Samara Weaving's Gritty Action Sleeper Hit Officially Finds a New Home on Streaming

A quirky, gory survival horror like no other

Samara Weaving is the perfect casting for Emma Frost, adding intense anticipation for Marvel’s X-Men reboot. Weaving has already established a knack for playing memorable female leads, thanks to her reputation as a talented scream queen.

The actor has appeared in thriller movies like Mayhem (2017), The Babysitter (2017), and Scream VI (2023) over the years, while also being a part of thrillers like Over Your Dead Body (2026). But one role in particular makes the best argument that she's the right fit to play the MCU's new White Queen.

Weaving belts out a memorable performance in both Ready or Not (2019) and its recent sequel, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. The 2019 film, which showcases Weaving’s knack for horror and comedy, is now streaming on Netflix. This is the perfect time to watch this subversive gem while you wait for Weaving’s Frost in the upcoming X-Men movie.

What is Ready or Not about?

Ready or Not opens with a strange ritual, where a man in a groom’s suit is hunted by his in-laws. The Le Domas family appears wearing ceremonial masks, pushing the event towards a grisly end. Fast-forward 20 years and we meet Alex Le Domas (Mark O'Brien), who is about to get married to Grace (Weaving).

Although Alex and Grace seem deeply in love, the Le Domas family treats her with masked derision, making her outsider status feel apparent from the get-go. After the wedding, Grace draws a card as per family tradition, landing on a game of Hide and Seek, which seems harmless and innocuous at first. What unfolds after is a cruel game of cat-and-mouse, which completely destabilizes Grace’s notions about family and romantic love.

Grace proves to be a hardened survivalist even though the Le Domas family hounds her like uncoordinated wolves in the night. The comedic aspects of the film blend beautifully with the horror. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett don't rely on too many jump scares to raise the stakes. Instead, comedic moments suddenly give way to tension, which puts Grace’s precarious situation into perspective.

Ready or Not is an effective, on-the-nose class parable

The film’s darkly satirical themes explore the true cost of generational wealth and the horrifying privilege that comes with it. The gaudy opulence of the Le Domas mansion becomes the backdrop of horror, adding to the claustrophobic fear that Grace can never escape her intended fate. The bursts of gore are sudden and satisfying, adding a fun, spontaneous quality to Grace’s attempts to survive a twisted game she barely understands.

As we watch the carnage unfold, Ready or Not offers its on-the-nose class parable about wealth inequality and familial indoctrination. None of the Le Domases are afforded individuality — they must think as a collective, forever putting their individual morality aside for the “greater good.” This exposes the parasitic nature of generational wealth, as the privilege tied to it blinds even the most well-meaning individuals.

The family's working-class maids and butlers, some of whom gleefully participate in hunting down Grace, end up becoming collateral damage. Despite their eagerness to aid the wealthy, their sacrifices aren’t appreciated at any point. If anything, their suffering is seen as a footnote in a night meant for hedonistic indulgence.

Weaving’s visceral presence as Grace grounds the film’s outlandish premise, but the ensemble cast also does a brilliant job of making these larger-than-life characters feel believable. Extreme wealth distorts collective perception and robs people of the ability to discern what’s wrong and right. Ready or Not doesn’t discard its darkly comedic edge right up until the end, and the film is better for it. It is a smart, well-written satire that makes excellent use of its board game fixation to weave a frenetic one-night adventure that has the most unexpected (and cathartic) resolution.

Even if one overlooks the film’s unsubtle “eat-the-rich” messaging, Ready or Not is a strangely moving fish-out-of-water survival tale. We bat for Grace’s blunt authenticity, awkwardly laugh along with her, and desperately root for her survival, no matter the cost. This alone is a compelling marker of a film that has succeeded in selling its fantasy, no matter how absurd it might seem on every watch.

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Ready or Not is streaming on Netflix.