NEW YORK (OSV News) – The slaughter continues in "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" (Searchlight), returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's follow-up to their supposedly humorous 2019 horror fantasy. The second round of their gruesome competition, it turns out, is just as morally gamey as the first.

Moviegoers misguided enough to have patronized the original will remember blighted bride Grace (Samara Weaving) whose devil-worshipping in-laws made her play a predatory version of hide and seek on her wedding night. Having defeated them and witnessed the death of her newly-minted husband, Grace ends up in the hospital subject to interrogation by the police.

Grace is also questioned by her estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), whom Grace has forgotten to replace as her emergency contact person. No sooner has Grace told Faith her improbable tale, however, than both siblings are kidnapped by other members of the satanic cult.

For reasons of their own, the new ensemble -- led by the scions of an elite, ultra-powerful family, Ursula (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Titus (Shawn Hatosy) Danforth -- want to force Grace to go through her ordeal all over again. This time out, the presence of Faith, to whom she's initially handcuffed as the hunt begins, only adds to the challenges Grace must face to survive.

The tenor of the over-the-top proceedings -- scripted, as before, by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy -- is typified by the fact that those who cross the demonic object of their twisted veneration, here referred to as Mr. Le Bail, become exploding blood bombs. Sometimes this occurs with a slight time delay, added for comic effect. Tick, tick, yuck.

The film contains extreme gory violence, grisly images, drug use, several instances each of profanity and milder swearing as well as pervasive rough and much crude language. The OSV News classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. - - -CAPSULE REVIEW"Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" (Searchlight)The slaughter continues in this follow-up to the supposedly humorous 2019 horror fantasy as, having defeated the devil-worshipping in-laws who made her play a predatory version of hide and seek on her wedding night, the protagonist of the first film (Samara Weaving) is forced to go through a similar ordeal by other members of their satanic cult (most prominently Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy). This time out, the presence of her estranged sister (Kathryn Newton), to whom she's initially handcuffed, adds to the challenges she must face to survive. The tenor of returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's sequel is typified by the fact that those who cross the demonic object of their twisted veneration become exploding blood bombs. Extreme gory violence, grisly images, drug use, several instances each of profanity and milder swearing, pervasive rough and much crude language. The OSV News classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. - - -CLASSIFICATION"Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" (Searchlight) -- OSV News classification, O -- morally offensive. Motion Picture Association rating, R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.- - - John Mulderig is media reviewer for OSV News. Follow him on X @JohnMulderig1.