BY: GABY MORENO
Movie: Ready or Not
Release date: August 21, 2019
Main Cast: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Andie MacDowell, Mark O’Brien, Henry Czerny, Melanie Scrofano and more.
Brief synopsis:
“A bride’s wedding night takes a sinister turn when her eccentric new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game.”
New Horror Rule: Don’t fuck with a girl with Chucks!
Hello Hip Hop Heads and Horror Fans,
Today I will be reviewing the horror/thriller movie, “Ready or Not” starring the talented actress Samara Weaving as the lead final girl! When I saw the previews and that Samara was going to be the lead I knew it was going to be a bloody good time! Also she is a very charismatic actress. I first saw her in one of my favorite tv shows Ash vs. Evil Dead where she had a short role. Then she killed her performances in Mayhem and The Babysitter! She has great potential to be a top Hollywood actress and proven to be a true Scream Queen! With that being said I didn’t need much convincing to go see this! From beginning to end the story draws you in. The movie opens up with a thunderstorm and two kids running down a corridor in a huge victorian styled mansion. One of the kids Daniel hides his brother Alex in a closet. Daniel then sees a man, a groom to be by his attire who has been shot with an arrow. The guy asks for his help and Daniel yells “he is over here”. Daniel’s family enters the hallway with creepy masks and old school weaponry and kills the groom with an arrow to the chest. The camera pans to the Bride crying and then the scene moves to present time.
The audience is taken to the wedding day between the two leads Alex Le Domas and Grace. Grace is talking to Alex and telling him how she really cares what his family thinks of her and hopes they can accept her. They joke around that his family probably thinks she is after his fortune. The two end up getting married, but right off the bat you can tell Alex’s family is off and sinister! The father isn’t to thrilled that his favorite son is getting married with someone who isn’t off his stature. Then his Aunt Helene is also very creepy and just stares at Grace throughout the wedding ceremony. The two lovebirds are ready to settle in for the night when his Aunt barges in and tells him it is time for their tradition to play a game at midnight.
Grace was under the impression her honeymoon was going to start that night, but it is cut short by this “game”, which Alex fails to go into detail on what exactly it is. Grace is taken to this game room with her new in laws, and the rest of Alex’s family. You get a Clue game type vibe! This is where the action begins and Alex’s father goes into the rules of the game and the family tradition. To keep it short and evil, he tells the story of how his ancestor/relative who was a merchant met a man (Devil) named Mr. Le Bail and pretty much sold his families souls in return to have this gaming empire.
The devil gave them a box which is mechanically operated and is controlled by the devil himself. The pact made with the devil is whomever marries into the family must play the game that the box selects. The card that no one wants to draw is “Hide and Seek”. This card means the family has to sacrifice the Bride or Groom to the Devil, but the Bride/Groom have a chance to hide until dawn. If they survive the game then the Le Domas family will die. To Alex’s dismay, Grace pulls the Hide and Seek card. Alex’s father explains the rules to her. Obviously he leaves the most important detail that they will be hunting her. She is under the impression she just has to hide. Alex is forced to stay in the room while Grace has a head start to hide and his family begins selecting their old school weapons of choice.
Eventually Alex escapes down a secret room to go warn Grace that she is going to be killed. While trying to help her escape they witness how Alex’s coked out sister (played by Melanie Scrofano aka the drunk anti – hero Wynonna Earp if you watch that show like I do lol) shoots a maid with an arrow thinking it was Grace. Grace is in shock and can’t believe her now husband did not tell her about this. You can start to see that Grace starts to question if she even knows who she married. She is upset with Alex and how he did not confide in her about this family secret. He tries to guilt trip and says if he hadn’t proposed she would have left or if he had told her she would have left him. You can see how selfish Alex is and start to see he is not the prince in shining armor you think he is.
Grace whose background is bit of a mystery only thing we find out about her is that she grew up in foster homes. She so badly wants to be part of the Le Domas family since she never really had a home. Grace toughens up and rises to the occasion to survive this sadistic game. There is a very dope scene in the climax of the movie where she sees herself in the mirror (picture above) and she is wearing her victorian wedding dress, some chucks (shoes) and carrying a rifle in hand and ammunition across her chest. She seems surprised and how she has gotten into this situation and says some cuss word. I loved that because it shows she has to find the dark humor into what she is facing and she looked badass! Also the ending scene as she is walking out of the burning house with her bloody victorian dress and chucks. Grace definitely became one of my favorite modern day final girls! She ends up winning the game, outsmarting the 1%’s and literally burning the house down! lol . Talk about women empowerment!
Not only was she forced to kill to survive, in my opinion she realizes her true family is herself! Alex was a facade pretended to love her for his own benefit. In reality he was trying to prove to himself that he was a good guy when he was as demented and evil as his family. He hated his family because he knew he was exactly like them! In the end we see the demise of the Le Domas family, in a gory explosive visceral carnage scene! As the Devil makes a quick appearance and nods at Grace for her victory. She walks out the mansion as they burn in a hellish fire!
This movie reminded me of a mixture of different movies. The sinister entitled and rich family reminded of the family in “Get Out“. The main theme of the movie having to hunt a human being as a game, reminded me of “The Most Dangerous Game” and “The Purge“. Also Grace as the final girl who you would least expect to step up her survival game and come out as a victor in this bloody game gave me Erin vibes from “You’re Next“. Also the whole selling your families souls to the devil type deal reminded me of Dorian Gray. I loved the 1800’s gothic aesthetic and the mansion setting. Also the visuals from the old school card games, victorian styled house and the black goats added a devilish feel to it!
Overall this movie does not have a dull moment. It keeps its momentum throughout the whole movie. You get dark comedy, great casting/acting, action and gore to keep you attached to the screen! I loved the twist ending which was predictable for me if you’re paying attention to the little details and storyline. Once an evil rich entitled kid always an evil rich entitled kid lol I’ll leave it at that! Definitely recommend checking this out in theaters!
Thank you for reading my movie review. Hope you all enjoyed it! Until next time horror fiends and hip hop heads! While you’re at it follow my blog on social media @7octoberz on Instagram and Facebook! Also follow me on Spotify, Itunes, Anchor.fm/7octoberz, Google Play Music to listen to my audio interviews under: “Nightmare on Sedgwick Avenue“.
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