It took me way too long to get around to watching Ready or Not. I’ll say thanks to Mike Flanagan, and his podcast, Director’s Commentary for putting me on to it. And I should have watched it long ago, as it has a few friends of the blog in it, the wonderful Kristian Bruun, Mark O’Brien and Henry Czerny.

It’s also an incredibly entertaining horror-comedy.

Samara Weaving plays Grace, a newly wed bride. She’s married into Alex’s (O’Brien) incredibly rich family. They’ve made their fortune in games, and family tradition requires that each new member of the family must play a game with the family on their wedding night.

Set amongst strange traditions, Grace soon finds herself in a brutal and violent (not to mention frequently funny) game of hide and seek, as she is pursued through the family mansion by a stacked cast of amazing talent.

Joining the aforementioned cast is Andie MacDowell, Melanie Scrofano, Adam Brody, and Elyse Levesque. And they all seem to be having a great time.

The story plays out brilliantly, filled with lots of blood and laughs, and a great tale that lets each of the cast members play it to the hilt. It’s an absolutely wild ride and it has wonderful payoffs and moments.

And incredibly, the film is almost entirely shot on location, in both Toronto (Casa Loma) and Oshawa (the Billy Madison mansion) with only one set made for the film. It looks great, and you can tell that everything in the budget is on the screen.

It’s all there, and damn if it isn’t all enjoyable. And that ending, so great!

The film has a wonderful kinetic energy, lots of fantastic camera work, a cast that is obviously enjoying itself, and lots of practical effects.

Like I said, I couldn’t believe that it took me this long to get around to seeing this one, especially since Kristian is in it. He’s fantastic in everything he does, and he’s just a joy to be around. And I get that impression from everyone in this film.

The story rockets along but it also makes sure to give each character their moments, letting them grow, follow their arcs, and in the case of most of them, meet an untimely end. This was a great ride, and thanks to Flanagan’s podcast I’ve got a few other films from the directors to look into.

While it is bloody, it’s not overly gory. It could be a fun introductory horror film for newbies, and a wonderful escaped for horror fans.

Check it out!