Domas (Adam Brody), one of the presumptive heirs to the Le Domas gaming dominion. Given a snobbish reception, she soon discovers that it’s tradition to play a random game at midnight to welcome her into the family. Drawing a card labelled “hide and seek,” all hell breaks loose when the bloody reality of the rules becomes apparent.
While it’s hard to shake the feeling that we’ve seen this all before, READY OR NOT delights in shocking us with a series of gory demises once the dangerous game begins. There’s a running gag of maidservants being dispatched perfunctorily, and the repetition doesn’t make it any less funny. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett find normalcy in the incredulity of the situation, making this a grand bit of gore in the tradition of Evil Dead.
If The Babysitter and Mayhem weren’t proof enough, Samara Weaving was made for this kind of star vehicle. From panicked to kick-ass to being totally over the family’s shit, it’s a perfect vessel to show off her comedy chops and emotional range. Of course, the ghoulishly great family around her sells the historic horror, especially the gleefully grim Nicky Guadagni, who looks set to murder us all with her piercing gazes.
You may walk out of the cinema with the same expression as the lead characters: shellshocked, wearied, and covered in crimson goo. Yet it’s hard to imagine that you haven’t had a ball along the way, inadvertently cheering on every deadly dispatch while wondering how the stakes will next be raised. So kick off your wedding hells, replace them with some comfortable footwear, and settle in for the ride. READY OR NOT has all the hallmarks of a cult classic in the making.
2019 | US | DIRECTOR: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett | WRITERS: Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy| CAST: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell | DISTRIBUTOR: 20th Century Fox (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 25 October 2019 (AUS)
