Back in 2019, a little horror-comedy called Ready or Not broke out as a sleeper hit with genre fans, thanks to its bloody thrills and cheeky sense of humor. The directors, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, impressed enough folks that they were handed the keys to the Scream franchise, keeping them busy in the ensuing years. But now they’re back with a follow-up to Ready or Not, aptly titled Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, with star Samara Weaving facing off against another cabal of upper-class murderers in a new game, this time with her sister (Kathryn Newton) unwillingly along for the ride.

The film held its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival, and reviews are now coming in, with critics calling the sequel a bloody good time that gives fans what they’re looking for.

Here’s what critics are saying about Ready or Not 2: Here I Come:

How does it compare to the first film?

The original film had plenty of dark humor, sure, but this chapter pushes the outrageousness and cartoonishness a whole lot further. Horror-comedy is a notoriously tricky balance that many studios shy away from, but Radio Silence leans into the overlap between the two genres with gusto.
— Josh Korngut, Dread Central

Fortunately, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come proves to be just as explosively fun as its predecessor, even if it’s essentially “the same, but more.”
— BJ Colangelo, SlashFilm

This action-packed, blood-soaked sequel is just what fans have been waiting for the past seven years.
— Glenn Garner, Deadline Hollywood Daily

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come isn’t as good as the first one, but it doesn’t diminish the first one by existing, which is something that often happens with horror films.
— Kaitlyn Booth, Bleeding Cool

While it loses some of the gothic intimacy that made the first movie special, it compensates with inventive carnage, colorful villains, and another terrific performance from Samara Weaving.
— Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

It understands the appetite of its audience and gives them exactly what they’re looking for — but it also finds remarkable ways to make all those “Hail Satans!” feel fresh. Making a sequel to something as perfectly standalone as Ready or Not was always going to be a risk, but double or nothing pays major dividends with a story this deliciously dark.
— Lyvie Scott, Inverse

To no surprise, it was well worth the wait; Ready or Not 2 is just as good, if not better, than the original.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

Does it feel different enough?

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come may sound like the kind of sequel studios rush out after a hit, but Radio Silence does more than simply rehash what worked the first time.
— Rachel Leishman, CBR

While Ready or Not 2: Here I Come doesn’t go in a completely different direction, it does enough to set itself apart while maintaining the same vibes as the first film, so you’re going to have a good time at the theater.
— Kaitlyn Booth, Bleeding Cool

If there ever was a sense of security going into Ready or Not 2, this sequel wastes little time blowing it all up. Sure, this game hasn’t changed much, but with double the players comes double the carnage and, naturally, more delirious charm.
— Lyvie Scott, Inverse

Most surprisingly of all, the expansive worldbuilding of Ready or Not 2 will have fans foaming at the mouth for more.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come hews closely to the original’s formula, adding a succession feud subplot for no appreciable reason other than to have David Cronenberg echo his part from the fourth season of the Chiller TV series Slasher.
— Andy Crump, AV Club

The decision to model Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’s structure so closely after its predecessor holds this sequel back from feeling surprising or inventive at nearly every turn, forcing Grace into the familiar rhythms of avoiding detection, fighting for her life, and deadpanning about the horrific circumstances she’s just endured in a way that feels like being caught in limbo, but probably not in the way Olpin and Gillett were aiming for.
— Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies

How is the writing?

The narrative is simple, if a little stupid, but the filmmakers understand exactly what kind of entertainment they are delivering.
— Josh Korngut, Dread Central

Weaving and Newton covered head to toe in blood and running around a golf course for their lives would be fun to watch regardless, but Here I Come really does add layers to the “lore” of the original film — and a lot of hope for what other games these Satanic Cultists could bring a murderous twist to.
— Rachel Leishman, CBR

The real pleasure of the movie is how mirthful directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — two-thirds of the Radio Silence creative collective — can be while building out the draconian lore and devilish details in their ever expanding world of the evil elite.
— David Crow, Den of Geek

