Why ‘Jennifer’s Body’ still hits different 15 years later | The Haunted Column

There’s something about ‘Jennifer’s Body’ that sticks with you. It’s the kind of movie that was brushed off when it first came out but slowly found its way back, proving that sometimes audiences and studios completely miss the point.
Directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Diablo Cody, ‘Jennifer’s Body’ was never meant to be just another teen horror flick. The marketing made it look like a shallow, male-gaze slasher, when in reality, it was a darkly funny, sharp take on high school friendships, toxic dynamics, and the way society consumes young women. It’s horror, sure, but horror with something to say.

At the heart of it is Jennifer Check, played by Megan Fox, the high school queen bee who turns into a literal man-eater after a satanic ritual goes horribly wrong. Her best friend, Needy Lesnicki, played by Amanda Seyfried, is the only one who notices something’s off. But let’s be real, Jennifer has always been kind of terrifying. Their relationship is what makes the movie so fascinating; obsessive, co-dependent, and full of an unspoken tension that blurs the line between love, jealousy, and resentment. It’s like ‘Mean Girls’ meets ‘Ginger Snaps’, but with more blood and dialogue that still hits years later. 'Hell is a teenage girl' remains undefeated.

Megan Fox was completely underrated in this role. At the time, Hollywood reduced her to eye candy, but she brings so much to Jennifer. She’s cruel, funny, and tragic all at once, and the way she plays hunger, both literal and metaphorical, is unsettling. Amanda Seyfried is also fantastic, showing Needy’s slow transformation from passive sidekick to someone who finally takes control, even if it means destroying what she loves.

The movie isn’t perfect. Some of the horror elements feel underdeveloped, and the tone shifts so fast it can be a little jarring. But what it lacks in polish, it makes up for in personality. Kusama keeps things visually interesting, and Cody’s signature dialogue adds a campy charm that makes the film endlessly rewatchable.

If ‘Jennifer’s Body’ had been released today, it would have thrived. It fits right into the conversation around feminist horror, right alongside movies like ‘Promising Young Woman’. Its resurgence also ties into the way people have reevaluated how Hollywood treated Megan Fox, how young women are praised one minute and discarded the next. Jennifer being sacrificed for the success of mediocre men? Kind of on the nose.
‘Jennifer’s Body’ was ahead of its time. But time finally caught up. It’s become a staple of feminist horror, its best lines have been memed to death, and people are finally appreciating what it was trying to do. Just like Jennifer, this movie refuses to stay buried.