It’s officially Halloween season, which means that horror movies are a must! I know people have their own preferences when it comes to genre, be it slasher flicks, psychological horror movies or something simpler like a basic ghost movie. My favorite sub-genre, personally, are the sort of campy comedy-horror movies that are an absolute spectacle to watch.
The one that I’ve always been obsessed with during this time of year is Jennifer’s Body, the early 2000s horror movie starring Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried as longtime best friends whose friendship crumbles over the course of the story. There’s human sacrifice, demonic possession and endless virginity jokes during the movie’s runtime, so it’s definitely a lot to take in!
People either know about the movie and can recall it in vivid detail or have absolutely no clue as to what it could be about. It’s a cult classic and despite being received poorly at the time, it’s grown to have a massive audience that’s still dedicated to this day!
I, personally, think that it can be chalked up to the fact that the movie, at its core, is a fun horror romp that inverts a few well-known tropes and has a solid, cohesive story. The female characters are also incredibly well written and the way Jennifer (played by Megan Fox) and her friend Needy (played by Amanda Seyfried) interact in the movie is so refreshing to see. There’s a fondness in their initial interactions, and it’s clear that they’re very close, but as their relationship deteriorates throughout the movie, it ratchets up the tension to an almost unbearable level.
Part of the cult classic appeal that the movie holds is the hinted (and at times, baited) romantic relationship between Jennifer and Needy. It’s become fairly well known in LGBTQ+ spaces online because of this and honestly, it’s entirely deserved.
The other part of the appeal is just how much it relates back to the earlier campy horror movies from the 80s and 90s! Yes, there’s gore and jump scares with corny horror movie visual effects, but that’s just part of the fun. There are tongue-in-cheek jokes and almost indecipherable early 2000s slang, but it makes the movie so much more dynamic to experience, in my opinion. Some people are picky when it comes to horror and prefers a more serious approach, which I understand! If a movie like Midsommar used the same tone that Jennifer’s Body did when it came to presenting itself, I probably wouldn’t enjoy it too much. But, Jennifer’s Body is meant to be a light watch, it’s not meant to be the sort of horror movie that takes itself super seriously.
I’m going to be honest and admit that I’m not the biggest fan of early 2000s horror movies. That era really wasn’t the best for horror; in my opinion, there were a lot of low-budget screamer flicks that relied on loud audio cues, and gratuitous jump scares to “entertain” viewers, and that’s just not something I enjoy. There were also an absolutely staggering amount of ghost and haunting-based horror that were so incredibly boring that I could barely sit through them.
Jennifer’s Body may not take itself very seriously, but that’s what makes it so fun to watch each year. I can’t recommend it enough if you want a fun seasonal movie with interesting characters and a dynamic story!