“Ready or Not 2” a Wild, Chaotic Sequel to the 2019 Modern Cult Classic
- Matt Palmer
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
After the release of the 2019 movie “Ready or Not,” there have been online rumors of a potential follow-up. For a while, I really didn’t think that a direct sequel would ever materialize or actually work. Roughly seven years later, “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” is finally here, and even though the 2019 movie is a better movie, this sequel is worth checking out if you enjoyed the first movie.
After surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace discovers she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish game, and this time, with her estranged sister, Faith, by her side. To survive, Grace must keep Faith alive and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world.
Four rival families are also hunting for the throne, and whoever wins will rule it all.
If you enjoyed the 2019 modern cult classic “Ready or Not,” I really think there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy what’s in store for you in this long-awaited sequel. “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” is a fun, blood-soaked sequel that successfully expands the lore from the first movie and delivers a lot more tense action and twists. While the movie adds more action and blood to the story, it also adds more of the dark humor as well.
“Ready or Not 2” does a great job delivering us a lot of action bits that can be over the top, yet fun to watch. The sequel escalates the first movie’s violence up a little bit (actually more than a little bit), combining excessive gore with more witty, dark humor. There’s an early, stand-out scene that involves a confrontation inside an industrial laundry room where we see a few of the characters (including Faith and Grace) fight near the huge industrial washing machines (and let’s just say they found a new use for the machines as they fight one of the family members).
There’s also another fight between Grace and another character who was actually close
to Grace’s now majorly deceased husband at the resort where the events are taking place. During this tense sequence, the song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” plays and it somehow works really well, making this one of the most memorable highlights of the movie.
I also enjoyed how this sequel expands the lore of the original movie by revealing more about the global reach of the pact, while leaning heavily into more of the supernatural elements. The sequel moves beyond just one family, revealing a “council” of wealthy families controlling the world through similar supernatural bargains, with the overall story exploring the immense power held by their covenant.
The partnership between Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton (who also collaborated with directing duo Radio Silence in the awesome movie “Abigail”) is both emotional and complex as their characters are navigating the new brutal game. And both of the actresses work extremely well together!
It’s also good to see some of the supporting cast that have also appeared in some well-known horror movies, such as Sarah Michelle Gellar (1997’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer”), Shawn Hatosy, Elijah Wood (a small “The Faculty” reunion with Hatosy) and the legendary director David Cronenberg (“The Fly” and “Scanners”) makes an appearance.
“Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” is a gory, action-heavy sequel that features intense, chaotic and fun action moments. Even though this sequel can be more over the top than the 2019 original, this energetic sequel still works with its supernatural world-building and insane action.
Cast: Samara Weaving (Grace MacCaulley); Kathryn Newton (Faith MacCaulley); Elijah Wood (The Lawyer); Sarah Michelle Gellar (Ursula Danforth); Shawn Hatosy (Titus Danforth); David Cronenberg (Chester Danforth); Dan Beirne (Kip Danforth); Nestor Carbonell (Ignacio El Caido); Juan Pablo Romero (Felipe El Caido); Mai Jae (Francesca El Caido); Grant Nickells (Detective Bassett); Kevin Durland (Bill Wilkinson)
Writer/director: Guy Busick (writer) (Scream 7; Final Destination: Bloodlines; Abigail; Scream 5-6); R. Christopher Murphy (writer) (Ready or Not); directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (directors; a.k.a Radio Silence) (Ready or Not; Scream 5-6; Abigail)
MPA: Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, pervasive language and brief drug use (runtime 108 minutes)
Make sure to keep on checking my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook for any fun trivia bits (if any) of any movies that I check out and for any review line ups that I have planned down the road. And, for those who don’t have Facebook, here is a rundown of what I have planned on the review front for the April 8 edition: “The Super Mario Brothers Movie” (recent release; revisit); “Mercy” (recent release 2026); “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (In Remembrance - Catherine O’Hara; her final theatrical movie); “The Rookie” (to coincide with the beginning of the MLB season) and “Major League (baseball flick).
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett were working on an original film centered around a sister story, set to star Kathryn Newton and Samara Weaving. However, when Searchlight Pictures approached them to direct a sequel to "Ready or Not", they proposed integrating their original sister story into the "Ready or Not" universe. Searchlight Pictures approved the idea.
In the trailer, Ursula is seen wielding a long metal spike as her choice melee weapon. Her actress Sarah Michelle Gellar was known for wielding a very similar weapon in her most famous role as Buffy Summers.
Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton formed a very close bond with Sarah Michelle Gellar during filming.
Shawn Hatosy and Elijah Wood previously starred in The Faculty (1998) together.
This is Kathryn Newton and Kevin Durand's second collaboration with Radio Silence after Abigail (2024).
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