Jennifer’s Body is becoming people’s favorite annual Halloween watch today, but that was not the case back in 2009 when Megan Fox starred in it. The film was not received so well by viewers, and part of its failure was the studio’s advertising.
The horror film finally became a cult-classic thanks to fans who gave it another shot. Jennifer’s Body, indeed, is receiving the long overdue respect for portraying social issues such as misrepresentation and s*xism that were usually swept under the rug back in the day.
Megan Fox On Jennifer’s Body Finally Becoming A Classic Horror Film
Megan Fox spoke with Collider and shared how surprised she was when she found out how 20th Century Studios marketed the movie.
We were all taken aback – and we meaning me, Karyn [Kusama], Diablo [Cody], and the main players – by how the studio marketed that movie, which was outrageous, and by how it was received.
She was expecting that the audience would understand the nuances and portrayals of societal issues in the film. “I can’t sit there and watch that movie and not be like, this is a f—king hilarious, subtle satire. This is a great movie.” But, instead, all they got was teenage boys swooning over Fox’s beauty.
The actress claimed that Jennifer’s Body finally landing a spot in the catalog of well-respected classic modern horror films is long overdue. “We were all aware of what we were making at the time that we were making it. It just wasn’t time,” she explained.
The movie tackled so many sensitive issues that most people are afraid to talk about, and Fox truly believed “it was a decade ahead of its time, and it took this long for culture to catch up.”
Jennifer’s Body Director Was Disappointed After Studio’s Marketing Stunt
Karyn Kusama, director of Jennifer’s Body, expressed concern after learning how the studio promoted her film. She revealed via Vulture:
They didn’t understand that the movie had another character, and it was so much about a friendship between Megan’s character and Amanda’s character. It was just so strange because it just took away the entire story.
She recalled sending a polite email saying, “I’m extremely concerned by the absence of our…” and she tried to be as diplomatic as possible. In the end, the response she got was, “Megan hot. Focus on Megan hot.”
The filmmaker described the situation as a strange and dark time. Jennifer’s Body was supposed to raise awareness on how detrimental the patriarchal society is to women’s lives. The main plot of the film was basically about a young girl manipulated, assaulted, and killed by a group of boys.
The target audience for the movie at the time wasn’t able to recognize the alarming message after the studio marketed it as another visual indulgence on the lead actress’ appeal. After all these years, people have finally noticed what it truly intends to convey, hence its well-deserved popularity as a classic feminist horror movie.
Jennifer’s Body is available to watch on Disney+.
