Credit: Netflix

Jennifer’s Body was everywhere when it came out, mainly because of Megan Fox, but also because people couldn’t agree on what it actually was. Horror? Comedy? Something in between? Well, whatever it might have been, it’s back on Netflix now, and it’s definitely worth another look to help you decide.

Released in 2009, directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody, who was fresh off Juno at the time, that pairing alone made the film stand out. Cody brought in her sharp, slightly biting dialogue writing, while Kusama contributed by keeping things visually controlled and a bit moodier than your typical teen horror.

At the centre of the plot, you’ve got two friends, Jennifer, played by Megan Fox, the confident, popular one, who turns heads when she walks into a room, and Needy, played by Amanda Seyfried, who is more reserved and a bit overlooked. Their friendship is the heart of the film, and everything else builds off that.

It starts off fairly straightforward: school life, small-town setting, and the usual teenage routine of cliques and dating. Then they go out one night to see a band, and that’s when things change. After that, Jennifer comes back…different. You can tell straight away that something isn’t right, and not long after, people around her start getting hurt, and Needy is left trying to work out what is going on. Now, we won’t spoil the main hook for you because that’s where the movie does its thing, but we can tell you that it takes its time. You are figuring it out alongside Needy, which is more convenient than contemplating three perspectives at a time.

What’s interesting, and what a lot of people didn’t fully realise the first time, is that it’s not just about the horror side of it, but the real focus is on the friendship and how it changes and how the nature of control changes between them, resulting in bonds getting messy. If you think back to intense teenage friendships, you’ll probably recognise some of it, even if the situation here goes a lot further.

When it first came out, Jennifer’s Body didn’t do brilliantly at the box office, and a big reason for that was the marketing. It was marketed in a certain way that people interpreted as just another teen rom-com, with the biggest draw being the popularity Megan Fox was steadily courting at the time, especially in terms of the male gaze. However, the film was actually a critique of the things that it was marketed as, so when audiences went to watch the movie, they were left confused by the end of it.

Over time, though, it’s had a proper re-evaluation. More viewers went back to it and paid attention to the writing and themes, and that’s how this Megan Fox starrer built a cult following. Now it’s often talked about as a film that was misunderstood when it was first released, and even considered an important film for its feminist perspectives and queer tones.

Performance-wise, it’s also a bit of a new avatar for Fox. People mainly knew her from big blockbuster roles at the time, but here she gets to do something darker and more layered, while Seyfried balances her nicely and shocks everyone with her transformative performance.

So, if you’ve never seen it or only remember the buzz from back then, this is a good time to give it a proper watch. Without all the noise around its original release, it’s going to be an entirely different experience.