In the original Ready or Not, the Le Domas family felt like exaggerated versions of real people — entitled rich elites whose privilege had warped their morality. In Ready or Not 2, the villains are more like full-blown caricatures. The film introduces a colorful array of wealthy killers, each more eccentric and over-the-top than the last… The script by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy wastes little time reestablishing Grace’s life after the first movie before introducing the new threat. Within the first act, the rules of the expanded game are clear, the villains are introduced, and the hunt begins. Once it starts, the movie rarely slows down.
— Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

Where Ready or Not largely played within the mystery of the Le Domas’ deal with the devil, its sequel is tasked with lifting the curtain completely. There’s a lot of worldbuilding to power through at the outset as a result, but a script by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy does so quickly — if only to get Grace back into her wedding dress and yellow converse.
— Lyvie Scott, Inverse

Not since John Wick: Chapter 2 has a sequel so thoroughly re-contextualized the original film as a small cog in a much bigger machine. Returning screenwriters Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy zoom out, in a sense, and unveil a Satanic network full of all sorts of colorful characters, intricate rules, and, yes, games.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

Is it funny?

Where Ready or Not 2 really shines is in its black comedy. The original film had plenty of dark humor, sure, but this chapter pushes the outrageousness and cartoonishness a whole lot further.
— Josh Korngut, Dread Central

If the first movie was tangibly angry in its social satire, Here I Come seems much more at peace with its punch-drunk gallows humor.
— David Crow, Den of Geek

The violence is outrageous, creative, and often shockingly funny in the way it unfolds.
— Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

Radio Silence have never been more comfortably brash and ambitious as filmmakers, relishing the propulsive energy they create as the madness keeps spiraling. Trying not to grin ear-to-ear during this movie is basically impossible. It’s their best directorial work yet.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

How are the kills?

The movie has some pretty creative and enjoyable kills, which would be no fun for me to spoil here.
— Sarah Campbell, Nerdist

There’s significantly more opportunity to watch some of the worst people on the planet bite the big one over, and over, and over again, and it being unleashed by Grace and Faith is an absolute joy.
— BJ Colangelo, SlashFilm

To describe the deaths in a horror movie is like explaining the jokes in a comedy, but they are well shot and executed, and most of them are either creative or cathartic enough that you’ll be satisfied when they happen.
— Kaitlyn Booth, Bleeding Cool

The larger canvas allows for more elaborate kills, and the filmmakers clearly relish pushing the violence to new extremes. The movie delivers exactly what Randy promised in Scream 2: bigger deaths, more elaborate setups, and a steadily rising body count. It’s pure carnage candy.
— Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

It seems like Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are having the most fun they have ever had in their careers here. Without repeating themselves, they up the ante in a major way. There are far more bloody explosions, brought to life via awesome practical effects, and gory carnage that rides the line between cringe horror and undeniable comedy.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

Despite the warmed-over plot, there’s still plenty of fun to be had in the carnage of the game itself. Most of the competitors are pretty inept and cowardly, so there are some big laughs when they fumble with their weapons or decide to screw each other over to protect themselves.
— Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies

How is Samara Weaving?

The shining jewel at the center of this sparkling crown of chaos is Samara Weaving, who continues to prove herself one of the most compelling genre leads working today. Calling her the film’s secret weapon almost undersells it. She is a full-blown movie star.
— Josh Korngut, Dread Central

Samara Weaving is, and always will be, an iconic scream queen that has my whole heart.
— Sarah Campbell, Nerdist

Samara Weaving’s reprisal of Grace is the standout element of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, and by a wide margin at that.
— Tom Jorgensen, IGN Movies

At the center of it all is Samara Weaving, who once again proves why she’s one of the most compelling performers working in genre filmmaking today. Her performance here is fantastic, particularly in the way she delivers dialogue and expresses Grace’s emotional exhaustion
— Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

Weaving is great at expressing helpless surrender and whiteknuckle petrification, but her movies tend to pay off her raw terror with unhinged ferocity and brute-force indignance at having been imperiled in the first place. The effect of her performances is cathartic, frequently hysterical, and key to Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come‘s success
— Andy Crump, AV Club

How are Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton together?

