Ngozi Nwokeukwu

Dr. Muniz-Villalon

English 15 Section 104

February 27, 2020

A Good Scare Never Hurt Anybody

Horror is one of the most prevalent genres when it comes to movies. I have personally

watched dozens of horror movies and like most fans of the genre, once you have watched more

than ten, you begin to see a pattern between a ground-breaking horror movie and a cheap, boring

mess. There have been plenty of genre bending horror movies, for example The Thing, Get Out,

The Cabin in the Woods, Train to Busan, and Halloween. Whether modern or old-school, all

these movies have brought fear (and a bit of joy) to all horror movie fans. And the things that all

these movies have in common are the secret ingredient that makes a great horror movie. These

traits consist of a unique storyline, the ability to be genuinely scary, a good use of special effects

and gore, and the help of incredible actors who enhance the story. Any true horror fan can

understand that when these criteria are met, that horror movie can go in the horror hall of fame.

While searching through the 2019 horror movie selection, many showed great potential with

their stories, but otherwise were unfulfilling. Then, I came across Ready or Not, a horror movie

about a bride stalked by her new husband’s rich, Satan-worshipping family in a sick game of

hide and seek. This movie not only hits all the criteria for a great horror movie but brings in an

element of laughter and charm that the classics do not always hit. Not only were the special

effects practical and great to look at, the storyline was a twist on a traditional rom com storyline

with a major cultural connection in comparison with other major classics, had some moments

that would put you on the edge of your seat, and had actors who not only fit the role well enough
to bring the whole movie together, but were also the definition of professional horror actors. This

is a movie that deserves a place with the classics, and I believe every huge horror fan should give

it a watch.

Most of the appeal of a horror movie lies in the gore and the special effects. When it

comes to gore in movies, it holds our attention. A study created by the University of Central

Florida and Indiana University hypothesized that when we see gore on screen we’re disgusted,

however we are not able to look away from it. Then, Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, a psychologist at the

University of Utrecht conducted an experiment in which people were shown real gore. The

results warranted that most people could not finish watching the gore they were presented (qtd in

Pieraz and Treñas). The idea of fake gore being fascinating and real gore being repulsive brings

up an important question. How come we cannot watch real gore, but we are fascinated by gore in

movies? Dr. Goldstein’s theory proposed that we as humans can sense what is real and fake

when it comes to gore (qtd in Pieraz and Treñas). The disgusting, bordering on realistic, yet still

fake gore in horror movies gives people a safe place to explore a strange fascination with it. This

is to say we can be disgusted and interested in the gore without it bordering on traumatic. There

is also another reason for our enjoyment of gore that lies in Dr. Dolf Zillman’s Excitation

Transfer Theory. It basically the idea that when a hero escapes the gory fate that their

counterparts had befallen, it makes the experience of the horror movie much more fulfilling

(Pieraz and Treñas). This specifically highlights the effect gore also has on the scare factor.

Routing for a character through horrifyingly realistic likenesses of slashing and hacking adds to

the suspense of a story.

Now, although we as humans cannot stomach real gore, hyperrealism in horror movies is

better than gore that looks fake and poor quality. Unrealistic gore takes away from the
suspenseful affect. Plus, overly ridiculous gore tends to make people laugh, rather than be scared.

The best way to get the hyper realistic look for gore lies in practical affects. Matt Donato, editor

of the movie critic site We Got this Covered, talked about the importance of practical affects in

horror movies. He mentioned both the pros and cons when it comes to practical affects. In

general, practical affects are a very good method to use for gore, seeing as how movies like The

Thing, directed by John Carpenter and special effects done by Rob Bottin and Stan Winston, had

exceptional practical affects that were way beyond the horror movie genre in the 80s and that of

today’s effects (“How Special Effects”). Artists like Bottin and Winston focused on creating

hyper realistic effects using multiple different methods from sculpting for long hours, to using

tons of make-up, to experimenting with different foods and substances to make the sincerest

looking blood. This hard work shows in the movie, looking like true nightmares brought

exceptionally to life, making The Thing so memorable.

