“Ready or Not 2: Here I Come”: a rare sequel that’s better than the original

“Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” is a sequel that is better than its progenitor. The film provides a new twist on the original story that gives a greater heft to this production. Fans will enjoy the unique ways of killing people and the spontaneous combustions with blood splatter that marked the original.

Grace MacCaullay (Samara Weaving) sits, bloody and injured, on the steps of the now fire-gutted Le Domas family mansion. As first responders inquire about her health, she faints. Next EMT’s are performing CPR on her. With each shock of the AED, we flash back to scenes from the original movie. Eventually Grace gasps as she is saved from death.

She awakens chained to a hospital bed. A police investigator immediately informs her that the blood on her clothing was not hers and that she is the prime suspect in the demise of the Le Domas clan.

A visitor interrupts this discussion. She is Grace’s sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton). Grace and Faith are estranged from each other. Faith came because she was listed as Grace’s emergency contact.

In another scene, Chester Danforth (David Cronenberg) is watching a news clip. When he decides how the situation will resolve, his command is carried out in real life immediately. He is informed of the demise of the Le Domas family and the survival of Grace. This triggers the activation of a special clause to decide who will get the high seat in their Satanic organization.

The word goes out to other families around the globe. Chester summons his two oldest twin children, Titus (Shawn Hatosy) and Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to his side. At his behest, the offspring kill him with a pillow so that they can more effectively compete as younger combatants in the fight for the high seat.

Back in the hospital, Grace, accompanied by Faith, is led by the policeman to be driven to the station. A strange man kills the investigator and Grace and Faith flee. Just as things look bad, the attacker spontaneously combusts in a spatter of blood. He did not follow the rules of the game by attacking Grace this way and so Mr. Le Bail (aka Belial) ended his existence.

A man throws a gas canister into the hallway and knocks out Grace and Faith. They arrive by helicopter at the Danforth estate, which is next to a resort they own.

At the mansion, the other families have started to arrive. The Spanish contingent is led by Ignacio El Caido (Nestor Carbonell), who is accompanied by his daughter and son. Wan Chen Xing (Olivia Cheng) arrives with her son. Madhu (Varun Saranga) and his brother Viraj (Nadeem Umar-Khitab) are the last complement.

Grace and Faith awaken in a large drawing room where all of the game’s participants are staring at them. The Lawyer (Elijah Wood) explains the rules of the game. Each of the four remaining families will try to kill Grace before dawn. The first family to do this wins the high seat on the council. Each family has one champion, except the Danforths since they are twins. They have to use weapons from the time their family first engaged with Mr. Le Bail. Will Grace survive until dawn? What about Faith?

I preferred the more detailed explanations of the Satanic organization that this film provided. Beside the lore mentioned above, the bylaws are continually consulted to reveal new subtleties and twists. This keeps the interest level high as the movie progresses.

The dark humor in the script was much appreciated. In one scene Grace and a combatant from the El Caido family both pepper-spray each other. The result is a comical farce where each person is shown seeing unclearly and jumping at an imaginary foe who isn’t there.

In another episode one family member kills another one accidentally. In a true “oops” moment, she then spontaneously combusts. So does her son back in the mansion who hilariously splatters the non-combatants watching the action.

Nonetheless there are obvious flaws in the script. Was it really necessary to add a sister? Why is Faith even in the chase? The bickering between the sisters gets old fast. The sad reality is that I didn’t care who survived, the cult or Grace.

The ending however is very clever in concept and is well-executed. While most of the production design involved the fancy dwellings of the rich, this conclusion offered something more detailed and ornate.

There is some severe brutality in terms of beating that goes on that I felt was out of the spirit of the production. It also emphasized the fact that the movie engages in one of my pet peeves, viz. ignoring the reality of human anatomy and physiology. You can only beat a non-Satanic entity so much before they die and this does not happen.

The acting is very good considering the subject matter. Samara Weaving and Kathryn Newton are believable as siblings. Despite the fact that I did not care for their bickering, this was the script and not their performance.

I have to admit to being thrilled to see Nestor Carbonell again, all these years after “Lost.” He is very funny as he ineptly uses an older firearm with which he has not practiced.

It also was great to see Shawn Hatosy and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Shawn imbues his character with a pent-up sense of menace. Gellar, the more organized sibling, does a good job with a character who finds herself in over her head.

Olivia Cheng was a nice surprise. Her character is both smart and cunning. Her pragmatism in trying to get the high seat is refreshing in a movie filled with its share of dumb Satanic followers.

The blood cannons, which I discovered via a featurette, are well-used in creating a preponderance of splatter at various times. Other effects in the death scenes provide a satisfying level of gore.

Sometimes the film seemed like a farce to me when fools were involved in the planning and chase. Other times I just accepted the story for what it was, and enjoyed the gory happenings.

Three and a half out of five stars

Moments after surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace (Samara Weaving) discovers she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish game — and this time with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her side. Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.

Cast: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, Varun Saranga, Daniel Beirne
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Oplin and Tyler Gillett
Written by: Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy