SPOILERS AHEAD (obviously)…
The final girl has become a worshipped concept among the horror genre, and Ready or Not, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, has brought a new addition to the niche. Ready or Not is a horror comedy that follows protagonist Grace as she fights for survival on her wedding night. When she marries into the Le Domas family, she quickly learns the importance of their family rituals and must participate in a game of “hide and seek” to stay alive.
Themes of classism, Satanism, and morality are prominent in Ready or Not and are demonstrated at several points. Although the film fosters a comedic undertone the whole way through that adds levity to even its darkest moments, this story has many layers, similarly to Grace’s wedding dress (if you know, you know). Harnessing an abundance of foreshadowing and symbolism, including an external reference, this film presents a lot to uncover.
Heralds and Omens
Some of the major plot points in Ready or Not are foreshadowed early in the story. For instance, after their wedding, Alex and Grace jump onto a bed together and share an intimate moment before Grace notices Alex’s Aunt Helene staring at them forebodingly. She says “you’ll have to hide better than that,” before exiting, hinting at the game of “hide and seek” that is played later on. It is unknown how Aunt Helene would know that “hide and seek” is the game that will be played this early on in the film, but perhaps this is just wishful thinking, as she is much too eager to kill Grace throughout the entirety of the game.
A more subtle instance of foreshadowing occurs during the wedding scene. Alex and Grace are pronounced husband and wife before proceeding down the isle together. The camera then slowly zooms in on the front of the Le Domas mansion, which looks bright, colorful, and just about perfect. However, the slow zoom itself is foreboding. It actually foreshadows the very last scene of the film when the mansion is completely ablaze, everything is ruined, and Grace, covered head-to-toe in blood and dirt, sits on the front steps and smokes a cigarette. This scene mirrors the foreshadow with a slow zoom out.
Arguably the biggest foreshadow in this film is Daniel’s character redemption. As the older brother of the groom, Daniel feels a great deal of responsibility looking out for Alex, and feels a lot of guilt and shame for doing it poorly, which is made clear very early in the film. The opening scene follows Daniel and Alex running down a dark hallway of the Le Domas mansion with just a lantern. Daniel hides Alex in an armoire just before he is found by Charles, the new husband of his Aunt Helene. Charles pleads for Daniel’s help, only for Daniel to yell out to his family revealing his whereabouts. Charles is shot with an arrow and dragged away just then. Becky tells young Daniel that she is so proud of him.
This scene not only reveals that the “hide and seek” card was drawn once before during the lifetimes of these characters, but also that Daniel had to make a crucial choice to try and save a life or help end one. While he chooses the latter in this beginning scene, it poses a foreshadow that he will be faced with the same choice later, a chance for redemption. From this, it is also made clear that Daniel will be a much more crucial and complex character than Alex.
Daniel clearly carries a lot of guilt and shame from his family background and that one incident in particular from his childhood. This is exhibited through his alcoholism, which is mentioned several times by different characters and exhibited throughout the film. Additionally, Daniel makes several comments about how awful his family is, and he does not exclude himself from this verdict.
Although this internal struggle causes a lot of inner turmoil for him, Daniel still plays along with the plan to hunt Grace. However, when he and Emilie discover Georgie waking up in the barn after being punched by Grace, he reveals to them that he shot her in the hand. Daniel is disturbed by this but Emilie tells her son how she is very proud of him. This is exactly what Becky said to Daniel when he revealed Charles’ whereabouts at the beginning of the film. This seems to be the major turning point for Daniel, as he sees a younger version of himself in Georgie and knows how much damage the family’s sadistic rituals have caused him and others. This is most likely the moment in which he decides to help Grace escape.
A Deal with the Devil
The storyline of Ready or Not is largely centered around a pact that Victor Le Domas made with Mr. Le Bail, a man who became a benefactor for the Le Domas game business when Victor solved the mystery of a box that Le Bail gave to him. The Le Domas family is under the impression that the spirit of Mr. Le Bail is watching over them, and the rituals that they partake in are done for Mr. Le Bail in order for the family to keep their riches and good fortune. The name ‘Mr. Le Bail’ itself can be construed as an anagram for the demon Belial, or the Hebrew word of the same spelling that means ‘the devil.’ This causes for the Bible and religion to be a prominent theme throughout the film.
Ready or Not opens with a close-up shot of a game called ‘Le Bail’s Gambit.’ The game along with this opening shot are symbolic of the film’s entire plot. ‘Le Bail’s Gambit’ insinuates that Le Bail decides the fate of each player. In the film, the Le Domas family is entirely convinced that Mr. Le Bail determines their fates, and therefore, they must all play his games by his rules in order to prosper. Beyond this initial opening shot, more games are shown as the opening credits roll, including ‘Family Ritual,’ ‘Secret Council,’ and ‘ABRACADABRA: Fortune telling card game.’ These games all hint at major plot points in Ready or Not. The Le Domas family participates in several rituals to please Mr. Le Bail and depend on him to decide their fate.