The problem that Donato points out in practical effects is that they were limited, and that

practical affects back in the day of no digital help were harder to film. There were specific

places, like warehouses, and procedures done in order to film what they wanted without giving

away the forged gore (“How Special Effects”). Mistakes had to be limited because there was no

way to go in an erase them, making the job of all the artists and designers more difficult. While

the invention of CGI changed all that, implementation of too much CGI or using only CGI is not

respectable from a creator and audience member point of view. Using mostly CGI can lead to

disastrous results, with effects that look cheap, shoddy, and that stand out (“How Special

Effects”). These standoffish effects distance the fan from the scare factor of the movie. Albeit, it

is enjoyable for a good laugh, but will not make it memorable or truly frightening. When
directors use only CGI, it is obvious to the audience. CGI is revolutionary only in that it can

support artists by cleaning up what practical effects cannot do on their own.

When it comes to Ready or Not, it follows the points of using mostly practical affects

and then using CGI to clean it up afterwards. Take the last scene of the movie: The Le Domas

family have finally cornered Grace and are about to sacrifice her. If they do not kill her by

sunset, something horrible could happen to their family. Grace manages to hold them off all the

way to sunset, however, nothing happens. Was the whole night of hunting a waste? Is the Le

Domas ritual not real? Aunt Helene Le Domas does not think so and begins to run up to end

Grace’s life, thinking the ritual must be complete. Then, she explodes (Ready or Not).

In order to get that close to hyper realistic, yet more accessible affect mentioned by

Donato, Vanderbilt, the producer, and crew used various explosives, fake props, and even a meat

cannon to simulate the body explosions that each family member in the fake Le Domas family

would experience (Nolfi). They then added in the family members afterward and fixed any issues

with CGI. There are many examples of this technique being used for other deaths in this movie,

however, the explosion of the selfish Le Domas family who wished to kill an innocent girl

represents the idea Dr. Zillman was talking about: Seeing the hero escape a bloody and horrific

fate, and having the villain face a worse fate, making the movie more satisfying.

Although gore is the most recognizable part of the horror genre, the thing that makes

good horror movies memorable are great story lines. Take for an example The Shining. A

documentary known as Room 237 premiered back in 2012 as an explanation of all the conspiracy

theories revolving around The Shining. The theories revolved around the Holocaust, to

Indigenous burial grounds, to the movie being evidence that the moon landing was fake (Toor).

The shining is one of the most iconic one-off horror movies of all time. Not only has it left such
a profound effect on people enough to still be debating its premise and origins, it cemented

Stephen King as a horror legend and created tropes that many movies would steal or mimic.

From the Grady girls, to “Redrum”, to the concept of “the Shining,” it’s no wonder that people

have been fascinated with all that it represents. This is an extreme example, and is not easily

comparable to Ready or Not. In the case of Ready or Not, it has not been out long enough to have

conspiracy theories, nor will it probably have the discussion and debate that were as fierce as the

ones for The Shinning. However, much like The Shinning in the 1980s , Ready or Not also has an

important cultural connection with the time it was released in. Charlotte O’Sullivan, from “Go

London”, had wrote in her review of the movie, “It’s this year’s Get Out, a witty, endlessly

suspenseful US slasher movie that critiques privilege and entitlement,” and this is just the

beginning to an article about how Ready or Not is an example of upper class society and it’s

gatekeeping and how privilege corrupts a person. This is culturally relevant seeing as how

between the loss of the democratic candidate in the 2016 election and the start of the 2020

Democratic Primaries, many young progressives have started critiquing the establishment.

They have started to see that often, the democrats are center, with no real opinion on anything,

continuing to support legislation that hurt people for the sake of the upper class, much like the

Republican party. Young radicals are speaking out about issues of poverty, being overworked,

and egregious wealth being owned by the few. The message of the gatekeeping of the rich in

Ready or Not will leave a memorable and culturally significant story in the fight for the end of

classism.

Storyline makes a movie memorable and gore is a basic trait of an iconic horror movie,

but what does the scare factor do? It indoctrinates it into the genre. In Ms. Sullivan’s review

and other positive reviews of Ready or Not, it is often praised for its suspenseful character.
R.J. Jacobs from CrimeReads talks about how “suspense is an uncomfortable pleasure”. His

article begins to elaborate on how suspense is the unknown future of a storyline that is also

routed in danger and high stakes. This confusion leads to problem-solving and guessing that is

routed in anxiety. However, this anxiety is good. And the origin of this anxiety lies in our fear

of death and our desire to self-protect (Jacobs). This same feeling is seen in Ready or Not in

the way that the heroine, Grace, is stalked constantly in order to be killed for a sacrifice.

