- Release year: 2026
- Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.
- Producers: Bradley J. Fischer, William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, and Tripp Vinson.
- Screenplay by: Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy.
- Cinematography by: Brett Jutkiewicz.
- Music by: Sven Faulconer.
Synopsis: after surviving a deadly hide-and-seek with her in-laws, Grace is forced to play yet again with the powerful satanic council to which said in-laws belonged.
Shotgun Commentary: a great time… but not as great as the first Ready or Not (2019).
Review
Ready or Not: Here I Come is the kind of film that will hype you up if you watched and loved the first instalment. So if you did, welcome, fellow Ready or Not lover! If you didn’t, do watch that one before delving into this review.
This sequel follows the aftermath of the first movie. You join Grace (Samara Weaving) in the iconic scene where she exits her in-laws’ family home covered in blood and lights a cigarette on the stairs. The next few minutes are what’s expected from such a bloodbath: questions, hospitalisation, and a very real chance that she ends up in jail. However, it all takes a turn when you find out that the game is actually far from over. Having beat her in-laws in their deadly hide-and-seek, Grace now has to face the high council. In order to establish which family from the high council will be the leader, they must hunt Grace down. Again.
Some of the fan favourites from the first film are still very much there, namely, the gore and the humour. Sadly, they are not as effective as they were in the first film. Sure, the deaths are still flashy and fun, but they are not accompanied by the witty humour you might expect from a Ready or Not movie. Instead, you get a lot of gore and ironic twists, but pretty flat characters.
New faces
This leads us to the main additions of the series, the new players. On Grace’s side, there’s Faith (Kathryn Newton), Grace’s estranged little sister. She is the slightly tackier version of the protagonist. Newton, whom you might have seen in previous projects of the same directors like Abigail (2024), does a great job at portraying a really monotone character. Sadly, there is not much in Faith for her to shine, neither in comedy nor in drama. She does get a fair amount of action, but even that is not really worth writing home about.
As for this instalment’s evil players, there are big names like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Néstor Carbonell, and Kevin Durand joining the hunt. Each playing a loaded rich person with their own peculiar personalities, of course. Durand has a short but impactful presence in the film that leaves you wanting so much more. His character is the perfect bang to begin the feast, but it does set some expectations that are not quite met.
A very similar thing happens with Gellar, whose character is mysterious and seemingly layered but deflates in a very disappointing fashion. Then again, isn’t that what rich people are all about? The mystery of luxury with not much else behind it?
The two musts
Fear not! The OGs are still very much there to save the party. And by “OGs” I mean, of course, Grace’s dress and her ICONIC scream. The wedding dress that all horror lovers should know and love is still very much the pièce de résistance of this whole story. With a few more modifications as the result of running from wealthy psychopaths, as expected. As for the scream, Weaving undoubtedly has THE most legendary scream-queen war yell in the history of horror. Not gonna lie, it is hilarious the first time you hear it, but it really does grow on you pretty damn fast. The odd combination of old car trying to start and panicked scream will for sure stay with you long after you’ve watched the movie.
All in all, Ready or Not: Here I Come is not a terrible sequel. Do not expect it to be on the level of the original, but do expect a fun time watching for sure.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Always double-tap.
- Sisters can be annoying, but never to the point of letting rich people kill them.
- A good wedding dress can have many, MANY lives.
What’s your take? Have you watched Ready or Not: Here I Come? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message on my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