Say "horror" and "Megan Fox" to any genre fan, and there's only one title that comes to mind: Jennifer's Body. Diablo Cody's 2009 horror comedy about a revenge-seeking, boy-killing demon that takes things too far has a complicated history that makes the recently confirmed sequel, tentatively titled Jennifer's Body 2, such a triumph. While most people, especially millennials, know of Jennifer's Body, there was a time when that wasn't always the case.
However, the issue here was never the plot or themes; it was the marketing. From box-office flop to a queer cult favorite, here's why the news of a Jennifer's Body sequel is such a big deal. Want to watch the original first? Find it on streamers like Tubi, Starz, and more right now.
'Jennifer's Body' Became The Victim Of Bad Marketing
For a movie that takes aim at the "male gaze," there's a certain amount of irony in how studios marketed Jennifer's Body. Instead of embracing the themes of empowerment, revenge, and the messy, complicated line-blurring that can come with female friendships, the selling point became Megan Fox, and more specifically, her sex appeal.
In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Jennifer's Body screenwriter Karyn Kusama and director Diablo Cody recalled an email they received from the publicity team regarding an ad aimed at Fox's physical attributes. "The response said, 'Jennifer sexy, she steal your boyfriend.' As if a caveman had written it. So that's what we were dealing with," Cody said. If that wasn't horrific enough, Kusama also recounted one publicity suggestion to have Fox host an amateur porn site.
The issue, of course, became that audiences walking into the theater expected something else. Instead of a sexy succubus "stealing boyfriends," batting eyelashes, and hooking up with various men, Fox's Jennifer literally tears them apart. The movie also begins with a sexual assault scene, which becomes the catalyst for Jennifer's supernatural revival and revenge, not just against her perpetrators, but all men. For some, it was too much, but for others, the movie's depth went over their heads.
Even critics who were relatively complimentary of the movie, like the famed Robert Ebert, seem to miss the point. "Just what we were waiting for, 'Twilight' for boys, with Megan Fox in the Robert Pattinson role, except that I recall Pattinson was shirtless," Ebert said in his 2009 review. Funny enough, Ebert wasn't the only one to make a Twilight (2008) comparison, which spotlights how many people chalked Jennifer's Body up as a basic teen horror comedy that's more about swooning over the lead instead of picking apart the deeper themes.
'Jennifer's Body' Has Something To Say
Truthfully, some of the then-reviews about Jennifer's Body are true. The movie is sexy at times, and yes, a big part of that comes down to Megan Fox's charisma and sex appeal. Yet, this film isn't just beauty; it's brains. Together, Cody and Kusama managed to tell a supernatural yet believable story about the messiness that comes with being a teenage girl. There are elements of dark humor and even camp, but the themes are quite serious when it comes to Jennifer and Needy's (Amanda Seyfried) roles and experiences.
Jennifer's Body highlights a pivotal time in female development when men start objectifying you, and some even cross lines. Jennifer's transformation into a man-eating demon after her sexual assault is undoubtedly a metaphor for female empowerment. However, I'd argue it also becomes a commentary on toxic feminism. It challenges audiences to ask if Jennifer is still justified in her actions when she targets Needy's boyfriend. The question then becomes, should all men suffer for the sins of the bad ones? Jennifer seems to think so, as evidenced by her memorable exchange with Needy. "You're killing people," Needy insists, to which Jennifer replies, "No, I'm killing boys."
Similar to The Love Witch (2016), Jennifer's Body delves into complicated feminist themes with a metaphorical edge. Needy and Jennifer's relationship also works on multiple levels. Is it a commentary on the sometimes toxic, all-consuming friendships of teenage girls who claim to be besties? Or, is it an exploration of deeper feelings between two high schoolers who haven't quite figured out their sexualities yet, but date men because it's what society expects of them? Honestly, both readings feel fair, and it's one of the reasons Jennifer's Body reigns as a queer horror story as well as a feminist film.
'Jennifer's Body 2' Could Double-Down On The Original's Misunderstood Legacy
In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, Cody seems ready to go full-throttle with the sequel, saying, "It actually is not a typical sequel process, where you're going 'here's what we're going to protect from the first movie.' It's more like all the ways in which I was restrained on the first movie, I'm now unleashed."
For some sequels, that might be concerning, but in this case, it "unleashing" feels perfectly fitting for Jennifer's Body. The movie isn't a reboot, but rather an expiration of what comes after. As for whether Fox and Seyfried will reprise their roles remains unconfirmed at the time of writing, although Seyfried is open to it… if Megan Fox comes back, too (Variety).
