The Horror Show
Ready or Not
by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
When I first saw the poster for this movie, all I could think of was the urban legend of the hide & seek bride. Long story short, a new bride on her wedding day is roped into a traditional game of hide & seek that is played on the day of her wedding. She slips off to the attic and hides in an old trunk. The lid gets stuck and she gets trapped. After hours and hours of her being gone, everyone assumes she ran off. Years later, her body is found still wearing her wedding dress.
This is not that story. It's way better.
Grace (Samara Weaving) is a new bride. She's fallen in love with Alex (Mark O'Brien) who comes from the uber wealthy Le Domas family, the fine makers of board games for centuries. It is tradition in this prestigious household that at midnight on your wedding night your new spouse must be initiated into the family by playing a game. It was Grace's turn to pick a card and let fate decide on what to play. Unfortunately, she chose poorly. Time to play hide & seek! Grace is the hider and the family must find her. Oh, did I mention that when they do find her that they're going to kill her? If Grace can survive until dawn she wins and the family loses, big time. Too much fun!
Samara Weaving is a treasure. I loved her in The Babysitter and she does not disappoint in Ready or Not. This girl is a wailer and a true scream queen. When I first watched this, she scared my cat. It was so impressive. She has great comedic timing and heartfelt emotion. At the end, she is done with this whole situation and you feel it radiating from her with just a look. The supporting cast is nothing to sneeze at. Andie MacDowell as her fiance's mother was great, giving off this strong “wrong side of the tracks” girl that married rich vibe so well. My favorite performance was from Alex's sister Emilie. She was played by Melanie Scrofano. I know her best from Letterkenny as Mrs. McMurray and she is hilarious in this!
I am always impressed when a horror movie can pull off dark comedy. Ready or Not had me laughing at some of the most inappropriate times and I loved every minute! It's full of gore and giggles! It's currently available on HBO Max so if you can, stream it!
Robin Thompson, HMS
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