Dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett (2019)
On the eve of her wedding night, a bride must play a game that determines her future standing in the family.
CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
The 20-teens were a great time for fans of fun horror movies. Hollywood decided to make a slew of films that played with the audience's boundaries and expectations, alternating between a darkly comic ambience and a gory-as-hell finale. There were a ton of movies that were fantastic and instant classics in my home (The Babysitter, Happy Death Day), and there were some that were just straight up misses (Human Centipede 3, The Strangers: Prey at Night). But perhaps no movie encapsulated the era of horror that makes you laugh at times than 2019's Ready or Not, a movie that refused to pull any punches and gave us perhaps the best example yet of Samara Weaving's creepy-ass goat scream.
I have to admit, it was The Babysitter that made me fall in love with Weaving, and she was absolutely outstanding in that one, but Ready or Not is probably her best horror role as an actress thus far. She displayed an entire range of emotion and badassery, fighting back against the wealthy family who has decided to use her as their plaything in order to stave off the (perhaps) judgment of an evil benefactor. The rest of the cast is amazing as well, but Weaving is undoubtedly the star of the show. She fights tooth and nail (often literally) to escape her fate, and it all progresses to one of the more shocking and blood-drenched finales in modern horror.
Ready or Not is a fantastic example of what Hollywood is capable of producing when they take a decent story and some strong performances and just fucking have fun with it. There's no need to be so serious all the time, and it's ok to laugh when we're not wincing at a crossbow bolt through the face. It also smartly delivers the crossbow bolt as well, perfectly balancing a film that is clever, unique, and genuinely funny with some breathtaking displays of ultra-violence. This is one of The Morrigan's favorite movies, and it's one that I have never heard anyone say they didn't at least somewhat enjoy. It's equal parts brutal and hilarious, and there's not a whole lot more that you can ask from a movie about a family of board game makers.
Who this movie is for: Modern horror fans, Horror comedy fans, Monopoly enthusiasts
Bottom line: Funny and brutal as all hell, Ready or Not is an instant classic that is one of the most fun movies to come out of the entire decade. Samara Weaving delivers a performance for the ages, and the movie will make you squeam as often as it makes you laugh. This one comes highly recommended and is absolutely worth adding to your Halloween repertoire.
