⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come’ review: devilish horror comedy sequel is a rehash of the original

Despite some fresh blood with Elijah Wood and Sarah Michelle Gellar, this follow-up cheerfully tells the same gory story

some stories simply come to an end and don’t need expanding on. When a film rakes back almost 10 times its budget though, as the horror comedy Ready Or Not did in 2019, it’s time to spin the narrative wheel of fortune and see where it lands. An origin-exploring prequel? A confident stride on the road to a trilogy? Or, y’know, you could just remake the first movie.

Co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have cheerily plumped for the latter option with Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come picking up exactly where its predecessor left off, with new supporting roles from Elijah Wood, Sarah Michelle Gellar and legendary horror filmmaker David Cronenberg thrown in for good measure.

Made for just $6million, the original followed Grace (Samara Weaving) who’d transcended her humble origins to marry the scion of a stinking rich board game dynasty (sure). Unfortunately, it transpired that the family had inked a deal with the Devil in exchange for their generational wealth – should they fail to slaughter Grace by dawn, Satan himself would come a-knocking.

The premise was actually more knowingly convoluted than that with all manner of comedic clauses and rituals included in the contract, but the movie was really an excuse for a series of gory set-pieces. It wasn’t quite funny enough to be a full-blown comedy or played straight enough to be genuinely scary, however Ready Or Not’s mix of outlandish kills and broad class satire offered good, goofy fun.

The sequel kicks off with Grace still wearing her blood-soaked wedding dress, standing on the steps of the clan’s country pile and dazed by her unlikely triumph. With police swarming around her, it initially seems as if returning screenwriters Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy have set themselves an intriguing task: what real-world ramifications might follow a bloody, brutal clash with pure evil? With so many bodies in her wake, it certainly looks like Grace is destined for the slammer, her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) suggests with deadpan glee.

Alas, we’re soon back to more familiar territory. Thanks to yet another clause in the Devil’s contract, Grace and Faith must team-up and defeat a shadowy cabal on – you guessed it – a big old country estate. If they emerge victorious, their prize will be world domination.

Recommended

So yes, it’s as daft as it ever was. While the original’s dastardly devil worshippers were a hoot to hate, Here I Come is stuffed with underwritten characters who often sink into the background. The sisters evade so many bullets that they appear to have been touched by magic, rendering the whole thing a little pointless. A running gag about the bad guys spontaneously exploding is seriously overplayed. In fact, the original’s twinkly sense of mischief is generally dulled this time around.

Still, there are some entertaining showdowns and Weaving again excels as the funny and fearsome Grace, one of modern horror’s toughest protagonists. If this film does as well as the first, we should probably expect a threequel – whether you’re ready or not.

Details

• Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
• Starring: Samara Weaving, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Elijah Wood
• Release date: March 20 (in cinemas)