Fox Searchlight Film Review - Ready or Not

The Rich as a species are the villains it Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's Ready or Not. Their quirks, family traditions, games rooms with hunting trophies and weapons on full display and paintings of revered past patriarchs for hanging on the walls. The legendary story here is of the Le Domas family Great Great Grandfather Victor met a fellow traveler and game enthusiast at sea circa U.S. Civil war. A deal was struck and a box passed to grant the Le Domas any gift. But the price, anyone marrying into the family has to be married at the family home and draw a card to play a game at midnight. The games can be benign if you draw chess or old maid but if you draw hide and seek the new bride or groom his haunted until dawn as a sacrifice to the benefactor to keep the family fortune moving forward.

Grace (Samara Weaving) who is quickly turning into a modern scream queen given her 2017 turn in Mayhem alongside Steven Yuen stars as the latest initiate to the Le Domas family. They are gaming royalty having started with playing cards in their grandfathers day, moving to board games the next generation and on to owning sports teams in current patriarch Tony (Henry Czenry) era.  Grace is the love of Alex (Mark O'Brien) estranged from his relatives who witnessed to the last time this tradition turned deadly as a six-year-old when Aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni) husband had to be sacrificed. Following the wedding and a brief time together in Alex room the pair present themselves for the traditional midnight game. Grace draws the hide and seek card, is given time to hide the quickly learns that the hunt is for keeps.

Weaving excels in the genre with her full embracement of body horror as she slowly turns her wedding dress into an effective kit for battle. Adam Brody is strong as Daniel the unenthused alcoholic son who Grace describes as hitting on her at every opportunity he gets. Melanie Scorano   as sister Emily sets the comedic edge early showing the privileged natural disdain for servants.

Ready or Not is a funnier than expected squirm fest that takes dead aim at the old money country club set of dubious origins.  The film has signature scenes: At the fence, In the goat pit, I the kitchen that will bring back feelings of anxiety and dread to the viewer when mentioned.  communicate to the . It's a heart pounding seat gripping ultimate stakes ride that I highly recommend.

***1/2 Out of Four.

Ready or Not | Matt Bettinelli-Olpin / Tyler Gillett | U.S.A. | 2019 | 95 Minutes.

Tags: Cards, Games, Wedding, In-Laws, Hide and Seek, Sacrifice, Ritual, Satan, Midnight, Dawn, Wedding Dress, ONSTAR.