Ready or Not

A thoroughbred lightweight horror comedy, the kind of which we hadn’t had in a long time. The creators made up for the not entirely successful Devil’s Due and followed up on their segment in the first V/H/S anthology, where they first got on the radar a few years back. Ready or Not is a delightful joke that playfully makes use of its rather silly premise (which is perfectly suitable for a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously), a panopticon of crazy rich people and an extremely likeable heroine played by Samara Weaving. The result is a fast ride that is hard to resist. Personally, I wish it was a little bit wilder, sharper and nimbler (it is not as bloody as some mainstream commenters will try to tell you). But all those quibbles can be forgotten the moment the heroine gets going and starts adorably fucking everything up. I enjoyed it very much. (22/08/2019)

A decent, inventive slasher, which turns an ordinary family dinner into something you won’t forget easily. Moreover with the lead role of the bride played by the fair Samara Weaving, who has witchcraft, fear and mysteriousness already in her name. Even though nothing that happens in the film is actually her fault. (28/02/2020)

Grace has just got married and she realises it wasn't a good idea. Her new in-laws want to play hide-and-seek with her. If they don't find her by morning, she wins. If they find her, she'll probably die in a cruel ritual. It'll be fun. Ready or Not is a blackly humorous horror film that alternates fairly brutal scenes with a lot of gritty humour, but also some solidly suspenseful moments. It has a great main character, and the only problem in the end is that they didn't step it up a notch. As a whole, though, it's pretty good. (27/08/2019)

Easygoing and fast paced. It could have a little more pulpiness, more active involvement of Grace during the finale, and especially a cameo from Vin Diesel with a speech about family. (26/08/2019)

Clearly this year's hit, which hit my taste exactly. A captivating Victorian mansion, a rich fanatical family, the gorgeous Samara Weaving, who is the most in demand and best actress on the horror scene at the moment, and a great idea that is perfect for the horror genre. From the start the film picks up a huge amount of momentum that doesn't let up until the end, the humour works too, which goes best with the eternally high Melanie Scrofano, and there is a fair amount of violence that literally erupts into a bloodbath in the finale. Suspenseful, intense, stylish and thanks to Samara's superb performance, this was an unforgettable experience for me. The bride in her Converse shoes, with her dress torn and covered in blood is already symbolic for me. I haven’t had such a good time at the horror cinema this year, so I’m gladly giving it a weaker five stars. 85%. (21/10/2019)

When two people do the same thing, the results of their efforts will differ depending on their respective levels of talent and life experience. Thus, while Ready or Not would like to be another Get Out, as the promotional materials emphatically make clear, it can never have that film’s sting. The grievances of one ethnic group and the phantasmagorical delusions of the privileged social class are not revealed here. Rather, only a group of well-to-do people make fun of rich people within the limits of the genre. Thanks to that, Ready or Not works great as arelief valve for the frustrated workers of our capitalist reality, but it characteristically does not open up its subject in any way or contain any overlap into everyday reality. Above all, however, it does not open anyone’s eyes. It’s just an amusing episodic film in which, instead of the monstrosity in the human heart or the gears of the predatory system, we can only see our own need to simply find festive relief in a properly explicit lynching. (05/01/2020)

I thought back to Sam Raimi's films, the good ones that is, and I couldn't help but marvel at how much fun I was having. The bloody black-humor hide-and-seek can definitely surprise and thrill, and if it weren't for a few slightly weaker and more predictable parts (the escape into the woods), I wouldn't have much to complain about. Apart from Samara Weaving (unlike in Netflix's The Babysitter, she's the heroine this time around, and it occurs to me that the two films have a lot in common and would make an ideal program for an evening) and the other admittedly lesser known but great (to watch) actors, I have to single out Brian Tyler's music, which makes for just the right atmosphere at just the right moments. The scene of the ritual and the one after it are without exaggeration unforgettable. (03/09/2019)

Since I’m not rich yet, I’ve no problem sympathising with this peculiar fairytale. An entertainingly lively spin on the concept of the human hunt that turns into a morbid carnage in the popular setting of a big baroque mansion. Although it grinds at times with the cheap way it delays the climax and the helplessness of the hunters associated to it, the viewer can always cling to the brilliant, badass main character (Samara Weaving was really born for roles like this), and in the ending rely on an unpredictable wave of foreshadowing, thanks to which the film can be taken as perverted and openly trashy fun in A-movie clothes. I’d love to see more brainwashers like this in the cinema, and all of them could be with Samara. 75% (16/09/2019)

Ready or Not is an entertaining and easy-going mischievous comedy with a relatively interesting cast (Andie MacDowell playing a role unconventional for her), a relatively fast-paced plot, and a pretty healthy amount of ghoulish entertainment. Do not expect to be terrified, it is really just a sort of action movie loaded with black humor. (19/09/2019)

Jordan Peele's open arms for horror social satire might suggest that the genre is being given some relevance again after the era of stupid ghost flicks, but that would be to forget that combing social ills in extreme hyperbole was already in the job description of the Purge tetralogy. And that was a load of crap. Ready or Not isn't that bad, and there's definitely a bigger head behind it, as revealed by some witty dialogue (for me, the argument about how tradition is important, but when you're leaking in your shoes, you start to consider that after all, its author would also have used contemporary technology if it had been available to him at the time) or the hilariously bestial ending. But the problem is that the whole thing is terribly unbelievable – the characters of the rich are simple caricatures without a shred of respect, the violence doesn't hurt, the fire doesn't burn, the vulgarities ring false, you don't trust the actors to take a drag from a cigarette, and the violence is the kind of cool domestic hurt where blood spurts, brains stick to walls, and wounds open, but in that safe movie way where it's actually kind of funny. Luckily, Samara Weaving is a wild one who gets it all right, and her clucking at the end will probably be the only thing I'll remember from the film a year from now. (25/11/2019)

I actually feel sorry for the film. The reviews here are not exactly favorable, but I won’t be as strict. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't having fun. Granted, it was incredibly silly, and it would be considered a horror film only by someone who gets scared by fairy tales. It worked great as a black comedy, though. I’ve never been horrified by the sight of blood and guts, so I appreciated the funny moments in Clara, Tina and Dora’s best scenes, I also enjoyed Grace’s (fuck!)monologues, and the finale sure beats any film featuring a minefield. If you share my twisted sense of humor, go for it. (06/01/2020)

The American-Canadian movie Ready or Not is a horror made for a wider audience. Basically, some scenes are pretty gory, and there is plenty of blood, although the whole thing is filmed well. An entertaining movie that is also witty and chilling is a great thing. If you can get over some of the weird character motivations in this movie, you should find the conclusion quite entertaining and have a good laugh because, well, let us just say the producers may have been a bit afraid of showing kids dying on screen. (03/06/2020)