Kathryn Newton, left, and Samara Weaving in “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.” Credit: Pief Weyman/Searchlight Pictures via TNS

The new sequel “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” lives up to, if not exceeds, the thrill and excitement of its predecessor.?

The horror film released in theaters Friday and is the perfect approach to take coming from the first film, “Ready or Not,” which came out in 2019. The film follows a bride on her wedding night and takes a dark turn when her new in-laws — who are in a satanic cult, unbeknownst to her — make her participate in a dangerous game of hide-and-seek.

The sequel begins where its first film leaves off. Grace, played by Samara Weaving, sits on the front steps of a mansion in the first’s iconic blood-soaked wedding gown. She lights a cigarette and then is taken away by paramedics. She is then reunited with her estranged sister Faith, played by Kathryn Newton, and a hunt, much like that in the first film, begins shortly after.?

Throughout the film, Grace and Faith are targeted by powerful families from all over the world all while coming to terms with their sisterly struggles. The plot is similar to its predecessor, but adds more suspense with its familial twist.?

Many of the unanswered questions about the cult that hunted Grace throughout “Ready or Not” are answered in its sequel. “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” tells the viewers more of what they need to know about the rules of the cult, but keeps it mysterious enough to still be engaging.

While the first film’s antagonists are scary enough, the sequel dives deeper into what the rich and powerful in the satanic cult are truly capable of. It shows the lengths these elite families will go to to maintain their power, not only willing to sacrifice Grace and Faith, but even going so far as to sacrifice themselves.?

Their goal — and reasoning for hunting Grace and Faith — is to obtain the top seat in the cult they are a part of. With this top seat, they are able to do anything, from ending wars to wiping out entire countries.?

Weaving and Newton’s performances and relationship as estranged sisters enhanced the film overall, and their caringness towards one another added higher stakes that the first film was missing.?

Though Grace is a powerful character on her own — as seen in the first film — the choice to add her sister into the mix was beneficial to the storytelling. It gave them not only the motivation to save themselves, but to protect each other as well. Having two protagonists also made the film more exciting to watch.?

The two’s chemistry as sisters was captivating to watch as well. Despite their crumbled relationship between one another, Weaving does a wonderful job at portraying a protective older sister and Newton perfectly depicts a younger sister who wants their relationship to work.??

The rocky sisterly bond did, however, drag on a bit too long throughout the film. With the other violent threats Grace and Faith navigate throughout the film, their arguments get a little annoying towards the end of the film. They began to feel less important than other obstacles the two were facing.?

While there were a number of cult members hunting the two sisters throughout “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come,” one psychopathic hunter stood out from the rest. Taking a much darker turn from the first film, Shawn Hatosy gives a chilling performance as one of the film’s many antagonists.?

Hatosy and his on-screen twin sister, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, also make an excellent foil to Grace and Faith, as both sets of siblings encounter familial struggles.?

Along with being darker, the gore in the sequel was more disturbing than the first. While “Ready or Not” was filled with plenty of wounds and blood, this film’s gore seemed much more unsettling. There is gore both literally and figuratively splattered throughout the two films, but the sequel felt more realistic and painful for the characters involved.??

There is also a level of comedy that is refreshing to see in horror. Grace cracks some jokes throughout the first film, but she finds a humorous point of view going through a similar situation all over again in the second film.?

The comedy and gore also find the perfect way to mix throughout the film. The comedic timing of some of the extremely gory scenes was very amusing.?

Despite some slow moments between Grace and Faith, “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” was a captivating and shocking sequel.?

Rating: 5/5?