Jennifer's Body (2009) Review: More Than a Teen Slasher

Is Jennifer's Body (2009) worth watching? Yes. Beneath the demon-possession premise is a sharply funny story about Jennifer and Needy, the friendship at the center of the film. Stan Steamer and GrobeStreet's episode makes room for both the horror and the jokes; Grobe came in without having seen it and left delighted by the surprise.

Hear the whole case on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Overcast.

Rotten Tomatoes vs our verdict

In episode 22, the hosts cite 45% critics and 35% audience for Jennifer's Body. These are the figures spoken in the recording, not a promise that the current Rotten Tomatoes page has the same scores. Stan and Grobe are puzzled that the audience score was even lower than the critics' number. For them, this is the kind of movie the show exists to defend: a film that seems easy to dismiss from its marketing but has far more on its mind than a simple teen slasher.

What is Jennifer's Body about?

After a demon takes possession of Jennifer, boys at her high school become prey. Her friend Needy notices what is happening and tries to stop it. The film mixes a supernatural horror plot with a portrait of an intense teenage friendship. That combination is precisely what some of the dismissive reviews at the start of the episode could not decide how to take; the hosts see it as the movie's strength.

The Slept-On Cinema case

Grobe says he had not seen the film before this pick and expected a fairly ordinary teen horror movie. The dialogue, performances, and shifting tone surprised him. Stan's read goes beyond the creature story: he sees the movie's humor and its central relationship as reasons to rewatch, even when the plot gets deliberately absurd.

During the Draft, guest Kai selects the science teacher's unexpected hook hand, a small detail that announces the film's off-kilter sense of humor. Stan's first pick goes to Amanda Seyfried's Needy. His point is that a movie named for Jennifer increasingly belongs to Needy, whose perspective gives the escalating chaos its emotional shape. That is a more useful way to approach the film than expecting a conventional slasher with a single monster at its center.

The hosts also talk about the mismatch between how a movie is sold and how it is received. Their discussion asks what happens when an audience arrives for one kind of film and gets something more specific, stranger, and more interested in its characters. You do not need to settle the film into one genre to enjoy it.

BOLOs before you watch

• A tetherball and other familiar schoolyard details that anchor the supernatural plot in teenage life.
• A Myspace reference that places the movie squarely in its late-2000s moment.
• The science teacher's hook hand, the hosts' guest's first Draft selection.
• How often the camera and story return to Needy when the title seems to promise Jennifer.

Who should watch it?

Choose this if you like horror-comedy with fast dialogue, heightened high-school characters, and a friendship that matters as much as the scares. It is a better fit for someone open to tonal swings than someone seeking a relentlessly frightening slasher. The first part of the podcast is spoiler-free; pause to watch, then return for the Draft and the hosts' full reappraisal.

Keep the movie night going

Find episode 22 on the Qualification List. For another horror movie whose reputation deserves a second look, try Urban Legend or our horror guide. Hear the original episode on Acast.