Grace is very much an average person. She is awkward yet funny, not the strong badass,

comes from a working-class background, and is very much rational compared to many movie

heroines. In one scene she attempts to shoot an enemy with a gun only to be informed it is a

display for fancy guests. Before she can be attacked, she smashes a teacup over the enemy’s

head. In another seen, she is trying to squeeze through the Le Domas mansion gates, to the

point where she is in wounded badly. She is rushing to flag down a car, only to talk to driver,

who cusses at her and drives away. She responds with “F*cking rich people.” While a funny

line, the context shows that because of that selfishness, she is still on the hunt to be murdered.

Grace is relatable, and easy to put ourselves into her shoes. She is a poor girl in a rich man’s

game, where nobody is on her side. Her life is at stake and while she continues to make good

decisions that end in failure, we are both planning and following along anxiously to see how

she will survive.

The feeling of suspense that was given to us in the film is all thanks to the help of

Samara Weaving, who is looking at becoming a brand-new scream queen. A scream queen is

a woman who you continuously find in multiple horror movies, due to their exceptional

performance in each role. Samara has had a range of roles she has been praised in, from a sexy

villain in The Babysitter to our simple, yet practical heroine in Ready or Not. Further support
for Samara Weaving as a young, horror prodigy comes from a review by Elena Lazic of Little

White Lies, who says, “No-fat fun and a great new scream queen in Samara Weaving.” Praise

can also go to her background cast as well, who were reviewed as quite playful and took on

perfectly campy identities for their role.

Horror has always been a sort of misunderstood genre. It is known for blood and guts

and nothing more. Blood and guts can have their interesting effect, in which it is unpleasant,

but eye-catching. Yet, it is not the only thing that defines the genre. The best horror movies

are unique in the stories they unfold, full of amazing actors, and gripping and suspenseful.

These movies are more than just sick and gratuitous media. They are movies that bring

genuine feelings of excitement and thoughtfulness that any other movie of any other genre can

have. Ready or Not is the proof of that. With Samara Weaving, the major definition of a

Scream Queen, leading the way with her heartful and horrifying performance, the audience

gets to feel the suspenseful and anxious adventure she gets to feel. And with Ready or Not’s

story making a general connection with its cultural audience, in comparison to the way that

The Shining had, this movie years down the road will be a member of the classics that took

the horror genre by storm. All movies are made to move us, and for major horror fans, these

classics have done just that, both through fear and triumph.
 Work Cited

Nolfi, Joey. “See How a Wild 'Meat Cannon' Splattered Actors for Gory Finale of

'Ready or Not'.” EW.com, Meredith Corporation, 2 Dec. 2019,

ew.com/movies/2019/12/02/ready-or-not-blu-ray-release-meat-cannon-video/.

Pieraz, Adie, and Cessi Treñas. “The Psychology Behind Why We Love Horror &

Gore.” Wonder, Wonder Corporation, 19 Oct. 2018, wonder.ph/popculture/why-we-love-horror/.

“How Special Effects and Technology in Horror Films Work.” STEMJobs, Stem Jobs

Corporation, 16 Jan. 2018, www.stemjobs.com/special-effects-technology-horror-films-work/.

Toor, Amar. “'Room 237' Explores 'The Shining' and the Conspiracy Theories It

Spawned.” The Verge, The Verge, 10 Feb. 2013, www.theverge.com/2013/2/10/3973692/room-

237-the-shining-kubrick-documentary-trailer.

O'Sullivan, Charlotte. “Ready or Not Review: How to Skewer Wealth in Superb Slasher

Style.” Evening Standard, 27 Sept. 2019, www.standard.co.uk/go/london/film/ready-or-not-film-

review-a4248396.html.

Jacobs, R.J. “The Psychology of Suspense.” CrimeReads, 22 Mar. 2019,

crimereads.com/the-psychology-of-suspense/.

“Ready or Not (2019).” Rotten Tomatoes,

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ready_or_not_2019.

Created by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy. Ready or Not. Directed by Matt

Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Mythology Entertainment and Vinson Films, 21 Aug 2019