36
Metascore
29 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasThere's greater consistency to it, and considerably more humor, with macabre slapstick and fun-house ghoulishness that, at their best, recall early Tim Burton.
- 60Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesThe tag here is more silly than haunting, but this is still a pretty wild ride, with a fine, knife-wielding score by Bennett Salvay.
- 60VarietyVarietySubstantially better than its predecessor, even while staying strictly within the genre's well-defined boundaries.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleWould be a completely routine horror movie, except that it has a superior director. Watch this film for five minutes, and it's clear that Victor Salva knows how to make movies.
- 40TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghThe film delivers a few slick thrills before beaching itself on an ending that would be chilling if its depiction of unimaginable horror's lingering legacy weren't so muddled.
- 38Boston GlobeWesley MorrisBoston GlobeWesley MorrisIt plays better as exasperating comedy than genuine horror -- although there is something terrifying about being stuck in a movie whose idea of a bogeyman is a scarecrow with an eating disorder.
- 38New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickThere are a few good jolts - and a moderate amount of spurting blood - but things pretty much proceed exactly as you think they will.
- 38New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardThere are some nicely gory touches for genre connoisseurs...But JC2 lacks the all-important character development we got in the first installment.
- 30Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanFunctional but tiresome.
- 25Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertSupplies us with a first-class creature, a fourth-rate story, and dialogue possibly created by feeding the screenplay into a pasta maker.