A bride’s wedding night takes a sinister turn when her eccentric new in-laws force her to take part in a terrifying game.

Weddings can be nerve-wracking experiences. So many things to remember, so many details to get just right, so many possible disasters, both big and small, that can happen.

And then there’s the in-laws.

Grace and Alex (Samara Weaving and Mark O’Brien) are the lucky couple in question, and it seems as if their special day has been perfect (even with creepy Aunt Helene staring daggers at the two of them). However, Alex’s gaming tycoon family has a little surprise in store for Grace: at midnight, she must join them in their huge (huuuuge) mansion and play a game. After that, she’ll be welcomed into the family with open arms. Could be backgammon. Could be Old Maid. Could be checkers.

But she chooses Hide and Seek.

Holy cow, this movie is awesome. It may start a bit slowly, but the filmmakers are just taking their time setting up the rather large cast of characters before unleashing them to wreak bloody hell. And, believe you me, bloody hell is wreaked. And then some.

As Grace giddily hides in the corridors and hallways (and dumb waiters) of the mansion, the rest of the family members gather a collection of ugly weapons to Go and hunt her down, hopefully finding her before dawn so they can ritually sacrifice her and keep the family in good fortunes.

Luckily for Grace (and our own enjoyment) the family is not exactly the best at taking care of business, and, try as they might, Grace keeps finding hidden reserves of intelligence and stamina with which to fight back.

There are some very tense, suspenseful sequences in Ready or Not, and there are some downright hilarious gags, plus a few incredibly gross scenes that made this hardcore horror dude flinch a bit. Be assured, this flick earns its hard R rating.

The cast is absolutely amazing. A more perfect ensemble I haven’t seen in a long time. Extra credit points for Kristian Bruun, as nebbishy Fitch, who is given an ancient crossbow and has no idea how to use it.  In other kudos, all the aforementioned Aunt Helene scenery is chewed up, spit out, and then chewed up again by the wonderful Nicky Gaudagni, who can do more with a raised eyebrow than most actors can with a Shakespeare soliloquy. She also wields a mean axe.

I’m trying hard to remember a movie I enjoyed more than Ready or Not in the past couple years, and I’m coming up short. Writers Guy Busick and Ryan Murphy keep the action moving along with snappy dialogue and believable, if eccentric, characters never taking a false step. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olin and Tyler Gillett are at the controls of this crazy ride and their collective hand is as sure and steady as can be, guiding us inexorably towards the goriest, drippingest, bloodiest climax in years. Uncle Mike sez go, roll the dice, choose the card, and get in this game. You’ll be glad you did.