Ready or Not 2 Sets The New Gold Standard For Horror Sequels

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 23 seconds ago

Randy and his film nerd cohort in Scream 2 helped to instill a pretty basic idea in moviegoers: that sequels almost always suck. Of course, the second film in this iconic slasher franchise was no exception to its own rule.

Wes Craven packed plenty of charm and style into this ambitious sequel, but it still fell short of the titanic heights set by Scream (1996). In this way, the horror maestro helped cement the idea that most scary movie franchises are victims of their own success because nothing will ever top the original.

Deep down, that was how I felt when I first watched Ready or Not. From its singular premise to its likeable final girl to its svelte runtime, this was a nearly perfect movie for audiences who love to scream and laugh.

When I heard this breakout slasher was getting a belated sequel, I worried that a follow-up film would be a slipshod mess that did nothing but retroactively ruin the earlier movie’s reputation. Fortunately, I was wrong, and Ready or Not 2: Here I Come serves as a nearly perfect entry in the franchise, one that sets a new gold standard for horror sequels. 

The Devil’s In The Details

The premise of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is that the plucky bride (played by Samara Weaving), who narrowly survived a lethal game of hide and seek, is scooped up by a mysterious, Illuminati-type group. It turns out, all of their families had signed an elaborate pact with the devil ages ago, one that offered them control over the world. In exchange, the families follow Satan’s rules, which include requirements for human sacrifices.

The bride’s survival means these families must now compete for the top spot, and the first to kill her wins. But with the unexpected help of her sister (Kathryn Newton), she might just beat the odds yet again.

Ready Or Not 2 Is A Near Perfect Sequel

Why do I think Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is a nearly perfect follow-up to the earlier movie? It improves on everything from the original film without changing the essential formula.

In this sequel, we see the same bride in the same outfit competing in the same kind of competition, all while running from a similar set of wealthy psychopaths. In Ready or Not 2 everything is bigger: the bride now has a partner in the form of a heretofore unknown sister. The competition comes with higher stakes: namely, control of the world itself. Finally, there are more psychopaths than ever, led by Sarah Michelle Gellar’s ruthless character.

Buffy, The Final Girl Slayer

As you can tell from these names, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is filled with many horror icons, and it’s genuinely fun seeing genre veterans like Gellar get to play such unhinged characters. Elijah Wood (as much horror patron as performer) has a devilishly good time as Satan’s lawyer, and he steals multiple scenes with a wordless glance.

Speaking of stealing scenes, legendary horror director David Cronenberg makes the most of his limited screentime. Oh, and Kathryn Newton gives her best performance since Lisa Frankenstein, establishing the Abigail actor as a girl next door competitor for the title of Scream Queen.  

Newton can’t yet wrest that title from Samara Weaving, however, who manages to inject her character with the same fierce vulnerability (and vulnerable ferocity) that made the first Ready or Not an instant classic. The sequel puts her character through absolute hell, and Weaving ensures we feel every jolt of the bride’s bloody, biting pain.

Weaving’s scenes with Newton channel electrical anger and warm empathy, perfectly embodying the sibling rivalry of sisters many miles out of their collective depth. She also becomes the genre’s most satisfying final girl in a jaw-dropping climax that gives the phrase “the devil’s in the details” a whole new meaning.

Bold, Bloody Fun

While Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is immensely satisfying as a sequel, it’s also surprisingly accessible to newcomers. I took a friend to the film who had not seen the original, but privately, we both worried that the follow-up film would be absolutely inscrutable to anyone who had not seen the earlier movie. Fortunately, we were both wrong, and he found the movie delightful despite typically only liking elevated horror. This underscores the movie’s killer word of mouth: it’s brutal and breezy enough to appeal to slasher fans while also offering enough witty dialogue and twisting plot points to appeal to those who want some meat with their blood.

Why are you still reading this? You should already have been halfway to the theater. Go check out Ready or Not 2: Here I Come to discover a nearly perfect horror sequel full of powerhouse performances, crazy kills, and memorable murders.

Go watch the movie to hear some hilarious dialogue, including more than a few one-liners that will live, rent-free, in your head. If nothing else, go see the movie for a sight that might unite all of us and finally heal a divided nation: Kathryn Newton. In a bloody tank top. With a sword.