The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
Blue Dolphin Film Distribution | Release Date: August 22, 1986 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
42
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
5
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
EmpireSimon Crook
In Tobe Hooper’s sequel, the toolkit cannibals are living under a theme park. The mood follows suit, pitched as Evil Deady black comedy. The first third is terrible; the rest judders with abrasive, ultra-demented splatter. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesMichael Wilmington
Writer L. M. Kit Carson and director Hooper have made Chainsaw 2 a grisly hoot: a wild satire on modern Texas and horror movies themselves. [31 Aug 1986, p.15]
70
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
Success of the low budget Chain Saw in 1974 spawned a generation of splatter films which largely have lost the power to shock and entertain. Not so Chain Saw 2. Director Tobe Hooper is back on the Texas turf he knows. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Hooper's abrasive satire on yuppiedom and excess, centering on a brilliantly deranged Dennis Hopper as a Texas ranger looking to avenge the death of his invalid brother, stands out for its unbridled gore and comic mayhem. It just isn't terribly fun to watch. Read full review
60
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
Not a patch on the original but amusing enough none the less. Read full review
60
CineVueAdam Lowes
In an age where many horror franchises attempt to adhere as close to the original film’s formula as possible, Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is a fun reminder of a time when makers were able to rewrite their own rules and go for broke. This was never going to top what had gone before, and by acknowledging that, the filmmakers have crafted a wonderfully demented alternative in its place. Read full review
50
Washington PostPaul Attanasio
The movie, in short, rides on a revenge plot and a beauty-and-the-beast subplot, and there's some nice photography and production design; screen writer L.M. Kit Carson lends some Texas texture and funny lines. But mostly, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is straight blood and guts. [23 Aug 1986, p.D11]
40
The GuardianPeter Bradshaw
A very uneasy, uncertain shocker, quite unable to digest the mix of horror and black comedy which became a genre-must after the first TCM. Read full review
40
The New York TimesWalter Goodman
No matter how adeptly Chainsaw 2 was put together, it would remain just another exploitation flick for fans who get a tingle from watching blades slash into flesh and innards peep out. Read full review
25
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Part 2 carries a proud old name in the annals of exploitation, but its only ambition is to outgross the original film. It fails. Read full review
25
Miami HeraldBill Cosford
A movie about lunatics with chainsaws that is neither funny nor frightening. [25 Aug 1986, p.C5]
20
Film ThreatStaff (Not Credited)
This movie is a great, big mess. It’s never truly scary, and you get the feeling that Tobe Hooper’s been living off the original flick’s rep for so long that he didn’t give a damn if this movie sucked or not. And, believe me, it does. Read full review
0
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
Hooper took the easy path and went for out-and-out gore, rather than making a carefully constructed horror film. The film feels as if Hooper himself has nothing but contempt for the original and went out of his way to tear it down. Read full review
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