Grace (Samara Weaving) marries Alex (Mark O'Brien), a scion of the wealthy Le Domas family. Alex fled the family years ago and the wedding, hosted at the family estate, serves as a tense reunion. Though outwardly all smiles and support, it is clear that most view Grace as a gold digger; she is an orphan raised in foster homes, hardly the pedigree for a Le Domas. After the ceremony, a peculiar ritual is performed. Whenever someone new joins the family, they must place a blank card into a small box. When removed, the card will list a game. In most cases, it is something harmless like checkers or Old Maid. However, if hide & seek appears, the hunt is on. Unsurprisingly, Grace draws hide & seek.
While Alex tries to smuggle Grace out of the mansion, his family chases her with a variety of old-fashioned weapons, from 19th century revolvers, crossbows, and even a battle axe. Not everyone is keen on killing Grace. Alex's older brother, Daniel (Adam Brody) is a sad drunk who didn't flee the family madness but only marginally follows the rules of the game. Can Grace survive until dawn?
The movie is more often comedy than horror. Clearly out of practice - the last hide & seek had been 30 years ago, the family is mostly incompetent. The incompetence gets overwhelming as the story progresses. The ending was surprisingly gory and not really satisfying. Even so, it was fun to watch.
No comments:
Post a Comment