Sunday 29 September 2019

Ready or Not - The scoop and digest

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett direct, with Chad Villella and Daniel Bekerman serving as executive producers.

Samara Weaving - Grace
Adam Brody - Daniel
Mark O'Brien - Alex
Henry Czerny - Tony
Andie MacDowell - Becky
Nicky Guadagni - Helene
Melanie Scrofano - Emile
Elyse Levesque - Charity
Kristian Bruun - Fitch

Summary

Grace marries Alex at the wealthy Le Domas estate.

Ahead of clock striking midnight, Alex explains it's 'game time', as to officially become part of the family, Grace must honor tradition of pulling card from a mysterious wooden box and play game shown.

Alex's father Tony reveals his great-grandfather Victor made a deal with a guy called Mr. Le Bail, who upon solving 'his' box, agreed to help fund family fortune, providing tradition is upheld.

Not quite Hellraiser, but whatever.

Hide and seek soon becomes a fight for survival, as crazy family have until dawn to murder Grace - as they believe something really bad will happen.

The rich are different

Although quality of horror satire deteriorates towards the end, running time is loaded with jet-black humour, visceral gore and great peformances.

While obviously different, context is similar to Adam Wingard's You're Next.

Grace escaping from 'goat pit' inside barn (where corpses of previous victims are stored), and blindly slamming hand on exposed nail is nearly as cringing as Kelly Reilly stepping on wood shard in Eden Lake.

There's a great moment when Emile accidentally hits maid in mouth with crossbow.

Ironic reaction from onlookers ensures sequence is pretty hilarious.

Le Domas and Le Bail (anagrams of demons Asmodel and Belial respectively), are taken from the Ars Goetia.

Blood sacrifice ultimately fails and surviving family members suddenly explode.

Alex briefly escapes, but goes the same way when Grace divorces him.

Soon after, Le Bial's ghost briefly appears and nods in approval.

Okay, climax was predictable, but fun.

A blood-soaked Grace sparks up a fag while mansion burns down, and when asked about what happened, she cooly replies 'in-laws'.

I'll let that one slide.

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