There are quite a few details in Ready or Not that point to both religion and antireligion. The first scene of the film shows its audience the chase and eventual capture of Charles. During this scene, an intense thunderstorm booms. Later in the film, when Grace is captured and the Le Domas family begins their ritual with her, another thunderstorm rolls in. The biblical meaning of thunder is God’s imminent judgement. Since a major theme throughout the film is Le Bail’s reign over the fate of the characters, the thunder is likely another sign pointing to Le Bail’s power.
Additionally, many candles in groups of five can be spotted throughout the Le Domas mansion, including in the music room and throughout corridors. These groups of five resemble a pentagram, a common symbol of the occult. The ritual of sacrificing goats is mentioned a few times during the film, and a “goat pit” is even discovered when Grace falls into it, and shown again when Daniel and Emilie toss the corpses of their mansion employees into it. Although goats are symbolic across several religions, they became a major face of Satanism during the 19th century. Based on other context in the film, it is likely that the goats point to the Le Domas family’s worship of Satan. These details build reason around this Le Domas ritual, and makes their chanting “hail Satan” in purple robes feel a bit less random, although nonetheless absurd.
Messages from the Outside
A couple references from outside the Ready or Not universe can be spotted within the film, and they help add to the story’s overall symbolism. In the first scene, when the Le Domas family hunts down and captures Charles, they are all wearing masks. These masks are seen again when Fitch and Emilie’s children are seen playing while wearing them, and once more when Grace has a nightmare in which Alex wears one of the masks. However, the Le Domas family does not wear them during their hunt for Grace, and it is noted at one point that the family only wore the masks once as it was the elders’ idea.
These masks that are worn in the first scene of the film clearly resemble those in The Twilight Zone’s 145th episode titled, “The Masks.” This episode was the first and only episode of the series that was directed by a woman, Ida Lupino. This plays into the final girl trope of Ready or Not. The plot of the episode itself also aligns with the plot of the film, as it follows a dying man, Jason Foster, on Mardi Gras who is surrounded by his greedy family, only there with him to inherit his fortune. Before his death he convinces them to wear masks that represent their personalities, though he claims this to be the opposite. Upon Foster’s death, the family members remove their masks to find that their faces have conformed to their masks’ shapes.
Just as the Foster family reaps what they sow and must live facing their greed everyday in the form of a permanent face tattoo, the Le Domas family must face the consequences of their actions as well in the form of imminent death. Greed is a major theme in both stories, and both families put wealth above all else, leading to their ultimate demise.
Another outside reference used in Ready or Not is Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” This renowned concert overture commemorates Russia’s successful defense against the invasion of the French army in 1812. In the film, it is played while Grace wakes up from being tranquilized and thrown into the backseat of one of the family’s cars by Stevens. While he celebrates and drives Grace back to the mansion, he blasts the concert overture, which allows Grace to sit up undetected and swiftly kick Stevens in his head, causing him to crash into a tree. While Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” represents a successful defense against an invasion, Stevens likely played it in the car to commemorate the Le Domas family’s successful ‘defense’ against Grace invading the family’s ritual and wrecking their plans. However, the family was truly attacking Grace, so the overture could also symbolize her successful defense against them attempting to hunt her down and kill her, backing the empowering moment when she kicks Stevens, foiling the Le Domas family plans once again.
Origin and Fate
Grace’s past is discussed very briefly, but it is made clear she came from foster homes and desires a “permanent family.” Becky’s past is not mentioned at all except for a scene where she offers Grace a cigarette to which she politely declines, although she is seen smoking one earlier in the privacy of Alex’s bedroom. Becky then mentions that she was judged the same way that Grace is when she married into the family, revealing their origins to be similar. Daniel’s wife, Charity, also married into the family, and during an argument with Daniel, mentions that she would rather die than give up her new life as a La Domas. Daniel also mentions during this argument that Charity was eager to join the family despite having full knowledge of the ritual. This, in addition to Daniel’s off-hand comments about gold-digging, hint at Charity marrying into the family for money.
