Megan Fox's Once-Overlooked Horror Gem Is Getting a Sequel

Megan Fox isn’t on our screens all that often anymore, but 20 years ago, she was absolutely everywhere. That exposure came with a varying degree of success for her films, with one project in particular going on a fascinating journey from commercial failure to cult status.

Yes, we’re talking about Jennifer’s Body. The horror movie had two great actresses leading the line, splashes of dark comedy, and some truly gnarly kills and yet, at the time, audiences really did not vibe with the Karyn Kusama flick.

Now, perception has changed wildly. So much so, in fact, that we’re even getting a sequel to Jennifer’s Body, with writer Diablo Cody confirming she is working on a script as we speak. So, what sparked this incredible turnaround over the years? And why did it all go so wrong back in 2009? Here, we take a look at the rollercoaster ride this monster movie has been on so far.

Jennifer’s Body Was a Critical And Commercial Failure

Jennifer’s Body was released in September 2009, which was arguably the first mistake. Releasing the film a month later would have perfectly coincided with Halloween and allowed audiences to celebrate spooky season with this sharp satire.

The film was also massively mis-marketed. Far too much emphasis was put on its generic slasher vibes rather than leaning into the more intriguing thematic elements at play. Meanwhile, Megan Fox was thrust to the forefront of the promotional push not as a complex and tragic anti-hero, but as a hypersexualised Final Girl.

All in all, the movie did not strike a chord among the masses and flopped at the box office as a result. Jennifer’s Body earned $6.8 million in its opening weekend and would only go on to accumulate $31.6 million worldwide against a reported budget of around $16 million (according to Box Office Mojo).

Things didn’t go much better critically, either. The initial reception was mixed, at best, and the film has a paltry 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 213 reviews. Brian Eggert complained Jennifer’s Body was “unfunny and unscary”, while Grant Brissey claimed the movie tried too hard to “prove how clever it is.”

Despite a strong feminist agenda, there were plenty of negative reviews from female critics, too. Anne Bilson lamented the fact that Kusama “fumbles” all the horror set-pieces, which had sounded very cool in concept. Wendy Ide at The Times agreed that a “promising” premise is let down by insufficient scares and laughs.

The same applies to the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a shocking 36% on the review aggregate’s platform. But, if you ask people today how they feel about Jennifer’s Body, you’re very likely to get a completely different verdict.

Years Later, Jennifer’s Body Has Become a True Cult Classic

Now, Jennifer’s Body is rightly regarded as an enthralling and incisive study of toxic romantic relationships and the nuances of female friendship. A lot of people have rewatched, or watched for the first time, helped by the fact that the film is now on Disney+, and have reassessed everything that Kusama and Cody had to say.

Particularly in light of the #MeToo movement, Jennifer’s Body is a blistering and highly satisfying revenge tale in which abusive and violent men get their comeuppance at the hands of the titular teen-turned-demon. It’s a cathartic experience for women and a sobering, very necessary watch for male viewers. It’s a film that also flips the male gaze around as a weapon, with Jennifer taking great agency over her own body and using that to feast on her deserving victims.

The harrowing scene at the start of this film, where Fox’s character is slaughtered as a demonic sacrifice, was initially interpreted as little more than leaning into horror tropes by most viewers in 2009. Now, it’s seen as a pivotal moment that explores sexual trauma and female pain through a boldly visceral lens. Most would now agree that the messages Kusama and Cody were trying to get across were simply ahead of their time – audiences were not ready for that conversation 17 years ago, but they are now.

Aside from the deep-rooted symbolism, Jennifer’s Body has now gained a fresh appreciation for its more conspicuous elements, too. The one-liners that were ineffective in 2009 are now regarded as not only funny but very smart examples of Cody’s knack for writing great dialogue. The performances of Fox and her co-star, Amanda Seyfried, are also now praised for the way they embraced the campy, tongue-in-cheek tone of the film. 

Indeed, any criticisms of Jennifer’s Body not being fun are rather unfounded today – what’s not to enjoy about a terrifying teenager devouring mean high school boys? This is truly a misunderstood masterpiece and fully deserving of its newfound cult status. It’s a film that has been crying out for a sequel for years, and it’s exciting that we’ll seemingly get our wish soon enough.