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Sarah Michelle Gellar's Passion for Rebranding Horror: Ready Or Not 2

Ready or Not 2: Here I Come stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Elijah Wood would like you to put some respect on horror ASAP.

When it comes to interviews and junkets, it's usually a question-and-answer type of situation. Unless you are a massive outlet, there's a good chance you won't have much time to ask many questions. You'd be surprised how fast five minutes goes, even when you only have one person, let alone two. When we got the chance to interview two legends of the industry, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Elijah Wood, for Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, we went into this thinking it was going to be like any other interview, hence why the first question was a bit of a softball to kick the dialogue off.

Then something occurred that so few people get the chance to do: Gellar wanted more of a discussion between us, rather than just me posing questions. While it took up most of our interview time, it was an excellent back-and-forth with two people who are extremely passionate about genre fiction, the horror genre, and the broader cultural conversation. Note that this did take place at the end of February, so there has been some news since then that is referenced, such as mentioning Sinners' Oscar nominations and not wins. This section of the interview is presented as a transcript since it was a conversation where both sides are important for the full context.

Kaitlyn Booth: So you've both spent a decent amount of time in the horror genre. What made this one stand out so much that you wanted to join it?

Elijah Wood: I mean, it was loving the first film, honestly. Being big fans of that movie and how original and surprising it was. Loving their work, Matt [Bettinelli-Olpin] and Tyler [Gillett], Radio Silence, and the subsequent films that they've made. And just being honored to be asked to play in that sandbox, you know?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: I have a weird question I've never asked, but I feel like you might have the answer to it. Why do people always ask, you've done horror, you've been in, like… Do people not wanna talk about horror? I feel if you're doing a lot of dramas, no one's like, "well, this is your fifth drama in a row."

Wood: It's so funny.

Gellar: Why is that?

Booth: I think it's because horror is still kind of seen sometimes as a lowbrow genre, which is ridiculous.

Wood: It is ridiculous.

Booth: It is. Horror is incredible.

Gellar: That's why I wanted to ask you.

Booth: Yeah, horror is like, it's so beautiful. It's political. It is an amazing genre. And I feel like people are finally starting to really give it the respect it deserves.

Gellar: I was wondering if that's what you were going to say. That's why I wanted to ask you, because I think it's so interesting. As a female in this industry, I get asked that a lot. And I think to myself, well, I'm a female who likes to play strong characters, right? Three-dimensional characters. And genre is where those characters live.

Booth: Absolutely.

Gellar: When you do an action-only movie, it's not the woman who ever saves the day. The men are the superheroes. They're the more developed characters. And only the leads are the developed characters in those films. This is like the funny other characters. And, you know… Genre was created to answer the questions that either we don't have the answers to or that we don't want to accept the answers to. And to me that's where creativity really can live and blossom and then you look at box office and right now you know overall like that's where the box office is. And I wonder when people are going to realize that you don't ask someone, well, you've made eight comedies. When are you not gonna make a comedy? I asked you because obviously this is a genre that you love and I wanna know what do we have to do to change the conversation?

Wood: It's interesting.

Booth: I think it is changing. I think Sinners coming in and becoming such a big thing at the Academy Awards was a big step in the right direction. But also for both of you, you've also not just done mainstream horror, you have done a lot of independent horror. And independent horror is where so much of filmmaking is, you know, born. So much of it. So that's one of the reasons why I'm like, not only have you guys done mainstream, but also independent. And that's why I want to know why this one, and I like what both of you guys have done in this genre.

Gellar: Rebrand the word horror. Maybe that. Maybe because the connotation of the word is associated with, you know, like a Roger Corman type, whatever, which by the way is fabulous, but it's more specific for certain people. Maybe we need to just call it genre. It just needs like a fancier core name. I'm going to work on this. I am going to rebrand the entire thing. And I'm going to work on it [and] campaign.

Wood: [laughing] I love it.

Gellar: Because I just, I think it's unfair.

Booth: I wholeheartedly agree with you. When Guillermo del Toro won that Oscar for The Shape of Water, I was pumping my fist.

Gellar: Right? When you talk about directors that are pushing envelopes and creators that are creating worlds and bringing franchises back, this is where it's happening. And I just think it gets labeled unfairly. I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm sure those weren't your questions, but…

Booth: No, it's okay. Like one of the questions I'm gonna ask the directors is like technology is like, one of things we're gonna ask directors is horror is where good tech is born.

Look for more from our interview with Gellar and Wood later this week, along with interviews with star Kathryn Newton and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett.

Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come – Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Moments after surviving an all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace (Samara Weaving) discovers she's reached the next level of the nightmarish game — and this time with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her side. Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.

Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett, stars Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, Varun Saranga, and Daniel Beirne. It will be released on March 20, 2026.

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