A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies is Scream for Gen Z. It’s also one of the most enjoyable, smartly written, and just plain fun films of 2022.
Full of buzzwords delivered by an incredibly talented cast, Bodies Bodies Bodies is the slasher film equivalent of The Breakfast Club. Or maybe an edgier, snarkier, horror version of Clueless. It’s Agatha Christie gone wild. Actually, comparisons don’t do it justice and I’ll call myself out and say they’re even a bit lazy. Bodie Bodies Bodies is its own beast, and that beast chews up its victims with biting social commentary delivered in the most entertaining manner imaginable.
The Setup: An epic hurricane party at a sprawling mansion.
The Players: Mostly rich twenty-somethings ready to use the impending storm as a reason to drink, snort some coke, maybe take a few Xanax, and unleash their pent-up passive-aggressive feelings about their friends.
Who’s Who: Five friends and two, basically, strangers convene to pass the time during a summer storm far from the city. The place belongs to David’s family, and he’s a complicated, sort of sympathetic figure. Fueled by alcohol and cocaine, David (played by SNL/former Kim Kardashian boyfriend Pete Davidson) uses this gathering to lash out over both real and imagined slights.
David rules over the group which includes his BFF Sophie (Amandla Stenberg, The Hate U Give) and her new girlfriend, Bee (Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm). Bee’s obviously not on the same social or economic level as Sophie’s friends; she’s the very definition of fish out of water. Sophie’s got her own issues with this group and didn’t even bother responding to the group chats or informing her friends she was going to turn up with a +1.
By the time Sophie and Bee show up, the party’s well underway. David’s actress girlfriend Emma (Chase Sui Wonders, Generation); podcaster and sensitive soul Alice (Rachel Sennott, Shiva Baby); Alice’s out-of-place older boyfriend, Greg (Lee Pace, Foundation); and the group’s straight shooter, Jordan (Myha’la Herrold, Industry), who is second only to David in giving off serial killer vibes, are hanging out in the pool just as the first wave of weather arrives.
The hurricane hits, the party moves inside, and suggestions are made to play Bodies Bodies Bodies. What’s that, you ask? A game in which one person is secretly designated as the killer, the lights are extinguished, and the killer knocks off his victims one at a time by tapping them on the back. There are also tequila shots and some truly brutal slapping involved.
Given that this is a slasher film, the game transforms into a legitimate hunt for a killer.
Amandla Stenberg and Maria Bakalova shine as a new couple who might be falling in love but who obviously approach life from their places in different economic classes. Stenberg’s Sophie is nearly as rich as David while Maria’s Bee is the working-class heroine of the group. Sophie and Bee are polar opposites, with Sophie’s confidence only making Bee’s self-consciousness all the more apparent. Sophie’s viewed as the outsider, and that odd man out vibe puts her in the crosshairs as the hunt for the murderer heats up.
The gang exchange side-eyes over Greg’s age – he’s an ancient 40ish dude at least twice the age of everyone else in attendance – but he still attempts to fit in. As Greg, Lee Pace cashes in on the sexy off-screen persona he’s built up for himself on social media. (Those of us who fell for him in Pushing Daisies aren’t shocked to see he’s been labeled the king of the thirst traps by multiple outlets). Pace is perfect at playing sensitive yet edgy, and he nails that as a low-key Svengali figure to the self-obsessed Alice.
And speaking of Alice, I’m laying odds 9 out of 10 viewers will wind up rooting for Rachel Sennott’s Alice above all the others to survive the slaughter. Alice is incredibly ditzy yet endearing, and when she announces her mom “has borderline” or whines about the difficulties of putting together a podcast, you just know she doesn’t understand why her friends smirk in reply. Sennott has incredible comic timing, and the audience embraces Alice as the one in need of protecting at all costs.
The house is massive but there’s still a claustrophobic vibe thanks to the use of glow sticks (courtesy of Alice), phone flashlights, and handheld cameras. The eerie lighting adds juice to the jump scares which are both plenty and highly effective in drawing us in as the body count rises.
The dialogue’s riddled with references to gaslighting, triggering, body dysmorphia, ableism, and toxic behavior. And when a character declares “feelings are facts,” the laughter from the other characters is likely to be drowned out by the audience’s response.
A few horror tropes are included for good measure – including the potential victims splitting up when they should be sticking together – but for the most part, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a fresh, fiercely wicked, and incredibly imaginative take on the slasher genre. It’s targeting Gen Z but welcomes all to embrace the grisly slaughter and killer dialogue.
GRADE: A
Directed By: Halina Reijn (Instinct)
Written By: Sarah DeLappe and Kristen Roupenian (Cat Person)
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, drug use, bloody images, sexual references, and violence
Release Date: August 12, 2022
Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Studio: A24