The Le Domas music room is filled with hunting trophies and weapons on display, a big foreshadow for the hunt that is to take place. When the game begins, the family hunts Grace with weapons very closely resembling those displayed on the walls. Despite being hunted with weapons such as guns and crossbows, Grace is able to survive the night. When Becky and Charity joined the family, they gave up their morals to inherit wealth. Grace married into the family unknowingly, and Alex makes it clear that she would have left him had he told her about the ritual. When the sun rises and the remaining Le Domas family members spontaneously combust, Grace is left alone until Mr. Le Bail appears in his chair to give her a nod. Perhaps instead of guiding the Le Domas family to prosperity, he chose Grace to play “hide and seek” knowing that she would put an end to the ritual as well as the Le Domas family all together. After this, Grace heads to the front steps of the burning mansion where she sits, covered in blood, smoking a cigarette. After smoking privately in Alex’s room and then declining Becky’s offer of a cigarette in public, Grace returns to her roots, smoking out in the open on the front steps of the mansion, a final “f— you” to the Le Domas family.
The Descent of the Wedding Dress
The wedding dress is a key symbol in Ready or Not. Its gradual demise leads to big moments throughout the film, and acts not only as Grace’s costume, but as her weapon and destiny. Toward the beginning of the film, just after Grace and Alex’s wedding, they head into a bedroom for an intimate moment, but as they climb onto the bed together, Grace jokingly comments that “it’s hard in this thing,” referring to her giant wedding dress. This provides a hint that the dress will inhibit Grace’s movement, acting as a handicap during the game of “hide and seek.”
Before Grace knows what the game truly entails, she simply hides in a dumbwaiter and keeps quiet but soon becomes bored. When she exits the dumbwaiter, a piece of her dress snags and is torn off, the first part of her dress to go. Although Grace does not yet know the severity of the game in this moment, the tearing of her wedding dress could be read as a bad omen, a sign that the marriage will unravel. Alex begins the game trying to help Grace escape, but he ultimately retreats back to his family’s mentality and helps them to capture her.
When Grace finds out how the game truly works, Alex leads her into the basement corridor where he conjures up an escape plan. As Grace heads to the kitchen to get to the nearest exit, she continuously trips over her dress and snags it until she sits on the ground and tears the entire bottom section off the dress so it falls roughly at shin-length. This is the first intentional dress alteration that Grace makes.
The next piece of the dress is shed when Grace rushes into the barn to hide, where she finds Georgie. She mistakes him for a potential ally, and to her shock, he whips out a gun and puts a bullet through the palm of her hand. In this moment of shock, a goat bleats which startles Grace more, causing her to stumble backward and fall into the family’s “goat pit,” where she discovers the corpses of several goats that the Le Domas family has sacrificed, and that of Charles, Helene’s husband that was killed at the beginning of the film. Grace climbs back out of the pit, but when she reaches the top she must place her already-injured hand through a stray nail to hoist herself up, worsening the bullet wound. As her hand is now bleeding profusely, Grace tears off a sleeve of her dress and uses it as a tourniquet for the injury.
After fleeing the barn and darting across the Le Domas family’s lawn, it seems all that stands between Grace and freedom is…a fence. At first, she attempts to climb it, but cannot get a firm grip on the bars. She then spots a loose piece of fence and tears it off, creating a gap barely big enough for her to squeeze through, although pieces of fence cut into her skin and through the dress, tattering it more and leaving behind a stray piece of tulle for Stevens to find later.
The last piece of the dress is shed during a fight between Grace and Stevens on the front lawn. As the two wrestle each other on the front lawn, Grace tears a piece off the dress and attempts to strangle Stevens with it. This doesn’t kill him, but it does buy Grace some time and distance as she steals the car he was driving and is able to drive a reasonable distance from the mansion.
Grace’s wedding dress plays an important role in Ready or Not. Although Grace wears only the wedding dress throughout the entirety of the film, it undergoes several changes that affect the overall plot of the story and her as a character. The unraveling of the dress likely represents the unraveling of Grace and Alex’s marriage. The culmination of this is when the Le Domas family all spontaneously combust and Alex is left begging Grace for forgiveness, to which Grace takes off her wedding ring and flicks it at him, demanding a divorce.
A wedding dress is also widely known for its symbolism of innocence, its white color representing purity. Grace begins the film seeming very innocent and wide-eyed, excited to join the Le Domas family legacy, and her perspective is wildly different by the end of the film. She sees the upper class in a light she would have never expected. Tattering and shedding the wedding dress symbolizes the loss of innocence and Grace’s transition into a fighter. On that note, it also makes a fitting uniform for a final girl. The gown is blood-soaked by the end of the film, ridding the character of purity and innocence. She is resourceful by using the dress as a tool and a weapon. Although it is not the traditional final girl attire Hollywood has seen in the past, the wedding dress hints at many classic final girl qualities. In the film’s final moments, Grace sits on the Le Domas family mansion’s front steps and smokes a cigarette in her tattered, blood-soaked wedding dress, symbolizing her changed mentality and return to her roots, no longer yearning to fit in with the upper class.
