Ready or Not review: Unpredictable, bloody, and delightfully vicious

One of the year’s best horror features, Ready or Not mixes dark satire with fantastically written characters, led by the dazzling Samara Weaving.

The nature of economic disparity has been a cinematic theme since the silent era, but it seems especially poignant right now, when the divide between the haves and the have-nots feels like an ever-widening gulf. Hoping to infuse some incredibly dark wit into the discussion is Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s Ready or Not, a horror feature with a vicious bite. With a cavalcade of character actors you’ll want to spend more time with, Ready or Not takes pieces from Clue, Murder by Death, and a host of ’40s thrillers to tell a story that feels keenly relevant.

Trust me, you aren’t ready for what Ready or Not offers.

Grace (Samara Weaving) has recently married the man of her dreams, Alex (Mark O’Brien). Their wedding is beautiful but as Grace lays out, her new husband’s wealthy family doesn’t like her, aided by Alex’s Aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni in a scene-stealing performance) dagger-like stare. Alex has been estranged from his gaming empire family for years and his mother (played by Andie MacDowall) hopes the marriage will fix their rift.

As midnight gets closer, Alex reveals to Grace a key component of their wedding night: she must play a game with his family. She doesn’t have to win; she just has to play. In a music room that would feel comfortable in Eyes Wide Shut, Grace sits down to pull a card out of a box. Will it be Old Maid? A game of checkers? She draws “hide and seek” and is told she must hide till dawn. Initially not taking things seriously, Grace eventually comes to the horrific realization that the game is actually part of a grand scheme and that the family must hunt Grace down and capture her before the sun rises.

One half family drama run amok and the other an old-fashioned murder story, Ready or Not is nothing short of perfection. The classic film feel is felt in every room of the house and every glance of the family. Grace’s high-necked wedding dress makes you feel as if you’re watching a 1940 Gothic drama in the vein of Jane Eyre (or riding Disney’s Haunted Mansion). This timelessness hits at the core of the film’s point involving the history and old-world feelings that the wealthy maintain.

Ready or Not’s script, credited to Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy (no, not that one) lays out the history of the Le Domas gaming “dominion” and the familial dynamics at its center quickly and succinctly. Grace is an outsider from the minute we meet her with her blonde hair and wide smile, a sharp contrast to everyone’s dark hair and sharp angles. It’s evident that the Le Domas are snobs, but it seems to go beyond their money.

As the film lays out, generational wealth passed down for several decades is different from simply winning the lottery or getting rich off an app. Le Domas patriarch Tony (wonderfully played by Henry Czerny) emphasizes “tradition” and it is this sense of ritual that comes to bite Grace where it hurts.

Weaving gives an indomitable performance at the film’s center, ripping apart the damsel in distress trope with her teeth. Bad things happen to her but she always thinks on her toes in a way that’s never superhuman. She doesn’t pop up immediately after being shot or have cat-like survival capabilities. She’s crafty and inventive, and unafraid to punch a child when he has it coming. Her frustration is palpable, especially to anyone who’s felt someone isn’t taking them seriously. Weaving also has impeccable comic timing. Her moments of laughter are infectious and are a downright mood.

Weaving may carry the movie but she in no way overshadows the rest of the colorful cast. Czerny, MacDowall and Guadagni are pitch-perfect as the old guard determined to protect their family (and their prestige) at any cost. Czerny’s wild-eyed aggression is perfectly tempered by MacDowall’s sensitivity – that can go right out the window when it needs to. And Guadagni is just utterly hysterical as the true believer judging everyone around her. The trio creates a sense of history for the Le Dolmas, one that their children have hoped to carry on.

As the drunken Daniel, Adam Brody goes for a broke with a performance that’s equally heartbreaking and pathetic, while Elyse Levesque is fantastic as his cold-blooded (and impeccably dressed) wife, Charity. Then there’s Wynonna Earp’s Melanie Scrofano as the manic Emily, whose bad aim comprises one of several side-splitting moments. Her husband, Fitch (played by Kristian Bruun) is also fantastic and will make you see him as the new incarnation of Beetlejuice actor Glenn Shaddix.

Then there’s O’Brien as Grace’s husband, Alex. His character is certainly the most fascinating because of how the script writes him. There’s a lot that can be gleaned from discussing the role of masculinity in this movie and how O’Brien’s character plays within that, but it’s all spoilery.

There are so many layers to Ready or Not, whether that’s deconstructing it as a horror movie, an economic satire, a story about marriage or, as Grace says, a tale of “in-laws.”

Either way you best be ready to see this multiple times. It’s the horror highlight of the year.