‘Reunion’: New Horror Movie From ‘Ready Or Not’ Filmmakers Combines A High School Reunion With A Shape-Shifting Monster
What’s scarier than a high school reunion? How about a shape-shifting monster? Those two elements will combine inReunion, the latest fromRadio Silence, the filmmaking collective responsible forReady or Not, and the upcomingScreamsequel/revival. The film finds old friends coming together for a high school reunion only to have to then deal with a creature that sounds straight out of John Carpenter’sThe Thing.
Deadline has the scoop onReunion, a new film from the Radio Silence team ofMatt Bettinelli-Olpin,Tyler Gillett, andChad Villella, with a script byGuy BusickandR. Christopher Murphy. If you’re not quite sure who they are, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett directed, Villella executive produced, and Busick and Murphy wrote the excellent 2019 horror-comedyReady or Not. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are also directing the upcomingScreammovie, which Busick co-wrote withZodiacscreenwriter James Vanderbilt. The Radio Silence team has also contributed segments to horror anthology filmsV/H/SandSouthbound.
Screamjust wrapped filming, which allows the team to jump intoReunion, set up at MGM. In the movie, “the horrific experience of high school reunions is taken to a new extreme when a group of uninspired old friends become the only hope for survival against an unwelcome shape-shifting creature.” That kind of sounds like the teen-centric horror movieThe Faculty, where high school kids had to battle shape-shifting aliens – only this time, the kids are all grown-up.
I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve seen from Radio Silence so far. TheirV/H/Ssegment “10/31/98” is the best entry in that film, and I really dug their work onSouthbound. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett also directed the 2014 horror filmDevil’s Due, which I’ll confess I have yet to see. It has a somewhat alarming 18% onRotten Tomatoes, but I’m a fan of these guys so I’ll probably get around to checking it out should it ever show up on a streaming service like Shudder.
Based on all their work (that I’ve seen) so far, it’s safe to assume thatReunionwill have both humor and horror. And that’s a tough combination to crack. There aremanyhorror-comedies, but so many of them fail because they don’t understand how to use both genres effectively. More often than not, they lean too far into the comedy side and forget all about the horror. Thankfully, Radio Silence knows just how to strike the right balance, which is why I continue to have faith – and interest – in their upcoming projects.
