At long last, Diablo Cody’s much anticipated horror flick Jennifer’s Body is hitting the theaters this weekend, and I have two words for you: See. It. Don’t rely on the infamous ‘red band’ trailer to inform you. It was obviously put together by dudes for other dudes, as were the smattering of negative reviews the film has already gotten by guys complaining that it’s not scary enough or not funny enough or whatever. The fact of the matter is, this film is so radically and refreshingly both funny and scary from a female perspective, the boys simply don’t know what to do with it.
Exploring the bloody aftermath of a demonic possession that befalls a small town cheerleader, this film delivers the kind of snarky, brutal, bored, awesome teen banter that made Heathers a cult classic. And while the violence is adequately gorey, the real terror in the plot lies in its metaphorical exploration of obsessive friendship between girls, and how volatile, aggressive, and explosive these bonds can become when children mature into women with more adult urges. In Megan Fox’s Jennifer, women of all ages get the cathartic experience of seeing our own high school’s queen bee challenged by a brainy everygirl who (poignantly portrayed by Amanda Seyfried) actually has a fighting chance of stopping her reign of terror. And topped off with fearless, visually audacious directing by Girlfight’s Karyn Kusama, this singular story, written, directed, starring, and clearly made for women every step of the way, not only is destined to have a class dedicated to it one day at Smith College, but is also downright entertaining enough to be the main attraction at many sleepovers to come. So gather up your girls, head to the box office on opening day, and use your hard earned dollars to support this worthy project that is a ‘chick flick’ in the very best sense of the word. [Emily Rems]
