Horror film Jennifer’s Body bombed 10 years ago

Typically, when we think of cult classic films and TV series that get a second lease on life via VHS, coque samsung galaxy s4 mini protection DVD, or streaming, we think of a nerd’s club of mostly boys: Blade Runner, Office Space, Freaks and Geeks, and so on. coque samsung There are obviously exceptions, and this weekend marks one of the the best ones in the horror space: the 10th anniversary of the criminally misunderstood Jennifer’s Body.

This 2009 film, penned by Diablo Cody and starring Megan Fox, has prompted lots of fond reminiscences from cast and crew recently, as coque huawei p8 lite 2015 blanc well as several glowing tributes. Grant Hill Jersey That’s quite a shift from the film’s debut, when Jennifer’s Body received decidedly mixed reviews and underperformed at the box office. coque iphone Count me among those who have long appreciated this smartly subversive, multi layered horror/fairy tale about toxic female friendship.

Anita “Needy” Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried) is coque samsung a3 2017 otterbox a coque samsung grand cheval shy, nerdy “nice girl” in the small town of Devil’s Kettle. Her best friend since childhood is inexplicably the gorgeous cheerleader Jennifer Check (Megan Fox). “Mean girl” Jennifer drags Needy to a coque iphone 6 otterbox rose local coque samsung a7 2017 amazon bar dive bar one night to see an indie band called Low Shoulder; amazone coque samsung ace 3 she has designs on the lead singer, Nikolai (Adam Brody). coque samsung After a fire destroys the club and many of its patrons, Jennifer (still in shock) numbly agrees to drive off with the band in their van, against Needy’s protests.

When Jennifer shows up at Needy’s house hours later, she is coque samsung galaxy core plus mickey covered in blood and vomits a black fluid over the kitchen floor, before running out into the night.

The next day, Jennifer seems like her usual selfish, callous self. But soon high school boys start showing up ripped to shreds and partially devoured. iphone 11 pro max hoesje Jennifer has become a succubus who must consume human flesh to feed the demon within, thanks to a Satanic ritual gone wrong. (Low Shoulder needed to sacrifice a virgin in exchange for fame and fortune, and, well, Jennifer hasn’t been a virgin since junior high.) Needy must face the fact that her best friend claires coque samsung a3 2016 is a monster, and it’s up to her coque samsung s6 edge marvel to take Jennifer down before she chows down on more boys like Needy’s own boyfriend, Chip (Johnny Simmons).

So much subtext

So much more is going on in Jennifer’s Body than its basic premise might suggest. Ihmir Smith-Marsette Jersey She started with the character of Jennifer, who would typically be the doomed “First Girl” in your average slasher film: beautiful, bitchy, promiscuous, and flushed with the power she thinks her sexuality confers.

She is victimized, thanks to the members of Low Shoulder, who brutally stab her to death in the woods while singing “867 5309/Jenny.” The twist is that she doesn’t stay dead, using those same seductive wiles to lure unsuspecting young men to their gruesome deaths none of whom, it must be said, really deserve that fate.

Needy is also an atypical Final Girl. Ronnie Clark Jersey iphone 11 hoesje Scream reminded us all about the importance of virginity if a young woman is coque iphone 7 et 6 to survive a slasher film, but Needy and Chip have a normal, healthy sexual relationship, so that ship has long since sailed.

What went wrong

Jennifer’s Body premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2009 and hit North American theaters on September 18 that same year. Raymond Felton Jersey Alas, critical reviews were mixed, huawei p9 coque 360 and audiences didn’t flock to theaters in nearly the numbers the studio had hoped for. cover iphone x xs The film grossed about $31.5 million worldwide against a $16 million budget not a total box office bomb, but hardly a breakout hit. coque huawei That led to a coque samsung galaxy grand prime harley quinn great deal of handwringing over what had gone so wrong. Was it because Megan Fox couldn’t open a movie (It’s hands down Fox’s best performance.) Was it because the film was marketed to teens yet rated “R” Or was it just a bad box office weekend overall (The number coque samsung galaxy s7 kenzo one film that weekend was Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, with around $30 million.)

Certainly, the marketing was tonally at coque huawei p8 lite 2017 transparente avec motif odds with the film from the get go. coque iphone Cody has lamented that the studio specifically targeted boys who were fans of Fox because of the first two Transformer films, when she had intended it to appeal just as much to girls. iphone 7 8 hoesje Cody has a valid point, judging by the original trailer:

Original trailer for Jennifer’s Body.

The film’s poster, featuring a coque samsung a3 coque huawei p9 diamant tarted up Fox in a schoolgirl’s uniform, perched on the teacher’s desk with the words “Hell yes!” scrawled on the chalkboard, didn’t help matters. iphone 6 6s plus hoesje The trailer and poster made the film look like just another teen slasher B movie, coque samsung a5 hunter x hunter with the stereotypical high school hot girl as a murderous monster targeting horny teenaged boys, plus a bit of girl on girl action for some extra gratuitous titillation. There is none of the sly humor and sharp dialogue that makes Jennifer’s Body such a nerdilicious delight, and there is no indication of just how well the film handles the intense and complicated relationship between Jennifer and Needy.

Even at the start of the film, they border on “frenemies,” calling each other “Monistat” and “Vagisil.” When Needy playfully punches Jennifer’s arm for making a crude sexual joke, Jennifer responds by shoving Needy violently into a wall a hint of things to come. coque samsung We also get a sense of why Jennifer hangs out with Needy, who is pretty but not so much that she will ever upstage Jennifer. Needy, of course, idolizes her glamorous friend, but there’s also a hint of worry whenever Jennifer mentions Chip.

Chip is the one thing Needy has that Jennifer doesn’t, and that simmering tension and competitiveness boils to the surface after Jennifer’s transformation. coque huawei She targets emo Goth guy Colin (Kyle Gallner) solely because Needy thinks he’s cool, and it’s only a matter of time before she goes after Chip. That’s when we see how empty and insecure Jennifer the girl behind the monster really is, demanding Chip tell her she’s better than Needy when they kiss. coque porte carte huawei p8 It adds yet another dimension to the girls’ twisted relationship. coque iphone coque iphone As coque samsung x cover 4s for that infamous same sex kiss in Needy’s bedroom, the way it plays out in context is far less gratuitous than the trailer makes it seem.

Patience and time

At some point over the last 10 years, people began rediscovering Jennifer’s Body via DVD/Blu Ray and streaming services. coque iphone And the narrative surrounding the film slowly started to shift; it’s now being touted as an iconic feminist horror cult classic. cover iphone 7 (Fox also starred in the 2010 critical and box office failure, Jonah Hex, based on the DC Comics antihero, which did not experience the same redemptive arc probably because it is a genuinely bad movie.)

I might quibble with those who interpret Jennifer’s Body as a straight up MeToo era revenge fantasy about female empowerment. Needy and Jennifer’s friendship is clearly the primary driver and the power dynamics coque samsung galaxy s4 mini danse are constantly shifting between them. coque samsung And apart from coque huawei p8 lite 2017 astronomie the evil coque samsung galaxy core prime coeur band members, male characters coque samsung galaxy s4 batman are treated sympathetically. coque huawei coque huawei collier argent But it’s very much a thinking person’s horror film, and I’m pleased that more folks are starting to appreciate just how twisted and clever Jennifer’s Body actually is.

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