Horror Movie Review: Ready or Not (2019)

Ready or Not is a comedy-horror film directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, releasing in 2019. Grace just married Alex, these should be the happiest days of her life. Unfortunately, her new in-laws have some rather murderous plans as part of their wedding night ritual.

The ritual is a tradition that every outside addition to the family must play a game. Grace has to draw a random card, and the game they have to play will be written there. Could it be a hilarious round of Scrabble? What about something quizzical like Trivial Pursuit? Or even a lengthy game of Monopoly? Whatever card Grace pulls out, it better not be Hide & Seek…..

Ready Or Not has a simple concept, one that I really like. It’s a shame that a lot of what happens in the film was given away in trailers. It killed a lot of the tension surrounding the drawing of the card when you know exactly where it’s going. This predictability runs throughout the film as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, this is a fun film. However, it’s a lot like many other horrors in which someone is being hunted. A lot of the tension surrounds their many attempts to escape. You have to suspend your disbelief in terms of the choices they do and don’t make. Although, it goes a little far at times. At one point Grace makes it outside the grounds of the house and still ends up getting caught, it’s quite silly.

The performances in Ready or Not are enjoyable. Certain people ham it up which is appropriate and it does lead to some moments of genuine humour. Unfortunately, no one is particularly fleshed out. There’s no build and barely any backstory into Grace and her relationship with Alex. Clearly the film wants you to feel invested in their love story and I just wasn’t. Certainly not enough to find it believable that Alex would be willing to sacrifice so much for Grace. There’s a slight twist surrounding them but again it lacks impact due to me not really buying into it.

Also, Grace herself is pretty much a blank slate. Personally, I didn’t care very much if she survived. She gets through the whole ordeal a bit too unscathed for my liking. There is one moment involving a nail which is nasty but that’s about it. Samara Weaving is very convincing in her performance though.

The ending is far too hokey for me, I would have preferred something far more ambiguous.

Ready or Not is fun but nothing ground-breaking. I’m not too sure that I would even bother to re-watch it. I thought up a bunch of much better scenarios of how proceedings could have played out. The film takes the most basic route possible which is a shame. Personally, I would have liked the whole hide and seek section to have been much longer and more elaborate. It only lasts about 5 minutes which is realistic but disappointing.