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.

Ready Or Not was a surprise.

I entered the movie not expecting much, but I was happy to find a pretty original spin on the classic “killer(S) stalk damsel in distress” theme.

With that said, I guess all of these particular kinds of movie are focused around a lethal game of hide and seek, but this is the first that actually uses said game as part of its plot, and I found it to be extremely fun.

The fact that it goes out of its way to use the hide and seek game means that it shouldn’t take itself too seriously, and it doesn’t.  Often the film plays as a dark comedy rather than a straight up horror, and the moments where we are laughing in an otherwise unfunny situation are the strength to Ready Or Not.

The cast is really great.  Samara Weaving is fantastic in the main role, or damsel in distress if you will, and the supporting cast, rounded out by Andie McDowell, Adam Brody, Mark O’Brien and Henry Czerny, all do a great job of playing the various satanic family members.

Almost the entire movie takes place within the confines of the families cavernous mansion, and the set design is absolutely perfect.  Everything is right where it needs to be to serve the plot, and there wasn’t any object that seemed out of place.

There were a few twists and turns towards the end, most of which weren’t blatantly obvious, so kudos to writer Guy Busick and director Matt Bettinelli-Olpin for pulling it off.

Entertaining and largely original, a must for fans of the genre.

8/10

Rick Trewin.