Jennifer's Body

In 2009, Diablo Cody followed up her Oscar-winning Juno script with something radically different: a horror-comedy about a demonically possessed cheerleader who eats boys. Directed by Karyn Kusama, Jennifer's Body stars Megan Fox as Jennifer Check, the most popular girl at Devil's Kettle High School, and Amanda Seyfried as her best friend Needy Lesnicki. The film was shot around Vancouver, doubling for a fictional Minnesota town, on a $16 million budget. It grossed $31.5 million worldwide, a modest return that belied its eventual cult status.

At the time of release, critics and audiences were split. Many dismissed it as a shallow vehicle for Fox's sex appeal, but over the years a sharp feminist re-reading took hold. The film's critique of how society consumes young women's bodies, its savvy dialogue, and its subversion of horror tropes have made it a touchstone of 21st-century feminist horror. Today, it's regularly cited as a misunderstood gem, with retrospectives in major publications reassessing its legacy.[edit]

Needy Lesnicki looks back on the strange and terrifying events that unfolded in Devil's Kettle, Minnesota, during her senior year. She and Jennifer Check have been best friends since they were kids, sharing an intense bond that borders on codependency. Jennifer is the alpha: beautiful, confident, and the head cheerleader, while Needy is the quieter, more grounded one with a steady boyfriend, Chip Dove.

One night, Jennifer drags Needy to a local dive bar, the Melody Lounge, to see Low Shoulder, a scruffy indie rock band from the city. Jennifer is obsessed with the lead singer, Nikolai. The bar catches fire during the show, killing several people in a chaotic blaze. In the aftermath, the band abducts Jennifer and drives her to a remote area near the town's famous waterfall. Needy, separated in the confusion, eventually returns home alone, shaken.

Jennifer reappears the next morning, covered in blood and acting strange. She's cold to the touch, has no appetite, and seems to have lost her pulse. Soon, she develops a ravenous hunger and starts vomiting black bile. The town's teenage boys begin turning up dead, their bodies gruesomely mutilated. Needy, who has always had psychic sensitivity, she gets nosebleeds when danger is near, starts connecting the dots. She discovers that Low Shoulder attempted to sacrifice Jennifer to Satan in exchange for fame and fortune. But because Jennifer wasn't a virgin, the ritual backfired: instead of dying, she became a succubus, a demon that must consume male flesh to survive.

Needy struggles to protect the remaining boys in town, especially Chip, while wrestling with her loyalty to Jennifer. As Jennifer's kills escalate, Needy realizes she may be the only one who can stop her former friend. The story builds toward a confrontation, with Needy arming herself and preparing to face the demon wearing Jennifer's face.[edit]