Sarah Michelle Gellar's Sequel To A Hit 2019 Horror Movie Is A Hulu Must-Watch

Sarah Michelle Gellar has enjoyed a reputation as a beloved actress across a wide variety of audiences. She became a household name to several groups early in her career: soap fans for her role on "All My Children"; genre TV fans as Buffy in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"; and kids of all ages for her turn as Daphne in the "Scooby-Doo" movies. Her appearances in horror movies like "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Scream 2" seemed like par for the course for an actress with her range. There are several other actors in the casts of both those films who never really dabbled further within the genre.

Yet Gellar did. In addition to "Buffy" and the "Scooby-Doo" films, Gellar starred in the American remake of "The Grudge" and its sequel, as well as the supernatural thrillers "The Return" and "Possession." After taking a break from the genre, Gellar is now returning to her horror roots — making a surprise comeback in 2025's "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and joining the hunt in "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come." 

The film is a sequel to "Ready or Not," which was a minor hit in the summer of 2019, making $57.6 million against a production budget of just $6 million. The sequel didn't quite achieve the same heights, but it still did very well for itself, both critically and at the box office. Now that "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" is available to stream on Hulu, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Not only is it a smart, grisly, fun time, but Gellar is particularly good in it.

Like so many great horror sequels, "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" picks up immediately after its predecessor ends, continuing the harrowing saga of Grace (Samara Weaving) after she survived the deadly game of hide-and-seek imposed upon her by the wealthy Le Domas family. After Grace's estranged sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), visits her in the hospital, the game begins anew. 

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett put together a fabulous ensemble cast for this sequel, populating it with great actors who also have some horror genre cred to their names, like Shawn Hatosy, Elijah Wood (both from "The Faculty!"), and even David freakin' Cronenberg himself. Weaving and Newton fit this bill as more recent horror stars, and both women are impressive in the film. Weaving's Grace is a raw nerve, in a near-constant state of anxiety, pain, distress, or all three. Newton provides a great counterpart to her, playing Faith with a detached vulnerability that belies an inner strength.

Gellar plays Ursula Danforth, the eldest daughter of the formerly reigning Satanic Council family, and Gellar initially imbues her with an ice queen chilliness, recalling her work as Kathryn Merteuil in "Cruel Intentions." Yet as the film goes on, Gellar begins to peel away some layers from Ursula, revealing a surprisingly empathetic shading to her character without turning her 180 degrees. Her performance is indicative of how well she understands the material and the genre, which is why it's so great to now have her back in the horror fold. Go celebrate the return of SMG and watch "Ready or Not 2"!