Sometimes, all I want from a sequel is more of the first. Don’t get me wrong, I love when a sequel does something completely new from its predecessors while still existing in the same universe, and I don’t think the “if it ain’t broke” trope applies universally. But sometimes, a movie has such a perfect confluence of elements – setting, character, and tone – that just going back to that well is more than enough.
All of this is to say that with Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, Radio Silence has brought back several elements of the first film and combined them in largely the same way. It expands the scope somewhat, but structurally things remain largely the same.
Even that isn’t an easy undertaking. There was no obvious path to a sequel coming out of Ready or Not, what with (spoiler for the first movie) the Le Domas family having literally exploded out of existence at the end of that film leaving Samara Weaving’s heroine Grace alone on the steps of the burning Le Domas estate. Ready or Not 2 picks up immediately after that, and Grace being hauled into the hospital under arrest for the multiple deaths and arson for which she’s left holding the bag. Not enough horror or action movies grapple with the question of what happens to the blood-soaked hero as they leave the scene of their escapades, and how they answer for the carnage in their wake.
Waking up handcuffed to a hospital bed and (curiously quickly) in the midst of an interrogation about the previous night’s events by a skeptical detective, Grace is soon joined by her sister Faith (Kathryn Newton), from whom she’s been estranged but has neglected to remove as her emergency contact. When the detective, understandably, doesn’t immediately buy Grace’s story about exploding Satanist cult members, he’s all set to haul her off to the station for further grilling. At the same time, we learn that the Le Domas family is one of several clans that sit on a kind of council of elites that are all in thrall to the mysterious, omniscient Mr. Le Bail. The head of this council controls everything – literally everything – in the world and on the rare occasion that someone wins the game as Grace did, that control is up for grabs. Current head Chester Danforth (David Cronenberg) and his Lawyer (Elijah Wood) host a new game on their sprawling estate, inviting the other members of the council and their immediate heirs to compete to be the first to slay Grace in a double-or-nothing version of Hide and Seek. This cast of characters includes deviants from all around the world, but most prominent are the Danforth twins Ursula and Titus, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy, who almost steal the show here. With a home field advantage and an even more psychotic bent than their competitors, the Danforths are early favourites to take out Grace and Faith and claim the council High Seat for themselves.
Weaving’s Grace is on game once again, filling the role of one of modern horror’s best scream queens. She takes no shit from anyone – whether her antagonist is a petulant nepobaby or the literal Antichrist – and has clearly picked up some skills and even more of a killer instinct since the first Ready or Not. With Newton’s Faith to play off, though, there’s a real growth for the character. Newton brings a likeable relatability to Faith, with the understanding that she’s been roped into this whole game just like Grace has, but is also (literally) chained to a sister from whom she’s been separated for years. I think a character like that could easily play as annoying if it were in the hands of someone less hilarious and charming as Newton. The pair snark at each other, but eventually form a real bond that changes the dynamic and the stakes of the deadly Hide and Seek game.
Even more than most sequels, I would say that if you didn’t already love Ready or Not, Samara Weaving’s portrayal of Grace, and Radio Silence’s whole deal in general, there’s no real reason to find yourself in front of Here I Come. It’s in all ways an expansion of the first movie and contains nothing that’ll convince you of its quality if you aren’t already on board. But personally, I consider the first Ready or Not to be one of the more fun and ostentatious modern horrors, and Here I Come is more of the same. I’m a pretty easy sell when you double the number of badass heroines, ramp up the kills, and cast the rest of the film with people I have always been fans of (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatsoy, Dan Beirne, and David fuckin Cronenberg). It’s a great watch with an enthusiastic theatre crowd, if you’re game for it.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is in theatres everywhere as of March 20, 2026 from Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett), and returning writers Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy.
