Grace MacCaullay has already done the impossible once, which is probably why Ready or Not 2: Here I Come wastes very little time putting her straight back into another round of it. Picking up moments after the first film, the sequel quickly establishes that survival didn’t buy her freedom so much as it bought her entry into a much larger and far more complicated game.
The original Ready or Not worked so well because of its simplicity. One house. One bride. A pack of wealthy in-laws who believed they had to sacrifice her before dawn or face supernatural consequences. It was savage but brilliant, with Samara Weaving dual-tone screaming her way through the chaos like an overdressed final girl at the world’s worst family reunion.
This time round, Grace learns that the La Domas clan was only one branch of a much larger tree. There are other families, more games, and other very rich people who believe their power depends on bloodshed (specifically, hers) and ritual. Before long, Grace finds herself dragged back into the dark mindlessness of it all, this time with her estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), along for the ride.
That shift changes the tone quite noticeably. Whereas the first film felt like a pressure cooker, with everything happening inside one creaking mansion. Ready or Not 2 spreads out, introducing rival families, secret councils and a roster of unpleasant villains hungry for power.
In theory, that expansion risks diluting what made the original work. In practice, it makes the carnage louder.
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett realise that the element of surprise has gone. Rather than pretending otherwise, they embrace the ridiculousness of the situation. The villains are grander, the violence more elaborate, and the deadly game is refereed with a straight (though slightly smirking) face.
From L to R: Juan Pablo Romero, Nestor Carbonell, Varun Saranga, Maša Lizdek, Shawn Hatosy, Samara Weaving, Nadeem Umar-Khitab, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Daniel Beirne, Kathryn Newton, Antony Hall, and Olivia Cheng in READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME. Photo by Searchlight Pictures/Pief Weyman, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2026 Searchlight Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
“… quickly establishes that survival didn’t buy her freedom …”
Some of this works better than others. At times, things sag under the weight of dialogue. But the film just about keeps its footing whenever it re-focuses: this story is really about Grace refusing to die.
Samara Weaving remains the franchise’s secret weapon. She plays Grace with that mixture of fury, exhaustion, and dark humour that makes the whole thing feel grounded, even when the plot goes wild. Grace’s frustration feels cumulative, like every new twist is just another insult piled on top of the last.
Kathryn Newton provides a vital counterbalance as Faith, the sister, suddenly forced into the same nightmare. Their relationship gives the film a scrappier emotional centre than you might expect from something this flagrantly violent. They bicker, they panic, they occasionally save each other’s lives.
Around them, the supporting cast happily chew the scenery. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy play a particularly vicious pair of aristocratic siblings, while Elijah Wood looks quite at home as a politely sinister lawyer who seems disturbingly comfortable explaining the rules of the blood sport.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come may not be as sharp as the first film. But what it lacks in precision it makes up for with enthusiasm. The kills are inventive, the pacing rarely slackens, and most importantly, it remains tremendous fun.
"…Samara Weaving remains the franchise’s secret weapon"
