New Horror Movie Starring Jenna Ortega Gets Absolutely Terrible Rotten Tomatoes Score

Jenna Ortega’s latest venture into the horror genre, the psychological thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow, has unfortunately stumbled out of the gate with critics, landing an absolutely terrible Rotten Tomatoes score. The film, which also stars Abel Tesfaye, known by his stage name The Weeknd, currently holds a dismal 17% on the review aggregator site, based on 36 critical reviews. Directed by Trey Edward Shults, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Tesfaye and Reza Fahim, Hurry Up Tomorrow centers on an insomniac musician (Tesfaye) whose life unravels after an encounter with a mysterious stranger (Ortega). While the film aims to be an introspective and experimental journey, the initial critical consensus paints a picture of a project that has largely failed to resonate, with many finding it to be a challenging and unsatisfying watch despite its high-profile cast.

Mixing real-life experiences with fiction, Hurry Up Tomorrow follows Tesfaye as a globally recognized musician struggling with he pressures of his fame and grappling with a recent heartbreak. His already unraveling existence takes a chaotic turn when he encounters Anima (Ortega), an intense young woman who appears to be an obsessed superfan. Their meeting spirals into an odyssey that blurs the lines of reality, forcing Abel to confront his inner demons and the very core of his being. The narrative delves into themes of celebrity, self-destruction, and the search for meaning, with Barry Keoghan also featured in the cast, playing Abel’s longtime friend and manager. The film is titled after an album of the same name by The Weeknd, and was ideated as a complementary piece of media.

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The critical reaction to Hurry Up Tomorrow has been overwhelmingly negative, with many reviewers pointing to a lack of coherent narrative and what some describe as self-indulgent filmmaking. Clint Worthington of RogerEbert.com was particularly pointed, stating, “Hurry Up Tomorrow takes its star’s caterwauling about how hard it is to be famous and heartbroken for granted, and expects its audience to roll with every self-inflicted wound.” Similarly, Meagan Navarro of BloodyDisgusting offered a 1.5/5 score, noting, “That Shults and Tesfaye opt for a more experimental, emotion-driven form of visual storytelling over conventional narrative further alienates. It all makes for an exhausting show of empty vanity.” Entertainment Weekly’s Jordan Hoffman echoed this sentiment, calling the film “self-indulgent, overly serious, and, worst of all, just plain dull.” Even a more mixed review from Jeff Ewing, posted on Metacritic, remarked that the film “never lets the audience forget” it’s a companion to an album, “feeling far more like a long music video than a feature film.”

Despite Hurry Up Tomorrow, Jenna Ortega Keeps Cementing Herself as a Scream Queen

While Hurry Up Tomorrow may not be a critical darling, Jenna Ortega’s involvement in the project is another notch on her ever-expanding belt within the horror genre, a field where she has rapidly become one of its most recognizable and celebrated young stars. Her ascent to “scream queen” status has been swift and impactful, driven by a series of memorable performances in high-profile horror offerings. Her role in the revitalized Scream franchise as Tara Carpenter made her a standout in a beloved slasher series. Ti West’s critically acclaimed slasher X further demonstrated her range in a 1970s-set horror that garnered widespread praise for its style and scares. Earlier in her career, Ortega also appeared in Insidious: Chapter 2 and the horror-comedy The Babysitter: Killer Queen.

Perhaps Ortega’s most iconic horror-tinged role to date is that of Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s colossal hit series, Wednesday. The Tim Burton-produced show, which offers a supernaturally infused take on the classic Addams Family character, became a global phenomenon, with Ortega’s deadpan delivery and captivating portrayal earning her Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award nominations. According to Netflix, the upcoming Season 2 of Wednesday is poised to be “darker and more complex,” with Wednesday investigating a “bone-chilling supernatural mystery” while navigating “fresh foes and woes” at Nevermore Academy. Ortega herself has indicated a desire for Season 2 to lean more heavily into horror elements, promising a direction that aligns with her clear passion for the genre.

Hurry Up Tomorrow is currently available in theaters.

What is your favorite Jenna Ortega horror role? Let us know in the comments!