A Look at the 2019 Modern Cult Classic “Ready or Not”

With “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” playing on the big screen, it was time to go back to 2019 and revisit the modern cult classic “Ready or Not.” Despite being a moderate box office success upon release, it quickly garnered a dedicated fanbase and critical acclaim for its dark humor, gore, and social commentary.

Grace couldn’t be happier after she marries the man of her dreams at his family’s luxurious estate. There’s just one catch - she must now hide from midnight until dawn while her new in-laws hunt her down with guns, crossbows and other weapons.

As Grace desperately tries to survive the night, she soon finds a way to turn the tables on her not-so-lovable relatives.

The 2019 movie “Ready or Not” is a clever, chaotic and darkly humorous horror-thriller. The movie also delivers a really stand out performance from Samara Weaving, a satirical take on wealthy elites and a wild, memorable ending.

The movie does a really great job blending the dark humor with the gory horror elements. A good amount of the absurd comedy actually comes from the rich Le Domas family, with a lot of the humor stemming from their clumsy attempts to carry out a ritual, let alone a weapon. There’s a moment in the movie that I thought was a real laugh out loud moment where we see one of the family members looking at a YouTube video on how to work their particular weapon (a crossbow).

Samara Weaving also truly stands out in this movie (like I stated before). Weaving does a great job balancing intense, believable desperation with dark comedy, acting as the movie’s anchor. Her portrayal of Grace also really stands out as she makes some intelligent, relatable choices while enduring a lot of brutal pain.

Even when the overall story moves more into the majorly bizarre territory, her performance really keeps audiences invested in her choices. There’s also a few moments where Weaving adds a layer of humor (such as a simple eye roll or an evil giggle) to an otherwise brutal scene and she makes it work.

“Ready or Not” also delivers quite a few memorable moments that will really keep fans of this genre really entertained, such as the tense introduction to the Le Domas family

tradition of the game, Grace’s escape out of a hidden pit and almost every moment featuring a few members of the inept rich family. And, of course, the “explosive” ending is still one of the most unexpected ways to end a horror movie.

This horror-comedy satire also explores intense social commentary on class privilege and the extreme lengths the wealthy will go to maintain their status. The commentary is also entertaining since the overall story puts a working class outsider (Grace) against a family that has inherited their fortune, which also reflects modern frustration with wealth inequality. 

Before I wrap up this review, another character that I want to mention that also stands out is Daniel Le Domas (played by Adam Brody). This character is sort of a complex individual as he’s widely seen as the only member of the family who truly dislikes what they are doing, yet he’s too weak to stop it. The character also displays moments of genuine human emotion (unlike his family) as he also helps Grace during a few moments.

“Ready or Not” is a critically acclaimed horror-comedy that blends visceral slasher elements with sharp, satirical social commentary, widely recognized for its fast-paced approach to a murderous premise. Anchored by a breakout performance from Samara Weaving, the movie serves as a “deadly game” thriller that explores themes of wealth inequality and toxic tradition while maintaining a high level of morbid humor.

The movie’s legacy is cemented by its financial success ($57 million worldwide on a $6 million budget) and its enduring popularity on streaming and home media.

MPA: Rated R for violence, bloody images, language throughout, and some drug use (runtime 95 minutes)

Initial release date: August 21, 2019

Streaming services: Hulu/various PVOD services

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtYTwUxhAoI

• Seventeen different versions of Grace's wedding dress were created by costume designer Avery Plewes to show the progress of Grace's night and how her clothes correspond to her attitude.

• A lot of the film was filmed at Casa Loma in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a designated heritage property and is a museum that is open to the public. You can take tours of the building and learn about its history. You can even walk through some of the secret passages. Many movies were filmed there, including Crimson Peak (2015), The Pacifier (2005), and X-Men (2000).

• They submitted nearly 200 fictional board game names, but only eight or so were cleared by the legal department.

• Grace's shivering in the photo-shoot scenes wasn't performative. In the commentary, Samara Weaving mentioned that it was cold when they were shooting that scene, hence her shivering, but it worked to make her look more convincingly nervous, something Weaving herself admitted.

• Exterior shots of the mansion from the film were of Parkwood Estates in Oshawa, Ontario (Canada) which are the same estate grounds used in Billy Madison (1995).

• The song "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley was covered and remade especially for the film.