Review by Elizabeth C. Bunce
We loved 2019’s wedding-gone-wrong Ready or Not, starring Samara Weaving as a bride having the worst honeymoon ever (reviewed here at borg). Now seven years later, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett return to the scene of the crime in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, and it’s like no time at all has passed. In fact the sequel picks up at exactly the moment the last film ended, with embattled bride (now widow) Grace, having survived an evening with her new in-laws, the erstwhile Le Domas family, sitting on the steps of their burning mansion, having a smoke.
But Grace, played again with the same grim exasperation by Weaving, doesn’t get a second to catch her breath before being plunged right back into the schemes of devil-worshipping CEOs and international power brokers. Because apparently the elimination of the Le Domas family in one fell swoop has triggered a clause in the international satanic contracts that allows Grace to take over all of their interests—if she again survives being hunted until dawn. This time the pursuers are other dynasties that have signed their souls away for earthly power, including strongly motivated twins played by Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Sean Hatosy (Bosch, Longmire), as well as a host of other baddies eager to claim the prize.
Things are complicated by the awkward addition of Grace’s estranged little sister Faith, played by Kathryn Newton (Abigail, Lisa Frankenstein, Freaky, Ant-Man 3)… filling out the triumverate of powerhouse blonde horror casting. Faith’s character doesn’t add much to the plot, but we’re always on board for Newton’s brand of horror comedy, so she’s a welcome addition. Why not?
In fact the entire movie doesn’t add a whole lot to the story, except a number of unanswered logical questions. The original premise of playing Hide & Seek was directly tied to the Le Domas family’s boardgame empire—why in the world would the rest of this international cabal also subscribe to the tradition? We never know. Where did all these people come from? Also a mystery. A better question: Why kill off the best and most interesting cast members so early on? For our money, we’d all rather watch Kevin Durand (Abigail, The Naked Gun) and Nestor Carbonnel (Psych) chewing up the scenery. Fortunately referee-stroke-attorney Elijah Wood is on hand throughout to keep things… fair and legal. Ish.
The 2019 movie Ready or Not starred Weaving with an all-star supporting cast (Andie MacDowell, Henry Czerny, Adam Brody, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun). It’s hard to beat a new bride played by Weaving in an atmospheric, Gothic story that doubled as a dark comedy and horror-lite cautionary tale, a fun ride about marriage and marrying into a new family–the dark side of families, the skeletons in the closet.
Not as good as the first movie (but it’s the rare sequel that is), Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is still a fun entry in the bride horror genre. Weaving, Newton, and Gellar deliver reliable performances, the script makes an effort to stay on brand (however tortured), and there’s plenty of blood and gory comeuppance to go around. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is now streaming on Prime Video.
For another good take on the bride horror genre, don’t miss this year’s Netflix series Something Very Bad is Going to Happen (reviewed here), another good take on the genre, plus Crimson Peak (reviewed here) and the lesser but still watchable The Invitation (reviewed here).
