Ready or Not (R)
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review sites: Bloody Disgusting; Dread Central; Kindertrauma; PopHorror
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This came out in 2019, but I didn't see it until 2025. For much of the movie, I thought it seemed more like a thriller than horror, and despite having some humor, I didn't really think of it as a comedy, until late in the movie. It also has a supernatural element, but that doesn't become truly apparent until the end, so I don't think of it as supernatural horror. (It's more like a slasher film, but with many slashers and only one potential victim. But there's still plenty of gore.) Wikipedia calls it comedy horror, and in the end, that's how I came to see it. I still think it's heavier on the horror/thriller aspect than the humor, but the whole premise is actually kind of ridiculous. And the people committing the horrors are all pretty ridiculous, themselves. I also want to say that this movie reminded me of any number of other things, which I mostly don't want to mention. But I will say it's kind of like Knives Out crossed with "The Most Dangerous Game". Anyway, it's a pretty good movie. Despite how ridiculous it all is, I think it manages to work on every level.

It starts with two young boys, Daniel and Alex Le Domas, running through their family's mansion, obviously scared of something. Alex then hides, and Daniel is confronted by a man who wants his help. Instead, Daniel calls out that the man is here, and Daniel's family then comes in, wearing masks, and kills the man.

We then flash forward thirty years. Alex has been estranged from his family for some time, but he now returns home to marry a woman named Grace (Samara Weaving). After the wedding, it turns out that the family has a tradition of playing a game at midnight whenever someone new joins the family. The patriarch of the family, Tony, explains some family history, which ultimately involves a puzzle box from which Grace must draw a card, which will decide what game the family plays. The card she draws says "hide and seek", so Grace must hide, while the others seek her. The horror begins when it turns out that the seekers must try to kill Grace. They believe that if they don't kill her by dawn, they'll all die themselves, because of a deal made by their great grandfather, many years ago. At first Alex wants no part of this, but after a little while he decides that instead of doing nothing, he'll try to help Grace escape.

The hunters include Tony, his wife, Becky (Andie MacDowell), their son, Daniel (Adam Brody), their daughter, Emilie, her husband, Fitch, Daniel's wife, Charity, Tony's sister, Helene, and the butler, Stevens. (I don't really know why Stevens was a part of this, since he's apparently not family, but somehow the curse applies to him, too. There are also a couple of maids, who are not part of the game.) Daniel really doesn't want to take part in the game, and the others aren't happy about having to do it, either (except for Helene, who is pretty creepy). But they're all pretty determined to do it, to save their own lives. (They do wish Grace would have drawn a different card, though.) Eventually, Alex is caught and handcuffed to a bed, to stop him from helping his wife.

Beyond that, I don't want to spoil any details. But I will say I found the last line of dialogue in the movie to be laugh out loud funny. Everyone did a splendid job with their roles, with both the horror and the humor. It's all pretty disturbing, yet also pretty fun. And... I guess I don't know what else to say.