Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come Review - Even More Glorious Horror Excess

Posted in: Kaitlyn Booth, Movies, Review, Searchlight | Tagged: Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come Review – Even More Glorious Horror Excess

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come isn't as good as the first one, but it doesn't diminish the first one by existing, which is something that often happens with horror films.

Published Fri, 13 Mar 2026 19:33:07 -0500
by Kaitlyn Booth
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Article Summary

• Ready or Not 2: Here I Come brings more bloody horror, leaning into supernatural twists and new villains.
• Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton shine as sisters facing rival families in a deadly, over-the-top sequel.
• The film raises the stakes but embraces a more humorous tone, with creative kills and plenty of blood to spare.
• Though less original, the sequel justifies itself without hurting the first film, but a third may be a step too far.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come brings much of the same energy as the first film, so, by design, it is not as original, but it has enough fun characters and kills to justify its own existence.

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
Summary: After surviving one deadly game, Grace and her sister Faith must now outrun four rival families competing for a powerful throne – winner takes all.

Ready or Not was one of those horror movies that brought in a lot of people who weren't usually into the genre. It also had a new final girl who kicked seven different types of ass and earned every drag of her victory cigarette. It was a film that could have easily ended on that note, never been touched again, and it would have been fine. However, for all the original things horror does, it's also a genre that lives and breathes sequels. While Ready or Not 2: Here I Come doesn't go in a completely different direction, it does enough to set itself apart while maintaining the same vibes as the first film, so you're going to have a good time at the theater.

There was a lot of lore in the first film, and, for almost the entire runtime, it was very unclear just where all of this was going to end up. The film felt pretty grounded overall, so the idea of Satan and dying once the sun comes up sounded like concepts that could have just been scare tactics. All bets are off in the second film, and they lean heavily into the supernatural elements this time around. We, like with Grace, know what is on the line here and what fate everyone is trying to avoid by the time the sun rises at the end of this new game.

The new supporting cast is filled with a bunch of your favorite actors putting in some great performances. Shawn Hatosy really came into the mainstream with his appearance on The Pitt, and he's by far one of the standouts in this film. To get into it would involve varying levels of spoilers, but it's a slow burn for his character and entirely worth it. Sarah Michelle Gellar is also on hand, and her dynamic with Hatosy, the two are playing twins, is also a reveal that develops as the film goes on. In terms of villains, beyond the inevitable passage of time and Satan, the new ones are a lot of fun.

Ready or Not 2's second protagonist and Scream Queen, Kathryn Newton, is also a lot of fun. Setting aside the fact that she and Samara Weaving already look like they could be related without changing a single thing about them, their estranged sister relationship is incredibly believable on screen. In the first Ready or Not, Grace was vulnerable because she was alone, and that was an important element of the story. However, Faith's arrival this time is a weird plot point that initially seems to undo much of that. However,  the explanation for why they aren't in contact makes sense for the story and preserves the original context. They come together seamlessly, and these two really need to be in more movies together.

The exploding human beings thing came as a massive shock not only to Grace but also to the people actively exploding and the audience at the end of the first film. Ready or Not 2 has exploding human beings and more. If there is one thing that directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett love to do, it's cover their cast in absolutely gallons of blood. The kills aren't too over the top, even as people are still actively exploding, though the movie does its own version of going completely insane by the end, much in the same way the first film did. To describe the deaths in a horror movie is like explaining the jokes in a comedy, but they are well shot and executed, and most of them are either creative or cathartic enough that you'll be satisfied when they happen.

However, while this glorious horror excess is all well and good, Ready or Not 2  doesn't add anything unnecessary to this universe.  The new things it does bring to the table just make it all a little goofier. That's kind of to be expected when people are exploding, and we have accepted the fact that Satan does, in fact, exist, and these rich people are running around doing terrible things in the name of staying rich. This movie approaches that theme a bit differently, and it comes together in a rather telling way.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come isn't as good as the first one, but it doesn't diminish the first one by existing, which is something that often happens with horror films. However, this isn't a concept that could be stretched into a third film without losing something along the way. The first one could have easily been a one-and-done; they mostly stuck the landing on a sequel, and anything else would likely not work. Horror continues to be a fascinating vessel where new techniques and technology are created or perfected, and where a story about exploding Satanists is actually about the wealth divide and how the rich will do anything to maintain their power.

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come

Review by Kaitlyn Booth

8/10

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come brings much of the same energy as the first film, so, by design, it is not as original, but it has enough fun characters and kills to mostly justify its own existence.

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