Ready or Not review round-up: The 'deliciously diabolical sophomore feature' is a rare 'Get Out-like horror movie'

Ready or Not , which is Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s second directorial collaboration, is all about blood and gore, generously peppered with horrific scenes. The red band trailer of the horror film introduces audiences to an idyllic wedding set where the much-in-love couple (Samara Weaving and Mark O’Brien) are about to marry each other. Now that the film has released overseas, here is a review round-up of the film. Variety: “This deliciously diabolical sophomore feature, which hails from the resourceful low-budget trio known as Radio Silence, represents a departure for indie distributor Fox Searchlight, which has a real winner on its hands — that rare Get Out -like horror movie capable of delivering superficial diversion alongside deep cultural critique — but limited experience handling genre fare.” [caption id=“attachment_6837781” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Still from Ready or Not’s trailer. YouTube screengrab[/caption] The Wrap: “A tale of the nefarious plots of a diabolical family that made its wealth off board games, Ready or Not, at its best, calls to mind some devilish delights of the 1970s, from the antique-toy-stuffed manor of the original Sleuth to the jet set’s homicidal party games in The Last of Sheila to the ever-resilient final girl of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Rolling Stone: “What’s unexpected is the subversive wit that turns Ready or Not into a satiric sneak attack on the institution of marriage. As the bodies pile up, the film scores points for underlining the crimes committed in the name of family ties and wedded bliss. The ending leaps into the wild blue of absurdity, but it’s killer fun getting there.” Screen Daily: “Underneath the dark humour and rising body count, Ready or Not also wants to be an ironic paean to female empowerment, depicting this bride as a woman fighting back against the patriarchy. Like most everything in this film, that commentary is shallow, but Weaving’s ferociously committed performance ennobles Grace so that we would never dream of mistaking her for the many female characters relegated to running around screaming in a horror movie.” Matt and Tyler are experts at creating a world of torture and fear, as Devil’s Due in 2014 showed us. The film also stars Adam Brody and Andie MacDowell. Ready or Not is scheduled to hit Indian theatres on 13 September.