It has never been easier to believe that an international cabal of billionaires regularly exploit the bodies of young girls and women. In fact, there are files upon files of evidence about such activity now readily available for public perusal. But back in 2019, when “Ready or Not” was released, this was the territory of the conspiracy theorist.

The action-horror-comedy, made by the filmmaking team known as Radio Silence, followed a young bride, Grace (Samara Weaving), fending off her brand-new in-laws in a bloodthirsty game of hide-and-seek on her wedding night, a kind of initiation ritual. That premise is scary enough, but in the climax, things got supernaturally satanic, in a goofy way.

So in the sequel “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come,” the rules of the game have already been established, and in this world (spoiler alert), the wealthy Satan worshippers explode like bloody water balloons when they lose, or cheat. Now, the franchise is married to the gimmick, which unfortunately saps any incisive “eat the rich” cultural commentary — why make the devil real, when the real devilry is all too human? Wouldn’t it be more cutting to reveal that their fears and rules are a constructed belief that has no otherworldly enforcement?

But that’s not what “Ready or Not” is and that is decidedly not what “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” is either. The sequel, once again co-written and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, co-written by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy, doubles down in every way, and especially on the blood balloon bodies. Picking up right when the first one ends, we now have two Bambi-eyed blonds, our battered bride Grace, and her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton). We now have not just one family trying to kill the bride, but an international coalition of powerful families vying to do so.

Elijah Wood shows up to explain the rules and bylaws of the cult that lead to such a battle royale, but essentially, a power vacuum is left when Grace bested the Le Domas family in the first movie, and so a powerful patriarch (David Cronenberg) arranges it so that his twins Ursula and Titus (Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Hatosy) can fight it out to gain control of the global satanic cult. Grace and Faith are drugged and dumped on the golf course of a resort repurposed for this event, where they will win if they can survive until sunrise. Grace is still wearing her bloodied wedding gown and yellow Chuck Taylors from the first movie for her second round of hide-and-seek.

There is something fun about a “Most Dangerous Game” kind of story, and “Ready or Not 2” does bear flashes of that, when it’s not bogged down by all of the satanic lore. The sisters get to work out their issues while dodging attempted murder by the families, with a few cheeky nods to wedding rituals, like an inspired dance floor brawl set to “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” It’s also nice to see how much reverence Radio Silence (who also made the only good “Scream” reboot movies) have for '90s horror icons, in casting the iconic Canadian body horror king Cronenberg, the vampire slayer herself Gellar, and Hatosy, of “The Faculty.”

But the rest of the film is light on character and heavy on concept and exposition. Newton has the most to work with as the spunky, snappy younger sister who just wants her big sis to stick around for once and delivers the best performance. Weaving’s Grace is frazzled and nerve-shredded playing death games for the second night in a row. Weaving is mostly stuck in one gear: quivering and panicky.

Maybe it’s just the current era, seven years after the original, but the flip tone paired with psychotically extreme violence just doesn’t ironically mesh the way it used to. The snarky, sardonic attitude feels outdated, and it’s disturbing to see our young heroines battered by Titus and the cult members so intensely, even if it does ultimately justify their viscera-soaked comeuppance.

Back in 2019, “Ready or Not” was a high-concept fear-fantasy executed with outlandish supernatural splatter (for better or for worse). It was even on the money with its evil oligarch themes. But “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” feels behind the ball, not ahead of the game, and unfortunately, this is no escapist, or even cathartic, horror romp. Read the news instead if you’d like a real scare.

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'READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME'

2 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for strong bloody violence, gore, pervasive language and brief drug use)

Running time: 1:48

How to watch: In theaters March 20

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