Brides are terrifying. That is a simple fact. It’s just one of the reasons that weddings are so ripe for horror’s picking: emotions are high, the promise of a lovely future creates ironic tension, a lot of people are confined (and often drunk). And do you really know who you’re binding yourself to for the rest of your life? We invite you to the best in wedding day horror.
5. [Rec] 3: Genesis (2012)
Paco Plaza’s third [REC] installment takes place simultaneously with his original found footage classic but picks up on the religious elements of the first sequel.
It’s wedding day for Clara (Leticia Dolera, badass) and Koldo (Diego Martín), but one guest was bitten by a dog and that is not going to bode well for the many, many guests at the reception. The confined chaos is all viscera and glory, perfectly staged and executed. There’s a lack of cynicism in this film that suits it and makes the finale more touching than what you might expect.
4. Ready or Not (2019)
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Scream, Scream IV, Abigail) invite you to join one happy couple as they plunge into a world where the wealthiest among us would rather commit murder than do without what none of them worked very hard to earn. The inky black comedy plays like a game of Clue gone mad with arterial spray.
Samara Weaving is reliably badass, her central performance elevated by the sometimes inspired work of the ensemble. Andie MacDowell, in particular, seems to be enjoying herself immensely. It’s fun, it’s funny, and it’s a bloody mess.
3. The Lure (2015)
Who’s up for Polish vampire mermaids? Gold (Michalina Olszanska) and Silver (Marta Mazurek) are not your typical movie mermaids, and director Agnieszka Smoczynska’s feature debut The Lure is not your typical – well, anything. The musical fable offers a vivid mix of fairy tale, socio-political commentary, whimsy and throat tearing.
Underneath everything, this is The Little Mermaid, leading to the big wedding. Expect lurid side turns, fetishistic explorations, dissonant musical numbers and a host of other vaguely defined sea creatures to color the fable.
2. Freaks (1932)
Short and sweet, like most of its performers, Tod Browning’s controversial film Freaks is one of those movies you will never forget. Populated almost entirely by unusual actors – amputees, the physically deformed, and an honest to god set of conjoined twins (Daisy and Violet Hilton) – Freaks makes you wonder whether you should be watching it at all. This, of course, is an underlying tension in most horror films, but with Freaks, it’s right up front. Is what Browning does with the film empathetic or exploitative, or both? And, of course, am I a bad person for watching this film?
Well, that’s not for us to say. We suspect you may be a bad person, perhaps even a serial killer. Or maybe that’s Hope. What we can tell you for sure is that this film is unsettling, and the final, rainy act of vengeance after a wedding ceremony gone wrong is truly creepy to watch.
1. Demon (2015)
The British Piotr travels to his Polish fiance’s old family vacation home for a proper Catholic wedding. There he attempts to maneuver a new language, impress reluctant in-laws, and grasp wife-to-be Zaneta’s (Agnieszka Zulewska) heritage. Though Zaneta’s family is reluctant to embrace him, a wandering spirit is happy to.
Director/co-writer Marcin Wrona’s final feature (he ended his life at a festival where the film was playing) offers a spooky, atmospheric rumination on cultural loss. Like the mournful soul that clings to poor bridegroom Piotr (Itay Tiran), Demon sticks to you.
