Horror has always had its finger on the pulse of pain, which is probably why so many studio films are now getting their kicks by killing the rich over, and over, and over again. That was certainly the case with Ready or Not, the 2019 feature from filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (also known as Radio Silence). And while that film seemingly left its rich good and dead, there’s always room for a sequel, and everyone’s favorite bad-luck bride is back in the much-improved Ready or Not: Here I Come.
When we last left Grace MacCaullay (Samara Weaving), she was sitting on the steps of the Le Domas family mansion in the aftermath of her in-laws… well, exploding. But unbeknownst to her, her refusal to die has triggered a new hunt for the world’s ruling families. Abducted from the hospital alongside her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton), Grace must once again survive until dawn as the remaining council members attempt to curry favor with Mr. Le Bail, the council’s mysterious benefactor who may or may not be Satan.
This time, though, there are a few wrinkles. Overseeing the affairs is Mr. Le Bail’s personal attorney (Elijah Wood, never better than as a creepy little guy), who explains that whoever wears the High Seat ring at the end of the evening will control the world – even if that person is Grace herself. Meanwhile, the council’s extended family members watch from afar, ready to step up and replace their sibling or parent to continue the hunt.
Will the High Seat remain with Ursula Danforth (Sarah Michelle Gellar)? Or will an upstart like Ignacio El Caido (Néstor Carbonell) or Wan Chen Xing (Olivia Cheng) secure the ultimate power for their family? Once the games begin, anyone is a crossbow bolt or a sword thrust away from ultimate power. And if they want to survive, Grace and Faith will need to overcome a decade’s worth of resentment and carve their own bloody path to freedom.
When Ready or Not hit theaters in 2019, it did so to almost universal acclaim, ending the year on most major Best Horror lists. Consider me, then, one of the film’s few detractors. Ready or Not was a simple film, but one was neither clever enough to sell its action nor action-packed enough to carry its premise. The Radio Silence team wielded violence and storytelling with an unsteady hand; while the unchecked rage of Weaving remains indisputable, the entertainment factor of the film was heavily carried by the suddenness of its explosive reveal.
But some sequels benefit from preestablished worldbuilding. Freed of the incredulity of its predecessor – we know everyone we meet in the sequel is unapologetically violent and self-serving – Ready or Not: Here I Come is able to achieve a level of cartoonish violence that suits the franchise. This makes the sequel similar to Parker Finn’s Smile 2, which sidestepped the dourness of the first film to provide a delicious exercise in stylish violence.
For starters, Weaving and Newton are an excellent pair. Each has their own legacy of horror movie stardom – Newton shines in films like Freaky and Lisa Frankenstein – but here their onscreen personas work in harmony. Weaving remains pure rage; no actor can match the power of her cathartic screams. But Newton’s running commentary throughout the film checks two boxes in one, serving as a cynical counterpoint to Weaving’s survivor while also bringing new audience members slowly up to speed.
And just as important, Ready or Not: Here I Come demonstrates a surer hand when it comes to violence. Part of this is the presence of two leads – Weaving splitting screentime with Newton allows the film to better vary its set pieces – but the simplified nature of the killers also works wonders for the film. Each of the council members is developed primarily through fight choreography; how they shoot or stab their way through the movie is all we need to know about them, and Radio Silence lets their weapons and psychoses do most of the talking.
For some, this might spread too little story over too much fighting. But for my money, there’s nothing wrong with a little kinetic storytelling. Give me a killer with a fancy outfit and a silly weapon and I’ll gladly meet you more than halfway.
The fights, too, are better than in the first film. Take one sequence that features Grace and Faith brawling simultaneously. Grace’s scene is pure physical comedy, a half-blind slugfest that leans into the scene’s soundtrack. Meanwhile, Faith’s fight borders on the cruel; there are shades of True Romance in the beating Faith takes at the hands of a council member, with Newton doggedly refusing to lay down. Taken separately, either scene would be interesting; edit it together and both Weaving and Newton are given a chance to explore the similarities and differences between the sisters in how they handle themselves with their fists.
The film is not entirely without story – there are estranged sisters to reunite, and a delicious subplot about an ex-girlfriend who has a personal stake in killing Grace – but nothing stands between this sequel and its fountains of gore. And watching over it all is Wood’s impassive attorney, who functions as the sole straight man in a movie dedicated to excess. Those who do want some semblance of continuity may find themselves pleased with the film’s final moments, which call back to the original’s opening and give Grace a proper bookend for her violence. But for the most party, Radio Silence’s sequel is a welcome exercise in silliness.
Some sequels succeed by expanding greatly on its established world. Other sequels succeed by just doubling down on what works. Ready or Not: Here I Come is decidedly in the latter camp, built around bickering and bloodshed with little interest in grounding its story in the real world. It may not offer the surprises of the first Radio Silence outing, but it’s more confident in its tone, perfecting a brand of slapstick horror than many directors attempt (and fail) to get right. Ready or Not may not be a film that screamed sequel, but sometimes, those are the kinds of sequels that work best. [3.5/5]
