READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME
***
Directed by Radio Silence (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett).
Starring Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy.
Horror, US, 108 Minutes, Certificate 15.
Released in Cinemas in the UK on 20th March by Searchlight Pictures
It has been seven years since we last saw Samara Weaving sparking up a much needed cigarette the morning after her wedding. Where the usual wedding night shenanigans involve getting closer with your betrothed, Weaving’s Grace Le Domas found herself neck deep in a life or death game of hide and seek in which her in-laws, and husband, tried to hunt her down with all manner of sharp edged implements to satisfy the deal they had made with a demonic figure to ensure their own riches and power. Now over half a decade later, we finally catch up with Grace seconds after her nicotine hit, only now finding herself having to deal with the families business associates The High Council, a powerful cabal of rich dickheads and psychopaths headed by none other than David Cronenberg, who secretly control the world. Being pulled back into their sadistic games is bad enough, but when Grace’s estranged younger sister Faith is dragged in as collateral, Grace once again dons her bloodied wedding dress and ill-matched sneakers once more in a battle for survival against not only four different psychopathic clans but a reckoning with the forces of Hell itself.
While their attempts at breathing new life into the SCREAM franchise were less than inspired, the directing duo known as Radio Silence have otherwise proved themselves more than capable of providing entertaining original horror fodder with the likes of ABIGAIL, and now this fledgling franchise. Their handle on providing gruesome and propulsive narratives laced with laughs seems to be a well oiled machine at this point. Was there any need for a sequel to a well liked film released in 2019 that wrapped up all its narrative threads in such a satisfying fashion? Probably not, and for those of you who may never have revisited it since then, your memories may be more than a little foggy about how everything went down. These issues withstanding, the film more than justifies its existence by expanding upon everything that came before in a satisfying fun, bloody and brisk manner while reminding you of what came before in a not too clunky fashion.
Samara Weaving has also proved herself to be quite the genre heroine these past few years and it is fun to see her once again in one of her defining roles. Pissed off, exhausted and drenched in blood she makes for a somewhat relatable heroine and final girl who is more than capable of the enviable task of taking on the 1% and dealing with them in a satisfyingly gruesome fashion. The extra dimension of her sibling relationship with Kathryn Newton also makes for some compelling character work from both actresses, giving the film an extra layer of emotion. Newton, a performer who has also proved her bona fides with the genre more than once also makes for a fun and often spiky protagonist, while also doubling as an audience surrogate providing the excuse for Grace to repeat the plot points from the first film that we may have forgotten since that first viewing. I think we can all agree that more than a few things have happened to us all since the first film was released.
Perhaps the biggest draw for horror fans to come back for this second entry is the appearance of Sarah Michelle Gellar, yet another actress who holds a place in more than a few horror fans hearts thanks to her iconic role of Buffy Summers. While her role here of Ursula Danforth,a ruthless and manipulative sociopath may have more in common with her role in CRUEL INTENTIONS, it is a kick to see her back on screen chewing the scenery after a number of failed and forgettable TV series where she tried to distance herself from the role, and genre, that made her famous. Her scheming two-faced antagonist is a fun enough character, but with the added dimension of dealing with her own sibling, her psychopathic and rage filled brother Titus, a convincing and hateful Shawn Hatosy, gives her an edge over the rest of the villains she shares the screen with here.
All of this provides more than enough fun, as well as Elijah Wood as a smug lawyer for the forces of darkness, and it skips by in a more than agreeable fashion. Like its predecessor, it seemingly wraps up everything in a satisfying fashion. If there is a sequel, let's wait and see if it takes another seven years to reach us. In the meantime these two films make for a satisfying double bill, while we wait and see if the directors can repeat similar successful results when they apply their skills to their take on Brendan Fraser’s much liked THE MUMMY franchise.
Iain MacLeod