2019’s Ready Or Not was an unexpected delight. It transformed the then-mildly-famous Samara Weaving (at the time best known for Netflix’s teen-centric horror The Babysitter… and Home and Away) into an instant horror icon, and propelled directors Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) onto the horror A-list, with two Scream entries and the wildly entertaining Abigail following.
The ironic part of this is that, for the most part, the movie is more of a black comedy than a horror. The ‘hide and seek in a creepy old house with a Satan worshipping cult’ is ripe with scary potential, but it’s played largely for laughs, albeit with copious amounts of blood and a few gnarly moments. Scares were few and far between, but the movie was so much fun that you instantly forgave it.
Following the original’s popularity, a sequel was inevitable, and the awkwardly titled Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come sticks largely to the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ formula, pitting Weaving’s Grace against a new group of ultra-rich devil worshippers.
The story picks up immediately after the first movie, as Grace awakens in hospital where – unusually for a horror – the police have a couple of questions about her recent killing spree. That’s interrupted by the arrivals first of Grace’s estranged sister Faith (an excellent Kathryn Newton) and then another of those lovely devil worshippers. Within minutes, Grace is back in her bloodstained wedding dress and covered with a copious amount of fresh gore. We’re back.
It turns out that the Le Domases from the original weren’t the only rich family who’d made a literal deal with the Devil, and Grace’s defeat of them has triggered a power play for control of the world. Whoever kills her in a new game gains ultimate power, along with a natty ring symbolising it (current owner, one David Cronenberg, obviously). Overseeing this game to determine who controls this all-powerful ring – and the world – is the Devil’s lawyer, played by Elijah Wood (we see what they did there) who sets out some ground rules, throws Faith into the game for LOLs, and does an impressive job of remaining blood-free whenever someone explodes in his vicinity.
Cue another deadly game of hide and seek. As per the rules of sequels, everything’s a bit bigger. The original creepy house is here upgraded to a golfing resort (in what we’d like to think is a subtle jibe at a certain US president), and the number of adversaries is increased. In a neat twist, only one member from each family is permitted to hunt at once, with the rest watching on CCTV, bickering and occasionally exploding when rules are breached. Oh, did we mention that the new additions include the long-overdue proper big screen return of a certain Sarah Michelle Geller as one of the potential heirs to ultimate power? The erstwhile (*sob*) Buffy Summers is a brilliant addition to the cast – and yes, she does indeed wield a (metal) stake at one point.
Directors Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett have cited Aliens and Terminator 2 as their inspirations for expanding their world in the sequel, and they do a good job of growing the mythology. Unlike those films though – which essentially transplanted the original concept into a new genre – this hews fairly close to the original. When the idea’s as entertaining as Ready or Not that’s no bad thing, but anyone expecting an expanding of the mythology on a par with Cameron’s masterpieces (back when he made good sequels) may be left wanting.
While we’re nitpicking, there’s also a couple of male-on-female violence moments that are a bit too realistic and verge on crossing the line into bad taste. And in a post-Epstein/Trump world where we’re regularly exposed to the actual crimes of those who do wield power, a Satan-worshipping cult controlling the world seems quaint, if not actually preferable. However, the movie isn’t really interested in exploring the satire its concept presents, which is somewhat of a shame.
Still, Weaving’s Grace is a true modern horror (and/or black comedy) icon, and her pairing with Newton is inspired. Two bickering sisters mending their relationship while dispatching bad guys (and girls) in various bloody ways makes for very entertaining cinema. There are some great set pieces (one which we’ll call ‘Battle of the Brides’ is hilarious), some neat gnarly kills, and – if possible – even more blood than the original. What more could you ask?
READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME is in cinemas now.
