I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of actress Samara Weaving. The Australian-born performer carries with her an engaging blend of comedic chops and take-no-crap attitude that has made her a favorite over the years. She first caught the attention of genre fans in Mayhem and The Babysitter, and has just this year appeared in films such as Borderline and Eenie Meanie. By all accounts, Weaving is a modern queen of horror.
While I think she should’ve blown up after her role in The Babysitter, it would be a couple more years before the public would take notice of her star power. That deserved recognition finally arrived in Radio Silence’s hit bloodbath, Ready or Not, arguably one of the decade’s best horror comedies. If you missed it, you’ll want to go ahead and say your vows to the entertaining film now that it’s streaming on Hulu.
What’s Ready or Not About?
Grace (Weaving) has just married Alex (Mark O’Brien), a member of the Le Domas Family, who has made a fortune with their board game company. The former foster child can hardly believe the fairy tale-like story that she has found herself in. That all changes, though, when, on the night of the wedding, it’s revealed to Grace that tradition requires her to play a deadly game of Hide and Seek. All she has to do is survive until dawn with the entire family—including Alex—hunting her. But they aren’t prepared for the rage they’ve just unleashed in the new bride.
A Satisfying Bloodbath
In his review for Dread Central, Jonathan Barkan described Ready or Not as “a devilishly good time,” going on to add that, “Weaving is a goddamn treasure”.
Facts. Samara Weaving shines brighter in this film than any gem money could buy. Radio Silence brings their flair for horror infused with cutthroat humor. The gore is cheer-worthy. And the entire cast nails their roles (Nicky Guadagni especially stands out as temperamental Aunt Helene). But it’s Weaving who sells this eat-the-rich narrative with an exhausted performance that we can all relate to.
The members of the Le Domas Family are essentially your standard billionaires. They’re rude. Spoiled. Deeply untalented (their gains have come from a supernatural deal, after all). And they view their lives as more valuable than the rest of ours. Through Grace, Weaving and the filmmakers express a palpable fury that the world is run by a bunch of talentless jerks. You could say Ready or Not is the ultimate encapsulation of the population’s frustration with wealthy people who contribute nothing but headaches. Hence the popular memes of Weaving smoking a cigarette while covered in blood, or her utterance of, “fucking rich people”. Every time I see that GIF, I feel it in my bones.
When it comes to modern takedowns of the one percent, there’s simply no film more satisfying than Ready or Not.
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