‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ Review
Building upon the success of the original film that also skyrocketed its directors, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett—two of the founding members of filmmaking collective Radio Silence—to prominence within the horror genre, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come does virtually everything you could imagine from a sequel to a murderous game of hide-and-seek. Since 2019’s Ready or Not, Radio Silence have continued producing the V/H/S series, while Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett have applied their particular blend of black comedy and unhinged violence to two Scream movies and the vampire-ballerina-hostage-thriller, Abigail. The directing duo established a style with the Samara Weaving-starring horror vehicle, which they’ve put through its paces without doing much to change a winning formula. For those reasons, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come shouldn’t surprise audiences that it’s more of what they’ve come to love from the directors, with some clever expansions of its lore that are expected with any sequel.
It’s a case of diminishing returns, though, and while the entertainment value is there, Ready or Not 2 strains itself to be more than just the horror equivalent of cotton candy: a guaranteed sugar rush without anything substantial to chew on. Picking up immediately after the events of the first film, Grace (Weaving) is the only surviving member of the Le Domas family after her marriage to one of their sons turns into a ritual game of hide-and-seek where the family must kill her before dawn in order to satisfy a curse that has impacted their family for generations. Adhering to the philosophy that more is better, screenwriters Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy expand the curse to involve six total families, all of whom hold a seat on the Council and basically act as a secret cabal run by Le Bail, who is unmistakably the devil. After Grace’s survival leads to the Le Domas family's complete eradication, a power play begins that allows the six different families to play the same game again against Grace, only this time, whoever wins takes the High Seat and control of the Council. It’s a lot more lore, all overseen by an expectedly devilish Elijah Wood who plays the lawyer ensuring everything is by-the-book.
It is somewhat refreshing to see a horror sequel that immediately tries to reckon with the consequences of being a final girl. Who’s going to believe you when there’s no one alive? That’s a lot of dead bodies to account for. It’s why Grace (Weaving) wakes up to find herself strapped to a hospital bed under police custody. Her estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), attempts to reconnect with her when she hears the news, but their reunion is stalled when they’re kidnapped and brought before The Council to be set loose in another murderous game of hide-and-seek. While Faith’s death is not necessary for victory, it’s an added wrinkle bringing her into danger alongside Grace and forces the two to work together to survive until dawn. Hunting them this time are twins, Ursula and Titus Danforth (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy, respectively), whose father’s presence—a brief appearance from David Cronenberg—looms over their every action. They’re joined by the rest of the families in the Council, all vying for the same prize: the chance to rule the world. The film does an excellent job of explaining its rules, even if it sometimes leads to obvious set-ups, as it reveals a rule mere moments before it becomes relevant.
Doubling up on everything, including participants in a game of hide-and-seek that’s more just a game of team deathmatch based on how little anyone hides, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is significantly more complicated and massive in scope than its predecessor. That goes triple for the violence, which is often relentlessly brutal yet still played for laughs at almost every turn. It’s a Radio Silence trademark at this point to go for broke with how many litres of blood are spilled on screen while still maintaining momentum and being entertaining. The first film’s sudden explosions of blood now find themselves cleverly seeded throughout the sequel thanks to a myriad of rules that, when broken, can lead to similarly extravagant deaths. They’re always shocking, even to the characters, which only furthers the chaos. The downside of a consistently comedic, light tone is that nothing ever feels tense. It’s more about how the ruleset from the first game has expanded, and less about the toll it might take on a character dragged through the same circumstances again.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the relationship between Grace and Faith. What pulled them apart in the first place is directly confronted, put to bed, then brought back up every now and then to create drama where there really isn’t any. Largely, this is because the film is more concerned with having slick moments consisting of them kicking ass in bloodier and bloodier ways, but it’s also because the chemistry between Weaving and Newton is instantly dynamic, and any friction requires a lot of twisting to be convincing. The opposite is true of the Danforth twins, whose relationship feels forced thanks to underwhelming performances as what are essentially the film's two big bads. It’s nice to see Gellar retaining those horror roots, and The Pitt’s Shawn Hatosy was a welcome sight in a very evil role, but no one is doing their best work here. It’s all just meant to be fun, and no one knows that better than Weaving, Newton, and Wood, along with a splash of the supporting cast. Cronenberg’s inclusion is an amusing touch, but more evidence of a film looking for splashy moments rather than a more engaging movie.
It’s all mildly entertaining, though, and builds to an appropriately chaotic conclusion that will satisfy those strapped in for the ride. Weaving continues to weaponize her visceral screams against badass action chops and a palpable disdain for those trapping her within their devil worship. The body count is high, and the blood spilled is even more gratuitous than before, with the kills finding a nice balance of rule-breaking punishment, comedic karma, and action-heavy carnage. It doesn’t feel like Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett have much restraint in the creativity of their kills. It’s a double-edged sword: while Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is undoubtedly more of what people liked from the first, it also hitches its wagon to a philosophy that leaves behind character work, heart, and tension. It’s an entertaining depiction of the devil being in the details, but one where you need to be reminded every now and then how much fun you’re having.
