On its 5th Anniversary, Ready or Not Remains One of the Greatest Horror Comedies Ever

Five years ago, Samara Weaving had to play a very deadly game of Hide and Seek.

Blending horror and comedy together can be tricky, but when done right, you can get something truly special. And five years ago, the trio known as Radio Silence showed they knew exactly how to get it right with Ready or Not, in which a just-married bride (Samara Weaving) finds herself hunted by her new husband’s devil-worshiping family as part of a longtime ritual to keep them rich, powerful and, well, alive. 

When it was pointed out that today — August 21 — marks the fifth anniversary of the US release of the movie (thanks for tweeting about it, Super Yaki!), I suddenly felt compelled to write about it, because Ready or Not means a lot to me. I saw it a couple of weeks before it came out in a small screening on the Fox lot and it was one of those moments where a movie ends and you’re hit hard by that wonderful “I just watched a new all-time favorite!” feeling. 

Radio Silence (which includes Ready or Not directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and Executive Producer Chad Villella) and writers Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy wonderfully set the stage for what’s to follow. If it weren’t for the film’s flashback prologue (showing some decidedly violent events), going into Ready or Not cold, you might just think it’s a comedy about a woman trying to fit in with her snobby new rich in-laws because it feels so genuine and witty in this regard. It helps to have someone as excellent as Henry Czerny playing family patriarch Tony Le Domas, since he exudes just the right judgmental authority - selling why Grace (Weaving) would assume he hates her and her lack of money without needing to think “That dude totally worships the devil and is ready to sacrifice me if need be.”