Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Stars: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar
Operating as Radio Silence, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet have become mainstays of the horror mainstream with a mix of franchise hits and original ideas. Their breakout moment was 2019’s plucky Ready or Not, one of a small cluster of Eat the Rich horror/action hybrids that appeared around that time, which suggested the fates of the less fortunate were just a game to the mega-wealthy and corruptibly evil. It was a hoot powered by a star-making turn from Samara Weaving, and it didn’t necessarily need a sequel but here, belatedly, we go.
In a slightly bold move considering the gap between films, we pick up exactly where we left off, with a bit of trickery that extends the iconic final shot of the first movie, where we left Grace (Weaving) blood-soaked and exhausted on the steps of the Le Domas estate shortly after the family of satanists all spontaneously combusted. Waking in hospital and under arrest for suspicion of arson and mass-murder, Grace is icily reunited with her estranged younger sister Faith (fellow horror mainstay and Radio Silence alum Kathryn Newton) and new audience members are dryly caught up on the events of the past day. Inevitably, given that we’re here, the games aren’t over, and by surviving the Le Domas massacre, Grace has unwittingly triggered another game of hide and seek, one with far greater stakes as RoN:HIC expands it’s lore, John Wick–style, into a global enterprise.
There’s been some bemoaning in various circles that RoN:HIC (only the marketing and the BBFC believe there’s a ‘2’ here) falls into typical sequel territory. Over-familiarity and diminished returns. To an extent the former criticism is true, particularly as Grace – along with Faith – is strong-armed into another game of Hide and Seek, this time by a council of families all seeking world-dominating power. But I’d argue that the additions strengthen and improve the material, particularly the inclusion of Faith.
Now Grace doesn’t just have to survive, she has to look out for someone else. Aside from sharing a physical similarity, Weaving and Newton sell their troubled sisterhood with firebrand panache, charting a predictable but well-maintained course from resentment and hostility to reconciliation and even co-dependence. They begin the ‘game’ handcuffed to one another, allowing for some hijinks in the vein of classics like The Defiant Ones, Ride Lonesome or exploitation fave Black Mama, White Mama, but this tethering transcends circumstance as they go through their ordeal.
As before, the supporting/hunting cast offer an embarrassment of riches. David fucking Cronenberg looms large without standing up as patriarchal council president Chester Danforth, while Shawn Hatosy and Sarah Michelle Gellar are positively ruthless as twin heirs Titus and Ursula. Through the character of Titus the film isolates the very worst inclinations of the power-hungry, and Hatosy is shockingly convincing in this department. Indeed, for all the anarchic fun offered by Ready or Not, there’s a pointedly darker and more challenging aspect to the violence this time out. Screenwriters Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy zero in on some potentially triggering aspects of Titus’ psyche, particularly as he relates to women. The toughest section that confronts this finds itself intercut with the most comical; a bride-on-bride battle set to Bonnie Tyler’s overused banger “Total Eclipse of the Heart”. The tonal collision is jarring at first, but the sugar helps the salt go down, so to speak.
The film’s other ace, a little surprisingly, is Elijah Wood’s tight-lipped Lawyer, who oversees events to monitor adherence to the devilish Mr. LeBail’s increasingly labyrinthine rules of play. Surprising not because of Wood’s abilities as a performer, but because his appearances of late have felt a mite tokenistic (a single scene in The Monkey, something forgettable in the forgettable Toxic Avenger reboot). From the trailer I assumed he’d lay down the lore and be done with the movie in a single scene. Not so. He’s here for the duration and becomes a joyfully inscrutable presence. The casting becomes all kinds of perfect, as RoN:HIC twists and narrows into a powerplay over a rather loaded item of jewellery before a looming clockwork eye. This has all got to be on purpose, right??
Busick and Murphy’s targets may not be mentioned by name, but we fully understand the world events of the last seven years that they’re making allusions to here. If sprinting for your life across a golf course isn’t on the nose, at least this isn’t literally set on an island (though it may as well be). The expanded lore is a little convoluted, but it leans into that aspect with a nod and a wink that’ll be appreciated by anyone who’s had to sit through the early machinations of a new, high-concept board game. There is a rather awkward sense of [SCENE MISSING] that occurs directly after some highwater (pun intended) violence at the estate’s laundry, but RoN:HIC comes in tight compared to recent Radio Silence outings, which have suffered from their indulgent running times.
More than anything, and as consistently as in its forbearer, it’s an absolute fucking blast. I had a great time. The comedy is on-point, the performances are stellar, the blood explosions as sticky and plentiful as last time. It may aim for targets the size of barn doors, but it blasts them with a bazooka. Pure popcorn escapism and, thanks to the consideration of an emotional core between sisters, quite possibly even better than the first. It’s neck and neck. I’ll be happy re-watching to figure out my favourite, or I’ll be front row for a decider. Play again?
The Lost Highway Hotel 