The one thing about horror comedies is that, often enough, one has to lean one way or the next. Are they a HORROR comedy or a horror COMEDY? It seems silly, but that thin line can be a huge thing when it comes to expectations for a film. What makes Ready or Not so great is that, while the concept itself is built on plenty of horror tropes, more aligned with the survival horror subgenre, the film is more or less a black comedy at its heart and uses the horror elements to deliver its thrills and laughs. It also happens to be really, really effective at it.

To be as effective as it needs to be, in its own relatively simple premise, the film has to place so much of its weight on the shoulders of Samara Weaving and she delivers. Although her relationship with her husband represents a lot of the emotional core of the film, it's her chemistry with each of the family members, her own emotional breakdown as the film goes, and her ability to be the victim, the heroine, and jack of all trades bounding between being the joke set up and the punch line, that represents the beating soul of Ready or Not. She truly delivers on all fronts, a malleable lead character that represents the needed strength of every scene. Her co-stars certainly help, with no real weak point outside of a few of the smaller characters who simply don't get enough time in this efficient narrative, but she handily owns the film.

The set up is ridiculous, as noted by every character in the film in its own smart way, and the execution is crisp and punchy. Ready or Not is a huge horror-comedy surprise for the year that definitely worth seeing.