The 2019 horror movie Ready Or Not has a great premise and empowering ending, as a young woman realizes that her new family is evil. Samara Wearing gives an impressive performance as Grace, who has just married Alex le Domas (Mark O'Brien) and who learns that her in-laws want to play a game of hide and seek. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who have won praise for directing Scream and Scream IV, the movie is funny, intelligent, and entertaining. The movie grossed over $57 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, and is highly rated on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ready Or Not isn't a straightforward slasher and has a more compelling and exciting ending than one might expect. After a fun and fast-paced few acts, the conclusion proves why Ready Or Not was one of the smartest horror releases of the 2010s.
What Is Ready Or Not About?
Ready Or Not is a wild ride with themes of family, marriage, and whether it's really possible to know anyone. When Grace's in-laws announce that they want to play hide and seek, she's confused but up for it, as she assumes that it's just for fun. Tony (Henry Czenry) says that Victor le Domas, his relative, was so desperate for success and money that he agreed to something terrible. He told someone called le Bail that whenever someone in the family got married, they would take a card for his puzzle box. This is a smart way to start the movie, as it's clear that something is very wrong.
Alex's family, which includes his brother Daniel (Adam Brody) and mother Helen (Andie MacDowell), are some of the funniest horror movie villains because they are so inept. They truly believe that they can make it through this ritual alive, but it's clear from the moment that Grace begins playing the game that she is strong and isn't going to give up that easily.
When Grace gets the Hide and Seek card, Alex's sister Emilie (Melanie Scrofano) murders a maid because she thought she was Grace, which is another early sign that the family is evil. The game begins in earnest and Grace proves herself to be a smart example of the final girl horror trope. She doesn't waste time wondering what kind of person she has just committed to, although of course these thoughts are running through her mind, and she gets to work figuring out how to survive and beat everyone else.
Ready Or Not has a pitch-perfect setting and premise. It's brilliant that the story takes place on Grace's wedding night, as she fights for her life in a wedding dress that becomes bloody and dirty by the end of the movie. The dress represents happiness and hope for the future, two things that are taken away from her as she learns about the dark and deadly ritual that the family believes in.
Not only is this a great horror movie setting, but deciding to make the entire story about a terrifying game of hide and seek was another good call. Since this game is supposed to be playful and whimsical, as it's usually played by children, the fact that the le Domas family has made it so dark is memorable and powerful.
How Does Ready Or Not End?
Ready Or Not ends with Grace surviving and the le Domas family dying, which feels like the right conclusion given how terrible they treat her. The sun comes up and the family explodes, which is definitely a shocking way to wrap the movie up. The Ready Or Not ending is a satisfying horror movie conclusion because audiences want Grace to be able to walk away from these wild and awful people and never have to think about them again... Although, of course, this is a haunting experience.
The final scenes see le Bail and Grace exchanging a look and a police officer asking Grace what went on in this mansion. She jokes "in-laws," which emphasizes the hilarious and smart tone of the movie. It's a lot of fun watching Grace realize how silly her new family is and how much she doesn't want to part of their lives, let alone play a game of survival with them. Grace is one of the best horror movie main characters because her inner strength is captivating to watch. But Ready Or Not has some serious themes as well.
Ready Or Not is about the highs and lows of marriage and how people can get too caught up in trying to make as money as possible. The Ready Or Not ending is all about how the quest for greed can trip many people up. If Alex's family wouldn't be so desperate for money and power, they wouldn't be in this situation. While they are angry and upset about the turn their lives have taken, it's clear that they brought it on themselves, and Ready Or Not's ending feels as clever as the rest of the story.