From a critic’s worst nightmare to a cult classic
The film audiences of 2009 could never have predicted that Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfriend’s stylized dark comedy horror movie Jennifer’s Body created by Diablo Cody would become a cult classic. When the movie was pitched to production companies, the higher-ups heard sex icon Megan Fox’s name and the polarizing movie title and decided that the film would be best suited for a young male audience who wanted to ogle at Fox’s body on the big screen just like they did during Transformers (2007). However, the film favors themes of sexual assault trauma, the intensity of female friendships and the insensitivity of media companies and artists who profit from tragedy. Due to this misinterpretation of the film’s mythos and the exploitation of Megan Fox in posters and trailers for the movie, Jennifer’s Body upon release was met with harsh criticism regarding the dialogue, Fox’s performance, the CGI, and whatever else they could point at to excuse their frustration over not having seen Megan Fox naked.
As Megan Fox began garnering more attention following an interview where she admitted to feeling taken advantage of by men in the industry and the industry itself, mainstream audiences took another look at Jennifer’s Body and recognized it as the campy masterpiece of horror cinema that it is.
The film follows Needy Lesnicki, a teenage girl who fits the nerdy stereotype so often depicted on screen, and her best friend and popular cheerleader played by Fox, Jennifer Check. The two “biffs,” as they call themselves, attend an indie rock concert in their small town which quickly turns tragic when a fire burns the bar down, causing the deaths of several audience members. The girls manage to escape but the band that performed manipulates Jennifer into getting into their van, leaving Needy behind. The band members believe Jennifer to be a virgin and decide to sacrifice her to Satan at a mysterious body of water called Devil’s Kettle in order to become famous musicians. While the sacrifice works to boost their career, Jennifer, who turns out not to be a virgin, becomes a demonic creature who needs to feast on the bodies of humans in order to remain alive and powerful. The friendship between the two girls is put to the test as Jennifer begins killing boys at their high school and targets Needy’s boyfriend.
While the plot is captivating on its own, the allegory that carries throughout the movie plays a large role in the continuing legacy of the movie. Megan Fox’s character is assaulted by the band in a scene that mirrors the behaviors of rapists, the characters proving themselves to be cavalier and disrespectful towards women and their emotions. Following the assault and “murder” of Jennifer, the band is allowed to move on with their lives, becoming rich and famous in the process, while Jennifer’s life is essentially destroyed, damning her to a life as a demon that eats others to stay alive. She carries the effects of the trauma while those who committed the act against her move on.
Outside the tragedies within the movie itself, Jennifer’s Body was tragic in a different way: if it had come out after the #MeToo movement, it never would have been critically rejected. The themes that plague the movie plague women of Hollywood and around the world every day. While the script favors humor and unique dialogue that only could have existed in the early 2000s, the movie itself remains timeless with modern day and educated audiences giving it a second look and realizing it was never bad; audiences were just not ready.