A sequel to the popular horror flick
Loren Eaton (Focus on the Family) says the movie "obviously aspires to be more than just a by-the-numbers horror flick. Reels are devoted to claustrophobic confrontations between students that reveal their underlying prejudices and sins. [However] the sorry stuff that ended up onscreen is as far from Hitchcock as whales are from Nebraska. Salva's artistic ambitions get torn apart and devoured by gore, obscenity and tired cliché."
Michael Medved (Crosswalk) says, "Successful horror films don't need to make sense; they work at a visceral level beyond (or below) logic, provoking an emotional response with nightmare images that bear little connection to rational fear. For its first 10 minutes,
Movieguide's critic disagrees, saying the film gets better in its later stages. "When the teenagers start fighting back … this movie recovers nicely." But he concludes, "In addition to the excessive foul language and violent situations, [the movie] contains occult elements. The movie's worldview seems mixed, therefore, with negative elements diluting its more redemptive, positive aspects. The movie demands … extreme caution."