If you’re curious why Samara Weaving is such a beloved darling of genre fans, look no further than 2019’s Ready or Not. An instant classic, the film was not only a breakout for her, but for directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (aka Radio Silence), who would go on to bigger things as directors of two Scream movies and the vampire flick, Abigail. Now the gang is all back together for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, another bloody, action-packed blast and a devil of a good time that expands the franchise significantly.
Weaving is back as Grace, having survived a lethal game of “Hide and Seek” with her new husband and his family. They’re all dead now, and Grace wakes up in a hospital, handcuffed to the bed and accused of their murders. But before she can be shipped off to jail, she’s kidnapped and forced into an even larger game. This time, Grace will be facing four wealthy, power-mad families in another game of Hide and Seek. The winner will claim leadership of their Devil-worshipping organization, and thus control of the entire world.
Only this time, Grace isn’t alone. In order to ensure her compliance, Grace’s estranged sister, Faith, played by the ever-feisty Kathryn Newton (an Abigail alum), is forced into the game, as well. This dynamic changes the tone of Ready or Not 2 considerably, in a positive way. Grace is still a badass, but she’s tired, injured, and emotionally unstable after what she’s been through. That puts a lot of the onus on Faith, who proves to be just as resilient and stubborn as her sister, which is part of the reason they have some major sibling issues to sort out…assuming they survive.
Ready or Not 2 doesn’t go quite as far with the action as its predecessor, leaning a bit more into comedy as one might expect by pairing Weaving and Newton together. But that’s not to say the film is light on gore. There are buckets of blood and some truly grisly deaths, including a lot spontaneous combustion that repeatedly plasters the women in guts, entrails, you name it. Set on a massive estate, there are some clever chases and fights set on a sprawling golf course, and another inside of a casino. Radio Silence make the most out of the palatial setting, with its massive halls trapping the targets like in a maze.
In pursuit are a colorful bunch of entitled satanic freaks, and sometimes it’s tough to tell whether we should take them seriously or not. The tone of Ready or Not 2 is unpredictable, to say the least. You have some enemies who are clearly meant for laughs and to die in hilariously awful ways. But then you have The Pitt actor Shawn Hatosy as the sadistic Titus Danforth, whose glee at dishing out violence against women is truly twisted. It’s also a shame that Sarah Michelle Gellar, who plays Titus’ more level-headed sister Ursula, spent the entire press tour getting asked questions about the shelved Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot. She doesn’t get to kick ass that much in the movie, which seems like a waste. Also, there’s a really cool cameo by director David Cronenberg that horror fans will appreciate, while Elijah Wood is a scene-stealer as the demonic attorney calmly overseeing the madness.
Overall, Ready or Not 2 comes close to matching the energy and freshness of the original, without pushing the envelope quite as far. Weaving and Newton are a great team, and I’d be down for watching them cut through more spoiled nepo-babies in a sequel.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is open in theaters now.
