Ready or Not 2: Here I Come review – Fun horror sequel elaborates on its predecessor's killer concept

Emerging from the flaming wreckage of the first film with more of the same in mind, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come elaborates on its predecessor’s killer concept. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett return at the helm, with Samara Weaving gritting her teeth and going again, as she slips back into that blood-soaked wedding dress.

In the 2019 original, Weaving’s Grace MacCaullay married into the filthy rich Le Domas family only to be forced to play a game on her wedding night with her secretly satanic in-laws. Unluckily for her, it turned out to be the dreaded hide-and-seek – a rarely enacted ritual which involves the new family member being hunted by the entire ghastly group, so that they might be offered as a sacrifice.

The sequel picks up exactly where that film left off, following the Le Domas clan’s explosive comeuppance. Grace finds herself a suspect in their deaths, before learning that her survival in the previous game has put her in the sights of the world’s wealthiest families. She’s triggered a clause which means the high-seat on their council and all the power that comes with it, is up for grabs, if one of them can kill her before dawn. If not, Grace can claim the seat for herself.

It’s a horrific case of déjà vu for the just-getting-her-breath-back Grace, and this time round she isn’t just fighting for her life, she’s fighting for the life of her estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), too. Faith happens to be visiting when Grace is captured, and resents her for abandoning her to foster care as a teen. The two are handcuffed together as the game begins, forcing them to confront their issues fast and co-operate.

Canadian horror auteur David Cronenberg plays Chester, the head of the powerful Danforth family, with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy, his twin offspring Ursula and Titus, tasked by their father with restoring their family to the high-seat. Elijah Wood is a lawyer overseeing the new game, with Kevin Durand and Néstor Carbonell amongst Grace’s other wealthy adversaries.

It’s a fun, John Wick-esque expansion of this world that seems sure to satisfy fans of the first instalment, with curious casual viewers welcomed along for the ride. The twists and turns feel fitting, even if the story is short of really interesting new ideas. Guy Busick and R Christopher Murphy’s script could be sharper, but the film’s visual wit and the zeal of the participants more than makes up for it. Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett (who also directed Abigail, 2022’s Scream reboot, and Scream VI) once again plump for the 'more is more' school of filmmaking, executing this follow-up with energy and increased splatter.

The original boasted Adam Brody and Andie MacDowell in the supporting cast and Ready or Not 2 savvily surrounds sole returnee Weaving with a cast of genre film favourites, including a devilish Wood, exuberant Kingdom of the Planet Apes alumnus Durand, and not one but two more scream queens in the shape of Newton (star of Freaky, Lisa Frankenstein and Abigail) and, Buffy the Vampire Slayer herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, in Cruel Intentions mode.

The sparky, charismatic Newton pairs well with Weaving, with the sisters' bickering and bonding adding an extra dimension to proceedings. It might not be particularly cerebral stuff, but the relentless jeopardy demands a lot from the pair emotionally and they ground the escalating insanity with their credible, committed work.

Weaving, in particular, turns in another beautifully expressive turn; wide-eyed, straggle-haired and bloody magnificent, she runs the gamut from bewildered and frightened to determined and deranged. Grace feels like a role she was born to play, but you’ve really got to pity the character by this point. The time seems right to give the gal a break.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is released in UK cinemas on Friday 20 March 2026.

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