Grace MacCaullay (Samara Weaving) re-emerges from the ashes, quite literally. Still clad in her now-iconic, blood-splattered wedding gown and sneakers, she surveys the smoldering remains of the Le Domas family estate. When prompted about the chaos, her dry, singular response – “in-laws” – perfectly encapsulates the darkly comedic horror that awaits.
The nightmare for Grace MacCaullay is far from over in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett return to helm this 108-minute continuation, immediately following the brutal events of the 2019 cult hit. After narrowly surviving a deadly game of hide-and-seek against her satanic in-laws, Grace finds herself once more thrust into a fight for survival, entangled with the relentless adherents of Mr. Le Bail.
The demise of the Le Domas dynasty has left a void, prompting six equally affluent and malevolent families to converge and stake their claim for ultimate power. The ultimate prize – the revered ‘ring of power’ – is now promised to whichever family successfully eliminates Grace before dawn, her previous victory against the Le Domas having designated her as a prime target.
Among the sinister new players are the chillingly composed twins Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Titus (Shawn Hatosy) of the Danforth lineage, along with Ignacio (Néstor Carbonell), patriarch of the El Caido family. They are joined by Bill (Kevin Durand) representing the Wilkinsons, Chen Xing (Olivia Cheng) as the formidable head of the Wan clan, and Viraj (Nadeem Umar-Khitab) from the powerful Rajan family.
The Danforth twins waste no time in securing their position, ‘charmingly’ dispatching their own father, Chester (David Cronenberg), to clear their path to power. Adding another layer of complexity, Grace’s estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), who was her emergency contact, is unwittingly drawn into the brutal contest, her presence leveraged to guarantee Grace’s reluctant participation.
The lethal contest unfolds with a ruthless intensity, deploying a grotesque arsenal from industrial washing machines – a scene featuring a curiously resilient phone amidst its victim’s demise – to an array of rocket launchers, katanas, and shotguns. Meanwhile, the extended family members, distinct from the designated heads of households, observe the carnage with a macabre fascination: Viraj’s brother Madhu (Varun Saranga) and his wife Martina (Masa Lizdek); Ignacio’s children Felipe (Juan Pablo Romero) and Francesca (Maia Jae), the latter holding a personal vendetta against Grace; the twins’ cousin Kip (Dan Beirne); and Chen Xing’s son Cheng Fu (Antony Hall), whose primary concern, amusingly, remains the Wi-Fi password.
True to its predecessor, Ready or Not 2 spares no expense on the visceral, boasting an astonishing 325 gallons of fake blood. The film maintains a relentless, brisk pace, anchored by Samara Weaving’s blistering lead performance. She receives stellar support from an ensemble cast, notably Elijah Wood, whose portrayal of a lawyer delivering the macabre rules for his nefarious clients adds a chilling dimension. The film deftly reinforces the dark conceit that the ultra-wealthy have bartered their souls, offering immense satisfaction in witnessing two seemingly ordinary women confront and, potentially, conquer such formidable evil. And for those invested, yes, the goat indeed survives. The lethal festivities have only just begun.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come is currently playing in theatres.
