Podcasts
‘Ready or Not’ Is a Bloody Confluence of Capitalism and Clue [The Lady Killers Podcast]
“You’ll have to hide better than that.”
We’ve all got that one bad ex in our past. At first they seemed like a dream come true – an angel sent straight from heaven to be our perfect match. They were attractive, spontaneous, generous, kind … We spent most of our time indulging in months-long bone-a-thons and we just figured the future would take care of itself! And then we met the inlaws. Fortunately, no matter how stressful these “meet the parents” occasions may have been, they probably don’t hold a candle to what Grace (Samara Weaving) endures in Ready or Not. This gorgeous bride has just married the man of her dreams at a lavish estate wearing god’s gift to wedding dresses only to find out that she’s unwittingly entered into a bizarre gaming ritual that might end up costing her life.
This 2019 film from Radio Silence is not only a star-making vehicle for Weaving, it’s also a brutal evisceration of capitalism and the birthplace of one of the greatest memes of all time. After all, who among us can’t relate to a gorgeous woman lighting up on the steps of a burning mansion in her blood-soaked wedding dress? The Lady Killers certainly can. Hosts Jenn Adams, Sammie Kuykendall, Mae Shults, and Rocco T. Thompson draw their cards and pass out the medieval murder weapons to talk about beloved board games, fancy maids, deals with the devil and “fuckin’ rich people” in a desperate attempt to survive until sunrise.
Does Grace belong with this evil clan or has she been sent by a mysterious force to destroy them? Could Emily’s incompetence be a symptom of her privilege or is she just the family fuck-up? Is Adam Brody the hottest heir to a gaming dynasty we’ve ever seen? Just how many goats do the Le Domases go through in a year and is it possible to root against Andie MacDowell? The Lady Killers will search high and low for answers to these questions and more as they put on their fanciest wedding attire and try not to explode.
Ready or not, here we come!
Stream the episode below or subscribe now via Apple Podcasts and Spotify for future episodes that drop every Thursday.
After winding down June with discussions of our vey first William Castle film Homicidal (listen) and queer director Roland Emmerich’s summer tentpole Independence Day (listen), we’re heading back to 1981 to check out Joe Dante‘s seminal werewolf film The Howling.
The Howling sees television journalist Karen White (Dee Wallace) attend a psychiatric retreat with her husband Bill (Christopher Stone) after being attacked and traumatized by local serial killer Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo). It isn’t long before Karen realizes that the retreat is actually a secret cult of werewolves, and they’ve already got their sights set on Bill.
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Episode 394: The Howling (1981)
Make note of that smiley face sticker and snag that conveniently-placed jar of acid because we’re talking Joe Dante’s stealth werewolf classic The Howling (1981)!
Join us as we discuss the film’s deviations from its source material before doing a deep dive into this very tongue-in-cheek, self-aware horror film. It honestly feels like a precursor to Scream, in many ways!
Plus: Roger Corman (again!) those incredible special effects, differentiating “color movies” from “movies in color,” and why queer icon Elisabeth Brooks has us going “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!”
Cross out The Howling!
Coming Up Next: We’re tackling our very first Ken Russell film with a look at his controversial 1984 erotic thriller Crimes of Passion!
P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for over 508 hours of Patreon content including this month’s new episodes on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Forbidden Fruits, Saccharine, Evil Dead Burn, an audio commentary on Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (aka Howling II: Stirba – Werewolf Bitch), and the conclusion of our coverage of AMC’s The Vampire Lestat on the Requel Tier.