Typically, when we think of cult classic films and TV series that get a second lease on life via VHS, DVD, or streaming, we think of a nerd's club of mostly boys: Blade Runner, Office Space, Freaks and Geeks, and so on. 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 well as several glowing tributes. That's quite a shift from the film's debut, when Jennifer's Body received decidedly mixed reviews and underperformed at the box office. Count me among those who have long appreciated this smartly subversive, multi-layered horror/fairy tale about toxic female friendship.
(Major spoilers for the film below, because it's been 10 years, people.)
Anita "Needy" Lesnicki (Amanda Seyfried) is a 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 local bar dive bar one night to see an indie band called Low Shoulder; she has designs on the lead singer, Nikolai (Adam Brody). 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 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. 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 is a monster, and it's up to her 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. Screenwriter Cody deliberately set out to make a horror film that honored the conventions while upending them in interesting ways. 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.
This pretty much captures the initial dynamic between Needy (Amanda Seyfried) and Jennifer (Megan Fox). 20th Century Fox Jennifer has fruit-punch mouth. 20th Century Fox A succubus about to feed is not a pretty sight. 20th Century Fox Needy has an alarming vision of Jennifer. 20th Century Fox Jennifer tells Needy the truth about what happened to her that night. 20th Century Fox The infamous kiss. 20th Century Fox Snacking on Chip. 20th Century Fox A hardened, wiser Needy. 20th Century Fox
Needy is also an atypical Final Girl. Scream reminded us all about the importance of virginity if a young woman is to survive a slasher film, but Needy and Chip have a normal, healthy sexual relationship, so that ship has long since sailed.
The script's humor is subtle and muted, and the teen slang has a nastier edge compared to many other comic horror films. While we get the requisite jump scares and gore galore, the film's best moments typically occur in the quiet interludes in between: the sweetly awkward sex scene between Chip and Needy, for instance, or the impassioned graveside rant by the grief-stricken mother of one of Jennifer's victims—not to mention the film's clever use of the ending credits to deliver one final twist.
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. Alas, critical reviews were mixed, and audiences didn't flock to theaters in nearly the numbers the studio had hoped for. The film grossed about $31.5 million worldwide against a $16 million budget—not a total box office bomb, but hardly a breakout hit. That led to a great deal of handwringing over what had gone so wrong.
All the elements for success were there, including a major star at the peak of her sex-symbol fame and an Oscar-winning writer penning the script. 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 one film that weekend was Cloudy With a Chance oRead More – Source
