Gen-Z Gets Slashed in Horror Comedy ‘Bodies, Bodies, Bodies’

The highly enjoyable Scream (aka Scream 5) hit theaters earlier this year, introducing a new young cast to pick up the mantle of the beloved horror franchise. But as the story split between the legacy characters and the new crop, I was left wondering when Gen-Z would get their own tongue-in-cheek horror satire. Luckily for us, the folks at A24 are already on it with their upcoming horror comedy Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. Directed by Halina Reijn (Instinct) from a script by Kristen Roupenian (viral short story “Cat Person”) and playwright Sarah DeLappe (The Wolves), the film follows a group of rich 20-somethings during a hurricane party at a remote family mansion. As they party, do drugs, and relentlessly post on social media, tensions turn violent when the group begins to play the murder in the dark-like titular party game. Bodies start dropping, and everyone is a suspect.

The cast features Amandla Stenberg (The Hate U Give), Pete Davidson (Saturday Night Live), Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby), Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Myha’la Herrold (Industry), Chase Sui Wonders (Generation) and Lee Pace (Halt and Catch Fire). The trailer is soaked with zoomer phrases like “toxic”, “triggering”, and “gaslighting”. As the friend group dysfunction spirals into violence, old grudges are revealed and long-simmering resentments come to the surface.

I love a single location murder mystery (hello Agatha Christie) and the idea of a modern setting with a Gen-Z lens offers plenty of opportunity for satire and solid comedy. And A24 has already made a name for itself with original, acclaimed horror films like The Witch, Midsommar, and X.

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies premiered this year at SXSW, and is set to hit theaters on August 5, 2022.

(image: Gwen Capistran/A24)

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