Film Review: "Ready or Not"

Hell has frozen over. I’m going back writing horror film reviews exclusively for this site. It’s been a while since the last review I’ve written, the abysmal “St Agatha”. I’ve been doing reviews for the podcast lately for The Indie Roundup on the podcast where I review a horror short and feature film on the film festival circuit. But after coming out of the screening of “Ready or Not”, I’m not going to film a reaction video but return to writing reviews here on the podcast’s official site as I want to expand Anthony T’s Horror Show to be more than just a podcast as if you follow social media pages, I tend post regularly on Facebook and Instagram and put more emphasis on the site.

“Ready or Not” follows a bride (Samara Weaving) who marries into a wealthy family. After getting married she joins the family in a traditional game when someone new enter the family. She is forced to draw a card and the card comes out Hide and Seek. What she doesn’t know, the game she is playing is a game where the family is armed with weapons to hunt her down and she has nothing to defend herself. Can she survive the night before she becomes the family’s latest victim? The film co-stars Adam Brody Henry Czerny, and Andie MacDowell.

Going into this film, I liked the trailer so much that I was anticipating this film after the trailer ended. That usually doesn’t happen for me for an original Hollywood horror film as I need to see a trailer or two to get me excited for an original Hollywood horror film. This film didn’t let me down as this one of those films that will have a following for years to come.

One of the main reasons why “Ready or Not” is a great horror comedy is the direction by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett who are known by the duo Radio Silence. One of the things that they did very well was the way they directed the action. The action in the film is great. Everything is timed well and gives you an intense and chaotic feel that isn’t seen much in big studio films. It made the action in “Ready of Not” work so well from start to finish. This is the type I like in horror films where you have intense action that keeps you interested in the film while wanting to see how it’s going to play out. It’s the most action packed horror film I’ve seen all year.

The other thing that I liked from the direction was the fact Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett does a great job directing the cast. This is a very good cast including Samara Weaving (The Babysitter, Mayhem), Adam Brody (Jennifer’s Body), Henry Czerny, (Mission Impossible, The Exorcism of Emily Roe) and Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day, Four Weddings and a Funeral). They did a great job making sure each of the cast had great chemistry as it made the intense and funny moments in the film work.

Speaking of Samara Weaving, I hope this is her big break as she is great in the lead role. She brings a level of charisma and intensity to her character that makes her character in this film feel like the lead character of “You’re Next” which is another crazy horror film that people should check out. I truly believe this film will put her in that top tier of current horror actresses as her performances in “Ready or Not”, “Mayhem”, and “The Babysitter” are great and her performances in each of those films brings something to each of those films.

The screenplay written by Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy (not the creator of American Horror Story) was very good and original. What makes this screenplay great was the fact this had an original feel to it. In an era where ideas in Hollywood horror films are rehashed almost all the time, it was nice to see a film that has an original feel and doesn’t try to become a franchise. They do a very good job balancing the horror and dark comedy aspects. It made the film fun and intense at the same time. The other thing that I liked a lot about the screenplay as it was balls to the wall action. From the beginning of the film until it batshit crazy ending, the material kept me interested and engaged. This were a lot of creativeness in the kill scenes and its intense twists. It was one of those films that makes me proud to be a horror fan.

I urge you check this film out in theaters as horror films likes this need our support so that Hollywood studios not Blumhouse can make more of this films instead of the PG-13 fare that dominates most theaters today. “Ready or Not” is an excellent horror that predicates on creative scenes and intense moments. I can say this right now “Ready of Not” will be in my top 5 horror film of 2019 as this was great horror film.

Review Rating: Five Stars