Paranormal Activity 2
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: October 22, 2010 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
13
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanOct 21, 2010
Even when nothing is happening, the often dead-silent shots tend to grow scarier the more you look at them. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzOct 22, 2010
It delivers its considerable moments of terror in the same way the original film did. But it does deliver. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsOct 22, 2010
Demons of mediocrity, be gone! Here we have a shrewd sequel a touch better than the original. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubScott TobiasOct 22, 2010
What was scary once is scary twice, like a carnival funhouse remodeled with a few new mirrors and spring-loaded spooks. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigOct 21, 2010
Rarely is the second film in a horror franchise more frightening than the original, but Paranormal Activity 2 has more innocent victims and more scares than its predecessor. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleOct 22, 2010
More of the same, for all the good and acceptably routine that that implies. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrOct 23, 2010
And again things go bump and eventually yarrrragghhh in the night. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter TraversOct 22, 2010
If you're looking for wicked fun this Halloween, Paranormal Activity 2 is the best goosebump game in town. Read full review
60
TimeMary PolsOct 23, 2010
Unlike the original, Paranormal Activity 2's pacing is uneven; it builds slowly and effectively before rushing too quickly, and at one point not particularly coherently, through the climax. But the jolts, when they come, are bigger, causing actual physical thrills and chills, at least for me. Read full review
60
SlateDana StevensOct 23, 2010
Even knowing what's likely to come-the doors opening on their own, the skeptical characters scoffing at metaphysical explanations, the unheeded warnings from paranormally gifted guests-doesn't make it any less nailbiting to watch. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazineJohn P. McCarthyOct 23, 2010
Serves as both a sequel and a prequel, and the team Oren Peli has assembled deserves credit for beefing up and rounding out his original narrative without letting it mutate into something unrecognizable. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierOct 21, 2010
Without giving anything away, much of the excruciatingly teased-out tension here echoes the first movie without upping the ante. Read full review
50
SalonAndrew O'HehirOct 23, 2010
Paranormal Activity 2 suffers from the excessive expository blah-blah that's so common in horror-movie sequels. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 23, 2010
The clumsy and obvious byproduct of the financial success of its predecessor last Halloween, this movie has no reason for existing except to provide Paramount Pictures with a few extra shekels. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisOct 22, 2010
Frozen camera setups and blurry night-vision images raise goose bumps without the assistance of eerie music or showy effects, though the strain of stretching the gimmick to a second movie is palpable. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyNick PinkertonOct 22, 2010
Where "The Last Exorcism" was sustained by artfully balanced skepticism and a feel for character, Paranormal 2, putatively directed by Tod Williams, can only hold an audience with the understood promise of big jolts around the corner. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckOct 22, 2010
Anyone who has seen the original knows exactly where things are heading, with the result that the proceedings seem far more manipulative than unnerving. Read full review
50
VarietyDennis HarveyOct 22, 2010
Picture fares like most horror follow-ups, offering more of the same to somewhat diminished effect. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyOct 22, 2010
The principle suspense is wondering when the suspense is going to start, as you scan the darkly-lit screen looking for any hint of imminent horror. Read full review
50
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreOct 21, 2010
A confident, cocky and often comic promenade down the same primrose path. Read full review
40
Time OutBen KenigsbergOct 22, 2010
The impression is less of calculated ineptitude than of seasoned professionals (director Tod Williams made The Door in the Floor) playing dumb, as a checklist of household items-frying pans, endlessly shutting doors, a pool cleaner with a mind of its own-test viewers' reflexes. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOct 22, 2010
An efficient delivery system for Gotcha! Moments, of which it has about 19. Audiences who want to be Gotchaed will enjoy it. Read full review
20
MovielineStephanie ZacharekOct 22, 2010
Paranormal Activity 2 sinks much lower than it needs to in order to get a rush out of us - and in the end, the rush isn't even that great. The movie puts us through the paces with minimal payoff. Read full review
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