Weaving and Newton provide the emotional center with their complicated chemistry as two sisters who must rely on each other to survive until dawn, matching comedic wits just as seamlessly as they unpack years of familial pain on screen.
— Glenn Garner, Deadline Hollywood Daily

[Kathryn] Newton is used to being covered in blood, thanks to her work with Radio Silence on Abigail, and her comedic timing mixed with Weaving’s brilliant ability to scream in such a feral yet relatable way works to make these sisters the beating heart of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.
— Rachel Leishman, CBR

The heartwarming story of Grace and Faith finding each other again is ultimately a nice bit of frosting on an already crimson-dotted wedding cake. It gives new dimensions for Weaving to play, but only until we get to see her go full bridezilla on the latest Masters of the Universe.
— David Crow, Den of Geek

The action set pieces are even bigger and bloodier this time around, and they work as well as it does because Weaving and Newton are always willing to go for it.
— BJ Colangelo, SlashFilm

Does anyone else in the cast stand out?

Sarah Michelle Gellar delivers a delightfully sharp performance as Ursula Danforth, one of the film’s central antagonists. Alongside her brother Titus (Shawn Hatosy), she represents the next generation of the sinister Danforth family… Playing something like a deadpan master of ceremonies for the ritual, [Elijah] Wood brings a quiet absurdity to the role that fits the film’s tone perfectly.
— Josh Korngut, Dread Central

Gellar does a phenomenal job turning on the sinister charm as she tries to manipulate everyone around her, while Hatosy offers a dark version of the gravitas he brings to HBO’s The Pitt by combining it with raw physicality and bloodlust.
— Samantha Nelson, Polygon

Shawn Hatosy really came into the mainstream with his appearance on The Pitt, and he’s by far one of the standouts in this film. To get into it would involve varying levels of spoilers, but it’s a slow burn for his character and entirely worth it.
— Kaitlyn Booth, Bleeding Cool

Holding together this world is a delightfully cast Elijah Wood as “The Lawyer,” who functions as a comically deadpan lorekeeper of sorts for the movie.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

How does the movie look?

[Radio Silence has] got their visual scheme nailed down, and they know what they want for their actors — a big party where everybody’s splattered with goop.
— Andy Crump, AV Club

Are there any problems?

Despite all this energy, Ready or Not 2 is a little bit too messy. The film spends a lot of time chasing its leads in circles and through elaborate locations without always building meaningful thematic layers beneath the mayhem.
— Josh Korngut, Dread Central

Does the pacing feel off in some moments? Sure.
— Sarah Campbell, Nerdist

Ready or Not 2 would have been stronger if it spent more time building up the new characters in this social setting and less on them bungling the hunt.
— Samantha Nelson, Polygon

It loses some of the gothic atmosphere and tight storytelling that made the first movie feel so unique.
— Jonathan Sim, ComingSoon.net

Perhaps the only aspect in which this sequel doesn’t quite match the first is the location. Whereas the Le Domas family mansion was a highly detailed, rich environment, the multiple locations in Ready or Not 2: Here I Come are a little more nondescript, with the cartoon violence taking precedence over the setting.
— James Preston Poole, Discussing Film

Are we going to want more Ready or Not movies?

[Elijah Wood’s] character helps broaden the lore created in the first movie, while leaving room for a return in a potential trilogy conclusion.
— Samantha Nelson, Polygon

This isn’t a concept that could be stretched into a third film without losing something along the way. The first one could have easily been a one-and-done; they mostly stuck the landing on a sequel, and anything else would likely not work.
— Glenn Garner, Deadline Hollywood Daily

An overstuffed sequel didn’t kill the Knives Out series, and it probably won’t stop Ready or Not’s rampage, either. But if Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett send Grace on a third killing spree, hopefully they’ll make it a bit more focused.
— Kaitlyn Booth, Bleeding Cool

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come opens in theaters on March 20, 2026.

Thumbnail image by ©Amazon MGM Studios
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