Ready or Not 2: Here I Come Review: A Gory Rehash? (Quick Verdict + Analysis)

Welcome to Knockout Horror and to our review of Radio Silence’s latest splatter horror movie Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026). We reviewed the original Ready or Not really recently so check it out if you want a catch up on the series.

If you just watched this movie and are looking for answers, why not check out our Ready or Not 2: Here I Come ending explained article? It’s full of information including some thematic explorations and an ND friendly quick breakdown so you can get answers fast. Be warned however, it does contain spoilers, unlike this review.

A Belated Follow Up to A Horror Favourite

Directing collective Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, otherwise known as Radio Silence, released one of the better splatter horror movies of the late 2010s back in 2019 in the form of Ready or Not. It starred the up and coming scream queen Samara Weaving and felt like it came out of nowhere.

While its “bad ass woman fights back against a family of psycho killers” formula wasn’t all that original (You’re Next had already done it, arguably better, 8 years earlier), the mix of comedy and action worked really well. The formula felt both fresh and a lot of fun.

Seven years later, Radio Silence are coming off the back of the very enjoyable Abigail and two Scream legacy sequels and Samara Weaving is still doing her thing as a modern scream queen. Why not get the crew back together for one more outing? Let’s throw another scream queen, Kathryn Newton, into the mix, too.

The story is basically the same. Ready or Not 2: Here I Come picks up right after the events of the last film. Grace (Weaving) is recovering in hospital where she is joined by her estranged sister Faith (Newton). Little does she realise that her rest and recuperation is about to be spoiled by four rival families who want to put her through one more night of terror.

It’s more of the same

That’s the best way to sum up Ready or Not 2 – it’s more of the same. In fact, if this was a video game, it would be an expansion pack that changes nothing about the game engine, adds no new features, throws in a bonus character, and rehashes the old map.

The exact same hide and seek formula is recycled only with Grace and Faith teaming up together and a whole bevy of multi-national families vying for their heads. The basic idea behind getting the band back together comes from the high seat of the council now being vacant.

“In fact, if this was a video game, it would be an expansion pack that changes nothing about the game engine, adds no new features, throws in a bonus character, and rehashes the old map.”

Grace is dragged back to the Danforth complex to, once again, compete in a life or death battle. Whoever kills her gets to be the new boss. As you can imagine, this ups the stakes a little but also takes the fairly simple nature of the original movie and adds some rather convoluted lore.

This convoluted lore is going to come in the form of awkward exposition dumps but the story should best be seen as a vehicle for more splatter chaos. Once the clumsy narrative gets out of the way, it’s back to what this series does best: Grace kicking people’s asses and fighting back against the odds.

Like… Much more of the same

The movie plays out in exactly the same way as the original did. Grace hides, a random family member tries to kill her, she fights back, makes a few wise cracks, kills them and moves onto the next hiding place. There isn’t a single new idea here other than the addition of her sister Faith.

If you hated the repetitive nature of the first film, you will despise Ready or Not 2. It doubles down on absolutely everything from the first movie. There’s more exploding characters, more of Weaving screaming in a guttural manner (which I can appreciate but annoys the hell out of me), more action sequences, and more comedy.

“The original felt like it was a splatter horror with a few laughs. Ready or Not 2 is a full blown comedy.”

That last point is worth dwelling on for a minute. The original felt like it was a splatter horror with a few laughs. Ready or Not 2 is a full blown comedy. At least 50% of the characters are inserted purely for the giggles. Nestor Carbonell as Ignacio El Caido and Varun Saranga as Madhu Rajan are both particularly noteworthy for how hilarious they are.

There’s an almost slapstick nature to the movie, at times. Guns jamming at just the right moment, pratfalls, loud swearing when Grace manages to slip by a bullet. Horror fans looking purely for gore and action need not apply. You could even argue that the comedy gets in the way a bit at times. There are some moments that had me laughing out loud, though.

If you liked the first movie, you will like the sequel

Needless to say, if you had a great time with Ready or Not, you will enjoy this sequel. Radio Silence approach the cinematography in a way that follows on seamlessly from the original meaning you can chain watch these two films and they will still feel connected. It’s fairly vanilla and a bit uninspired in the looks department but perfectly passable.

“Weaving has slipped back into the role of Grace like it’s muscle memory. She even wears the same bloody dress.”

Weaving has slipped back into the role of Grace like it’s muscle memory. She even wears the same bloody dress. The addition of Kathryn Newton changes the dynamic enough to make it feel the tiniest little bit more fresh and she’s a more than capable performer. I wouldn’t say the interpersonal relationship issues between Grace and Faith are all that interesting but it’s hardly a central focus.

Elijah Wood makes a welcome appearance as the council’s lawyer and I thought Shawn Hatosy as the ruthless Titus Danforth was suitably sinister. Sarah Michelle Gellar stands out as one of the biggest names in an already accomplished cast but I felt her character was a bit lacking in personality. Horror legend David Cronenberg even makes a brief appearance early in the film.

The cast is generally fantastic and the cornucopia of different personalities, at the very least, keeps each encounter feeling somewhat interesting. Even if the movie does resort to playing to type over and over again.

Still, type is a strength here. When the action is frenetic, the gore excessive, and Grace and Faith are kicking ass, Ready or Not 2 is ruthlessly fun. There’s loads of great set pieces and a few unexpected moments to break up the otherwise predictable plot to keep you guessing. It’s great popcorn horror.

Enjoyable with a “but”…

I enjoyed Ready or Not 2: Here I Come but I really feel like I have to emphasise a few points. The lack of plot pivoting and new ideas is seriously disappointing. The villains feel like facsimiles of the original film’s bad guys. They are comical but not all that compelling.

The movie needed 15 to 20 minutes shaved off of it. It’s way too long and takes a good thirty minutes to get to the action. Splatter horror should be short lived and high paced. There are too many down moments, here. The sense of Déjà vu does get in the way a bit, as well.

I really didn’t feel like the original movie needed a sequel and wasn’t all that interested when I saw it was in development. This idea didn’t need revisiting and, now it has been, I don’t feel like the sequel really adds anything. It’s just, as I am repetitively mentioning here, more of the same.

It’s probably fair to say that the cast is a bit bloated, too. There are a lot of characters and none are all that well fleshed out. The less weapon focused action sequences can feel a little bit lethargic and a tiny bit slow paced, as well.

There’s a distinct sense of Grace being a little more capable and battle hardened, here. This means more hand-to-hand combat, a lot of which is a little clunky. With that being said, if you loved the first film, you can’t go too far wrong with Ready or Not 2.

Our Scoring Philosophy: A Fair Fight

Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.