3+1 Short Paragraphs: Ready or Not

2019, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett (V/H/S) -- download

This is one of the ones we would normally save for 31 Days of Halloween, but seeing it came out just after, we ended up watching anyway. Cannot save everything for the following year or we end up just not seeing a bunch at all (ed. note: whoah, I have a bunch from 2019 I have yet to post. Xmas Posts sort of pushed them off the radar). Not staying on track is a common theme for any "event" based posting stream. I am surprised I watched as many Xmas movies as I did, all things considered.

NOW, where was I ? Yes, a movie better suited for the event, but something we just wanted to see. And it was worth it,  as we quite enjoyed this small very Canadian thriller-comedy. Grace (Samara Weaving, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) is marrying into the big Le Domas family, that made their name from a legacy of boardgames. Yep, Old Boardgames Money. That should be a hint that something is awry. This is a weird, eccentric family who don't deny they are odd, but affirm Grace that if she wants to be In, she has to play their games. Literal games.

Of course, this game ends up involving bizarre rituals and murder. Like the rather terrible Satanic Panic, the wealthy Le Domas fortune didn't come massive boardgame sales, but from The Devil. Or at least some incarnation of him that they claim they made a deal with. They don't really know, as no one has ever actually succeeded in foiling the ritual. Every time someone marries in, they have to play a game. Most of the games are benign, but Hide & Seek has a malevolent method; Grace as to hide, and the rest, including her new husband, have to seek her, in order to murder her. If they don't, poof goes the forture. Or worse. Who knows.

This is a fun little romp because Grace quickly goes from terrified to Not Taking Any More Shit. Like Clara in [REC] 3 (Spanish ones), she quickly rips off the hem of wedding dress and gets to defending herself. Some of the family are focused and will do anything to keep their legacy intact, while others, like Emilie (Melanie Scrofano, Wynona Earp) are just unfortunately mixed up in all this batshit crazy and do their best to carry on -- unfortunately, that involves her accidentally killing most of her children's nannies. In case you are wondering, yes the kids are just as involved in all thus murder and mayhem. In the end, Grace does survive and yes, the family goes KA-BLOOP as the consequences of not completing the ritual fulfills itself.

Bonus Line: Yes, Roman was right, this movie does smack a little of A Cabin in the Woods, but not for the playing with tropes of horror, but more from the clever.