Jennifer's Body (2009)

Director: Karyn Kusama
Stars: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody
Runtime: 102 minutes

Synopsis: A newly possessed high school cheerleader turns into a succubus who specializes in killing her male classmates. Can her best friend put an end to the horror?

Verdict: “Jennifer’s Body” currently sits at a rotten score of 45% on the Tomato Meter and an aggressively average rating of 5.3 on IMDb. And quite frankly, I’m convinced that this is one of the biggest travesties in recent cinematic history.

To be fair, it has achieved cult status over the past few years but boy oh boy do we owe director Karyn Kusama and writer Diablo Cody an apology for its initial failure. I remember watching it when it initially came out and liking it quite a bit. But it’s not until my most recent rewatch that I fully appreciated its clever direction and unique approach to a coming-of-age story built around themes of sexual assault and the deterioration of teenage friendships.

Jennifer, played by a Megan Fox at the top of her game, is a cheerleader who becomes possessed following an incident at a local bar. Her altered behavior alarms her best friend Needy, portrayed by a geeky-looking Amanda Seyfried, who becomes determined to figure out what happened on this tragic night.

Despite a grim premise, the movie successfully adopts a comedic tone reminiscent of a Sam Raimy picture where blockbuster and B-movie meet in the middle to create a self-aware atmosphere that never stops being entertaining. Kusama and Cody struck the perfect balance between horror and comedy, resulting in a highly engaging narrative led by awfully colorful characters.

But “Jennifer’s Body” doesn’t stop at being an enjoyable watch as it doesn’t fail to add some depth to its screenplay. It’s in many ways a revenge story fueled by a group of men’s assault on a defenseless woman. An incident that will have heavy repercussion’s on that woman’s perception of males and that will affect her friendship with the only person she fully trusted. A tragic demise for a typical teenager who only wanted to attend a concert.

The dated effects are really my biggest complaint about a film that also looks so much cleaner than it needs to be. If you still haven’t seen it, I suggest you give it a try. And if you’ve seen it a long time ago but don’t have the fondest memories of it, I urge you to give it a second shot.

FINAL GRADE: 8/10