READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME (2026)

Streaming on Hulu from Fox Searchlight!
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett.
Written by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy.
Check out the
trailer here! !

Grace (Samara Weaving) left the Le Domas mansion in flames with the entire well-to-do family dead after she survived a night of being hunted. See, for Grace to marry into the Le Domas family, she had to pick a card from a deck and play whatever game that comes up. She picked “Hide and Seek,” meaning that she must hide in the mansion and elude capture by her in-laws, her new husband, as well as their very violent help until dawn. This was part of an age-old ritual involving a deal with the Devil himself in exchange for riches, power and influence. Grace thinks her wedding night from hell was over but wakes up in a hospital chained to her bed. And as the police interrogate her about the dead bodies and the bloody bride’s dress she’s wearing, word goes out from the high seat of the Satanic council (played by none other than David Cronenberg himself), that a new game must be played. Same rules. Survive the night being pursued by the heads of each of the six seats of the high council, played by an ensemble of dastardly character actors like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Nestor Carbonell, and Kevin Durand, among others. And just in case Grace chooses not to play, the council has abducted Faith, Grace’s estranged younger sister played by Kathryn Newton, to guarantee she is playing by the rules. Now Grace and Faith must dodge maniacs with an arsenal of deadly weapons until dawn. The prize? The ring that signifies the highest seat of the Satanic Council and ruler of basically the entire world.

Whew, what a recap! But this is a sequel and a lot went on in that first installment.

And I loved the first READY OR NOT movie. It was a thrill ride from the get-go and that pace continues in the sequel from scene one after a little recap. I’m impressed by how the Radio Silence guys can keep the momentum going forward all the way through this sequel with unique battle sequences and loads of orchestrated carnage. There really isn’t a minute that isn’t full of explosions, blood, or body parts and the filmmakers pepper in some awesome songs for this almost two-hour long massacre to groove to.

Also peppered throughout is some nice drama between Grace and Faith, two sisters who are estranged and so very much alike that it’s obvious why they don’t get along. Though not as proficient in warfare as her sister Grace is, Faith is just as stubborn. Both Weaving and Newton play well off one another, though this rivalry seems to be stretched to its limit by the end of the movie. With all the craziness going on around the two sisters, it seems a bit implausible that they would continue the feud when bullets and knives are flying from all directions. I understand much of this banter between the two is there for both comedic effect as well as some dramatic heft as the sisters both grow closer and unearth deep seeded issues between them, but a lot of the barbs and jabs feel somewhat forced and honestly, in the way of some wonderful violence playing out. But that’s a minor quibble. I really liked the way the action scenes play out. The set pieces in Part 2 are more elaborate and the stakes are risen, but it maintains that fun and macabre tone set in the first.

This is a great movie though. Weaving is entrancing and the screen highlights how amazing she is as an actress and how she radiates, even while screaming and covered in blood. Kathryn Newton compliments Weaving well. Equally beautiful, she is a bit more girl-next-doory and down to earth and provides a more realistic reaction to all this action around her. While Weaving, having endured the last film, is like a bull charging forward, Newton supplies the perspective of the audience, shocked at what is going on around them. They compliment each other well. The rest of the performances are great, though not as deep. It’s basically a cast of known faces having fun playing evil characters, specifically Sarah Michelle Gellar who usually doesn’t play these types of roles. But Gellar, Hatosy, Carbonel, and Durand all are having a good time being bad.

There is a moment in the film that feels somewhat cliched and really makes for a cut in momentum for the film where Grace and Faith inevitably have had it with one another and go their separate ways that felt implausible. It is the only time in the film where I could see the writer’s hand in works as while it is necessary for the plot, it still felt all too predictable and serving only for the two to get together later for a monumental reunion where the two fight together. I guess it must happen, but that doesn’t make it any less predictable. At this point in the film, Weaving and Newton’s characters have donned so much plot armor that everyone knows nothing is going to happen to them.

The horror is there. It comes in the form of violence and gore through these intense battle and survival scenes between the sisters and these warring families trying to win the top seat in the Satantic High Council. The first film waited right until the end before it showed its supernatural hand, so it isn’t a surprise that some demonic shenanigans are afoot. The reveal that the devil plays a major part of the rich and famous of the world was a fun surprise at the end of the first film and smartly, they don’t try to hide the supernatural stuff this time around. So, it is more peppered throughout. Still, as with the first, it ends with a ritual of a sort and some decent late-in-the-game special effects show during the climax all run by the always amazing Elijah Woods who seemingly can’t go wrong in his career if he tried. Seeing him mutter “Hail Satan.” was an especially fun treat and I think if there ever was an actor who would be the perfect Mad Hatter in a Batman movie, Wood is it. Don’t ya think? The ending was fun, yet predictable if you’ve seen more than one movie in your life.

I don’t know if I want Part 3 though. I feel as if this series has kind of run its course. I don’t think going deeper into Grace and Faith’s extended family or finding out why Grace is so scrappy and proficient with weaponry is interesting enough to warrant a third movie, but maybe the Radio Silence guys have something fresh up their sleeves and they’ll prove me wrong. But READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME really is just READY OR NOT extended beyond the house and I think stretching the borders any further isn’t going to be enough for a continuation.

For me, I prefer the very similarly themed THEY WILL KILL YOU to READY OR NOT 2. And it might, just might, be showing up higher up in my Best of List for the year for reasons that I will elaborate on in that review. READY OR NOT 2 is a fun roller coaster. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Guy Busick, and R. Christopher Murphy continue to deliver crowd-pleasing films with a dark bent to them, rooting their films in the horror genre no matter how action-packed and funny they are as well. READY OR NOT 2 is another winner from them. The sequel cliches extending the family and broadening the playing field work, but I don’t know how far this concept can be stretched. Still, I recommend this one as READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME is a helluva good time at the movies.