HOLLYWOOD—Rarely do you see a sequel that is just as fun if not slightly better than the original, but I might be considering “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” better than its predecessor. Why? The characters are so much fun. The first flick was crazy; a bride is introduced to her husband’s family during an event that turns into a fight for survival. The bride, Grace portrayed with glory by Samara Weaving has to play a game with the family. The card she picks is Hide-n-Seek. Little does she know, the game is a fight to survive.

She ends up surviving until dawn and the rest of the family members still alive end up exploding in bloody fashion. Cue the end, but no this is just the beginning. Why? The audience learns there is a High Council and other families entangled in this cult-like ritual that grants certain people extreme power.

Rarely do you see horror sequels where the story picks up RIGHT where the last one ended, which this movie does. Grace is smoking a cigarette, as her hubby’s house erupts in flames. Paramedics arrive and she goes into cardiac arrest and is taken to the hospital, where she finds herself handcuffed to her hospital bed upon awakening. It is there she meets her estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), who is listed as her emergency contact.

I love this relationship between Grace and Faith; Weaving and Newton have fantastic chemistry and you believe them as sisters who have a strained relationship. This is a trend we have seen in horror flicks lately; we saw this in “Scream” (2022) with Tara (Jenna Ortega) and Sam (Melissa Barrera) that worked so well. This is a fun because you put siblings in dire situations and see them work out their issues, by ensuring the other survives.

Back to the tale at hand, this High Council includes the Danforth twins Usula (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Titus (Shawn Hatosy), who are entering the game on behalf of their father Chester, who was holding the High Seat ring. Its power on power, and you have multiple family members in this High Council who want that power.

Yes, in theory “Ready or Not 2” might feel like a copy and paste of the first movie, but its not; it has more going on than you expect, and I loved every minute watching. I was not bored one single time watching this movie. The script by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy is sharp and clever, and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett is crafted in such a unique way.

I loved seeing Gellar back on the big screen as Ice Queen Ursula who is not afraid to speak her mind and do what she needs to honor her father. Her brother Titus is equally fun because he has a dark side that emerges slowly as the story moves along. There are other fun characters who deliver laughs and chuckles as we see Grace and Faith trying to outwit them. The violence is bloody, the dialogue is amazing and the ending was a hoot, I didn’t expect it, but I loved it.

Without a doubt, “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” proves that sometimes a sequel can be just as good if not better than the original.