What happens when survival horror meets dark comedy…again? Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, attempted to raise the stakes, but the question is, did it actually deliver?
Sequels are difficult to perfect because they often try to recreate what worked in the first one without adding anything new. We’ve seen this in the entire Scream and Friday the 13th franchises. Fortunately for us movie goers, Ready or Not 2, the follow up to Ready or Not, manages to feel both familiar and different all at the same time.
This film once again centers on “the bride,” who is pulled back into another “fight for her life” situation. In the previous movie, she marries a man who keeps secrets from her about his family. To her surprise, his family has ties to the devil. Within their agreement, when a new family member is married they must play a game. A bunch of different games are written onto cards and are put into a deck. All the new member must do is draw one. However, she draws the only “bad card” in the deck: Hide and Seek and finds herself fighting for her life. In order for the family to survive the curse they must find and kill her before dawn, or they will all be obliterated. Spoiler Alert in case you haven’t seen the first one, she survives and ends the movie by sitting on the steps to her late husband’s family mansion. The final scene captures her covered in blood smoking a cigarette while the mansion burns to the ground.
The second movie opens exactly where the last one ended. No time has passed and the bride is seen sitting on the steps of the mansion smoking. Paramedics rush to care for her. While in the hospital recovering her sister enters the hospital room. Her sister was unknown in the last movie, so this invites a new relationship for Grace. Grace, the bride, is shocked by this interaction because the two had a falling out a few years back. However, her sister is still listed as her emergency contact. The two talk about the unresolved tension between them when suddenly Grace is met with another wave of hardship. She is captured and forced back into the cult. This time, however, the story expands beyond her husband’s family, introducing an entirely new set of characters from all around the world. This allows new personalities and family dynamics to be seen. The two sisters then find themselves kidnapped and become hunted by four new, deadlier families. These families had no activation of power until another family failed to fulfill their duties to the devil. Grace has no prior knowledge of these powerful people. She must navigate a wider, more complex Satanic conspiracy to protect her sister and secure the high seat, removing all power from the others.
One thing I personally enjoyed about the film was the plot. I always worry about horror movies. Everything has already been done and mastered before they all become the same movie in different fonts. However, what makes the plot stand out so much more in Ready or Not 2 is how natural everything feels in a seemingly surreal situation. For instance, Grace suffers some minor wounds while hiding with her sister. And they take time to sit down and tend to the wounds while having deep conversations about what happened to them in the past. They just sit and have a sisterly chat while Grace pulls a metal rod from her shoulder bone before chugging whiskey for the pain. And while this may seem too exaggerated the scene is very well done, never letting you lose interest in what’s happening on screen. In this movie, even as things continue to escalate, the progression of events doesn’t feel forced.
The humor throughout the film is one of its biggest strengths, as it is a horror comedy after all. There are several moments where tension is broken by perfectly timed lines and laughable moments. At one point Grace has a run in with one of the relatives. Through some tussling both girls end up with pepper spray in their eyes, unable to see what’s around them. So, while trying to find each other one of them turns on the stereo system and they pump the air while “Total Eclipse of the Heart” plays in the background. It is quite the comedic scene with a perfectly fitting song. It’s moments like that that feel out of place and actually make intense scenes hit harder especially because you don’t expect it.
The acting is also consistently strong among all of the characters, but especially from Grace. This overall helps ground the film even when the situation becomes extreme and makes you want to hold your breath.
Grace, Samara Weaving holds so much tension in her body and has earned her title as a scream queen. She has a gut wrenching shriek coming from her several times throughout that made me feel in the moment with her.
The emotional core that radiates off of these actors made me so immersed in the moment I’d jump from just their voices breaking through a silent moment.
As for the horror, the film definitely delivers. There are multiple jump scares, but they don’t rely solely on loud noise. It is also a more psychological horror movie that showcases A LOT of gore. You know of course how the movie will end as they all are predictable that way, but you don’t know the exact moments leading up to it. So every corner the turn you wonder if Grace and her sister will become face to face with one of the relatives. The suspense kills you sometimes, but it is so worth it in those scenes.
Finally, when I walked into the theatre I told my father, who I was seeing the movie with, that I hoped to hear the “Hide and Seek Song” from the first film. As she hides in Ready or Not, the father of the house puts on a record that sings a catchy tune. I wanted to see this make an appearance in the second film as well, and I was not disappointed. At the end of the movie, Grace has lost all emotion behind anything and whisper-sings the words to the song as she walks. It was such an eerie moment, but I immediately turned to my father and whispered, “I told you it’d make an appearance!” That itself was enough to make this movie a favorite of mine.
Overall, Ready or Not 2 succeeds in doing what many sequels fail to do. It builds on the original while still being new. It showcases this all through its dark, satanic imagery and strong performances from all aspects. Therefore my rating of this film could only be a 5/5. It was an absolutely amazing experience that I got to have, on my birthday too! If you have a chance, go to the movie theatre with your family or friends or even by yourself and see Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. It is a must see!
