READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME (2026)

Did Ready or Not (2019) actually need a sequel? No. Is Ready or Not 2: Here I Come a satisfactory follow-up to the cult horror hit? Absolutely. Picking up Grace’s (Samara Weaving) story moments after the first film concludes, the sequel once again sees our “final girl” battle a mansion full of violent, satanic billionaires.

The original film followed working-class Grace as she married into one of America’s wealthiest dynasties, the LeDormas. On her wedding night, she was forced into a lethal game of hide-and-seek by in-laws seeking to sacrifice her to the devil to preserve their status. If they failed to capture her by dawn, they would internally combust. Throughout Ready or Not, there was a delicious ambiguity as to whether this curse was real or merely an eccentric family myth; however, this sequel leaves no doubt that America’s elite are indeed worshipping the devil.

The film finds Grace exactly where we left her: covered in blood and smoking a cigarette on the steps of the LeDorma estate. To expand the protagonist’s world, the sequel introduces her estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton). It’s fairly obvious that Faith is a new addition to the lore rather than a character the writers had envisioned during the first film. After waking up handcuffed to a hospital bed, she spends far too much of the opening act recapping the previous film’s events. Her explanation to the police regarding the burnt-out mansion and the mountain of corpses results in a rather clunky exposition dump, just in case the audience had forgotten Grace’s ordeal.

The sisters have little time to bond before a new collection of billionaire families arrives. It turns out the LeDormas were just one of many wealthy broods who struck a deal with the underworld; the sequel reveals that the global 1% are all part of this shady organisation of Satanists. It’s a premise that doesn’t require too much suspension of disbelief to buy into.

Grace and Faith eventually find themselves in a committee meeting where a nameless lawyer (Elijah Wood) explains their overcomplicated predicament. Because the LeDormas failed their hunt and perished, another family must now take the “high seat” and succeed where they failed. It’s a long-winded way of justifying a repeat of the first film’s format: the rich must sacrifice the girls before dawn or explode.

While the action takes a while to ignite, it’s immensely fun once it does. We first meet Chester Danforth (David Cronenberg), a man so powerful he can halt a war with a phone call. With a single text, he initiates a “double-or-nothing” version of the original game. The film would have benefited from reaching this point sooner, weaving the backstory into the plot rather than relying on long monologues.

The sisters wake up on a sprawling golf course to be hunted by a gallery of global power players. The roster includes Chester’s evil twins, Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Titus (Shawn Hatosy), sniper-wielding Ignacio El Caido (Néstor Carbonell), sword-swinging Wan Chen Xing (Olivia Chang), party boys Madhu (Varun Saranga) and Viraj Rajan (Nadeem Umar-Khitab), and the cocaine-fuelled Bill Wilkinson (Kevin Durand). Despite the sprawling ensemble, the film balances them well, giving every villain a moment to shine.

The script doesn’t bother explaining who they are or why they are all expert marksmen; like Grace, the audience is simply dumped into the fray. While the first film relished the incompetence of its wealthy hunters, this ensemble knows their way around a weapon—and they certainly have “arms to bear.”

It’s a delight to see Sarah Michelle Gellar (I Know What You Did Last Summer) return to horror, playing a character that feels like a cocktail of Buffy Summers and toxic socialite Kathryn Merteuil from Cruel Intentions (1999). Another highlight is Kathryn’s brutish “attack dog” twin Titus, as actor Shawn Hotosy (The Pitt) reignites his earlier “hardman” persona, though his performance occasionally feels too grim for a story leaning into comedy.

Néstor Carbonell (Lost) clearly enjoys himself as a foul-mouthed Spaniard with a sniper rifle, while Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings) is somewhat underutilised as the event’s “emcee,” hovering on the sidelines with his rulebook. The cast is evidently having a blast playing to stereotypes; don’t expect nuance here—these characters wouldn’t look out of place in a Saturday Night Live sketch.

Ultimately, this franchise rests on Samara Weaving (Scream VI). Grace is no longer the wide-eyed bride who believed in fairy tales; she’s now bitter, jaded, and ferocious. Weaving is tremendous, delivering a physically confident performance that grounds even the most absurd moments. Her expressive blue eyes convey more than any dialogue could.

While Kathryn Newton (Lisa Frankenstein) is a welcome addition, the quieter emotional beats between the sisters don’t quite land. Their estrangement feels half-baked and underwritten, making the eventual payoff feel unearned. Faith remains somewhat one-dimensional—bordering on petulant—which is a pity given how layered Grace is. Thankfully, Weaving and Newton share enough chemistry to paper over the script’s cracks.

Directed by the original creative team, Here I Come is smart enough to replicate the original’s DNA without copying it beat-for-beat. There are innovative set pieces and a heightened level of “gore-nography,” with the camera refusing to flinch during the more visceral moments. The film also wisely peppers the violence throughout rather than saving it all for an explosive finale.

The third act is significantly more macabre than its predecessor, losing some of the original’s wit. While the attempt to expand the world is admirable, the eccentric humour of 2019 is missed, replaced by an overreliance on “lore” and unnecessary rules.

Ready or Not 2 doesn’t quite match the sharp satire of the original, which arrived just before the “eat the rich” zeitgeist reached its limit. It also lacks the first film’s genuine surprises. Nevertheless, fans won’t be disappointed. It may be a slight downgrade in quality and feel somewhat like a “cash-in,” but as a follow-up to Grace’s story, it still packs a punch.

USA | 2026 | 108 MINUTES | 2.39:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Cast & Crew

directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett.
writers: Guy Busick & R. Christopher Murphy (based on characters created by Guy Busick & R. Christopher Murphy).
starring: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood, Néstor Carbonell, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng & Varun Saranga.