It’s like Quentin Tarantino bought the rights to direct a Clue remake and merged it with another Kill Bill sequel and Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game. Whichever way it ends up, the creators of the late summer release Ready or Not know how to make a great movie trailer. Disney’s new production arm Fox Searchlight, known for independent, horror, and comedy films, looks to have produced a clever idea: a horror film with quirky dark Tim Burton-esque black comedy in a traditional mystery setting. Make that two trailers, both a good greenband trailer and a good redband trailer. Check out both trailers below.
Australian actress Samara Weaving (Ash vs Evil Dead, Picnic at Hanging Rock) plays bride Grace, whose new husband, played by Mark O’Brien (Arrival, Warehouse 13), belongs to a family with an eccentric tradition. The bride must draw a card and survive the game on the card to pass the test and join the family. She chooses “Hide and Seek” and the family grabs their weapon of choice and proceed to try to kill her. In the backdrop is this great mansion, backed with production design by Andrew M. Stearn (Chicago, The Handmaid’s Tale, Killjoys), and costumes by Avery Plewes (The Umbrella Academy, Star Trek Discovery). There’s not much not to like here, except the splattery blood and gore and language that won’t be for every audience. For everyone else this looks like plenty of goofy fun.
Some high points not to overlook are the Canada actors TV watchers should be familiar with, especially Orphan Black’s standout funnyman Donnie (Kristian Bruun) and Wynonna Earp herself, Melanie Scrofano. Other familiar faces include Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day), Henry Czerny (Clear and Present Danger), Adam Brody (Shazam!), Elyse Levesque (Stargate Universe, Orphan Black), Hanneke Talbot (iZombie, Star Trek Discovery), and John Ralston (Haven, Reign). Ready or Not is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, with a screenplay by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy.
Here are both the PG-13 and the R versions of the trailers for Ready or Not:
So what do you think?
Hopefully it follows through on the promise of its trailers with a stylish fun film in the realm of mash-ups Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The official poster looks great, too:
Look for Ready or Not to arrive in theaters August 23, 2019.
C.J. Bunce
Editor
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