Aubrey Plaza sacrifices 'not a virgin' Finn Wolfhard in wild Indie Spirit Awards opening

When you hire someone like Aubrey Plaza to host the Independent Spirit Awards, you can expect to see something truly wild — and she delivered.

The Parks and Recreation and Chucky star kicked things off with a bloody and bonkers opening sketch that featured herself sacrificing Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard to channel the “spirit” of the Spirit Awards to become the host.

Surrounded by Marcia Gay Harden, Christina Ricci, Roseanna Arquette, Sharon Stone, Marissa Tomei, and Brian Tyree Henry (the latter inadvertently stumbling into an occult situation), Wolfhard tried to get out of becoming a human sacrifice. “I’m not a virgin,” he shouted. “Women love me.”

That wasn’t enough to save him from the chain-smoking Stone or brutally intense Ricci, though, especially after pointing out the actresses’ ages. Then the bloody waterworks and demonic voices began.

“I cannot believe they let me do that,” Plaza said, taking the stage to deliver her opening monologue. “The network’s first choice to host was no one, but they’re already booked for tomorrow so you got me,” she added, poking fun at the lack of an award show host for Sunday’s Oscars ceremony.

Plaza continued to sling comedic jabs at the Oscars, noting how, unlike the Academy Awards, 60 percent of the Spirit Awards’ directing category is comprised of women. “Don’t get too excited,” she said. “In this case, 60 percent just means three women but calling it 60 percent sounds much scarier to your uncles.”

The general sense was that the audience and viewers at home either loved or hated Plaza’s material. But if you didn’t like her bit about Tidying Up and Roma on Netflix (“either way I’m gonna see someone clean up a bunch of s—), she also had a Harry Potter joke about how The Favourite director’s name sounds like a spell to make someone get “fingered in a corset.”

“Yorgos Lanthimos!” she shouted.

Related content:

• Independent Spirit Awards 2019: See the full winners list
• Independent Spirit Awards 2019: See all the stars on the red carpet