Sinister 2 2015

Wesley Morris, Grantland: There comes a point when you have to say no to these horror sequels. There's no skill or idea visible anywhere, just the sound of money being sucked from your pockets. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: A serviceable if somewhat redundant horror sequel that dribbles out its secrets slowly, "Sinister 2" doesn't have a particularly satisfying end - it's somehow both too drawn-out and abrupt - but it's got creepiness galore. Read more

Andrew Barker, Variety: Anyone who found the original a cut above the average horror pic will likely leave the theater disappointed, if not downright insulted. Read more

Keith Uhlich, AV Club: Not a moment of Sinister 2 is convincing or frightening, mostly due to the uber-stilted child acting and the flat, overlit visual palette, which pales in comparison to what Derrickson and cinematographer Chris Norr achieved on the shadow-laden first film. Read more

Kyle Anderson, Entertainment Weekly: Sinister 2 doesn't know what it wants to be, and doesn't add up to much. Read more

Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter: Sinister 2 comes up a bit short on creative resources, although director Ciaran Foy probably gets enough right to entice those partial to the original. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: Nothing about "Sinister 2" comes close to the feel-bad ode to literally and figuratively dark interiors that distinguished the title-earning original. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: Creepy kids and sick jokes make for meager scares, but Ransone is likable as the film's beleaguered hero. Read more

Katherine Pushkar, New York Daily News: Baghuul ... looks like the lead singer in a Norwegian forest metal band. Read more

Andy Webster, New York Times: Despite Mr. Ransone's goofy charm, "Sinister 2" can't claim the same finesse, substituting pedestrian plotting and a more graphic gore for the original's restraint. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Although Sinister 2 continues the story begun in Scott Derrickson's creepily effective Sinister, it feels more like an unnecessary retread than an organic extension of the original. Read more

John Semley, Globe and Mail: Nothing in Sinister 2 comes across as believably scary. Read more

Steve Tilley, Toronto Sun: While nothing about Sinister 2 is especially memorable, it's reasonably entertaining with sufficiently lowered expectations. Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: This sequel, as rough as it is, might be more worthwhile than its 2012 original. Read more