Starring: Alisha Weir, Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, and Giancarlo Esposito.

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Universal

After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware what’s contained within. 

While Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are probably best known for directing the two most recent Scream movies, it’s 2019’s Ready or Not that their new horror movie most closely resembles in terms of location (creepy mansion) and tone (not an outright comedy, but not taking itself too seriously).

The problem with the marketing of this movie, and it’s a big problem with the trailer, is that there’s a lovely twist about 40 minutes in that it’s best not to know. The characters aren’t aware of it, and while it doesn’t derail the film by knowing it ahead of time, I’m not comfortable with ruining it here. But if you do already know, it doesn’t really matter, because there’s plenty more twists and turns to follow.

The set-up is deliberately familiar. A group of people are trapped in an old dark house with no means of escape. They all harbour secrets, and one by one they start getting bumped off. So far, so And Then There Were None, which even gets directly referenced. And what a fun bunch of misfits are trapped in the house, from Dan Stevens’ ex-cop, to Kevin Durand’s meathead muscleman and Kathryn Newton’s hacker.

Scream’s Melissa Barrera plays Joey, the most likeable person of the bunch, and the one who treats abductee Abigail (Matilda’s Alisha Weir) most compassionately. Everyone else is cannon fodder – this is what happens when you kidnap a 12 year old! Oh, and there’s blood… gallons of it. In fact, there’s so much gore and violence that it’s been given an 18 certificate, which I think is a shame, because this is fantasy carnage and there’s nothing that a hardy 15 year old couldn’t handle. So, be warned if you’re adverse to the crimson stuff.

Verdict: An absolute hoot from start to finish. A knowing parody of old dark house movies that exists to entertain in a fairground ghost train manner. Go for the ride, try and duck the gore, and definitely avoid knowing any more about it than the time the screening starts. 9/10

Nick Joy