Metascore
15 out of 100

Overwhelming dislike - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 34
  2. Negative: 26 out of 34
  1. 67
    There are moments of pleasure, humor and, yes, terror to be had here all the same.
  2. Has the incoherent look of a movie thrown together by a committee whose members weren't on the same page.
  3. 50
    It's a muddled, sometimes-atmospheric effort.
  4. Gets credit for avoiding the easy path. Too bad the path it chooses doesn't lead us anywhere we want to be taken.
  5. A flat, heebie jeebies thriller.
  6. 40
    It never actually coalesces into a movie.
  7. A clever if muddled collection of riffs on the "Blair Witch" juggernaut, dressed up with intellectual pretensions by Joe Berlinger, who directed this film with a chortling zest.
  8. 40
    There are lots of elements that make no sense whatever.
  9. The characters are boring, the violence generic, the suspense nonexistent.
  10. 38
    Can't scare up a decent plot.
  11. Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    38
    Berlinger has approached Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 with intelligence and even a bit of thematic heft. But, frankly, the cheap thrill is gone.
  12. The assault is against our ears, as the soundtrack pours forth a stream of thrash and Goth music.
  13. While not entirely successful, at least deserves points for creativity.
  14. 25
    Resembles an old Nine Inch Nails video. Missing from the mix are any characters with whom you'd want to spend one minute around a campfire.
  15. 25
    If you're going to direct a piece of crass, nonsensical junk, at least have the decency to release it straight to video, where it belongs.
  16. 20
    A peerless indignity, a club-footed vomit launch of teen-horror clichés, overproduced self-importance, and scareless gore.
  17. 20
    While the first movie steadily tighened its vise, the second loosens its grip through strained acting and incoherent plotting.
  18. We're only a little spooked, only a little amused and, by extension, only a little entertained.
  19. It doesn't have the imagination or daring to make a full turn to self-parody.
  20. Cult shocker has been turned into throwaway megaplex fodder.
  21. 10
    There's nothing scarier than a group of hormone-crazed 20-somethings, but this sequel isn't much more than a footnote of a footnote.
  22. 10
    Filled with all manner of tawdry tricks.
  23. Reviewed by: Sean Means
    10
    Admirers of "The Blair Witch Project" are going to be left high and dry.
  24. Reviewed by: Robert Horton
    10
    It's just another bad horror film with inadequate young actors chased around a big house by something.
  25. Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    10
    Lordy, what a stinker.
  26. Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    10
    Few movies have spread their fibs or facts as clumsily as this one. There's not an emotionally plausible moment in the picture.
  27. Reviewed by: Dennis Harvey
    10
    Disappointing in every aspect.
  28. 10
    A straight exploitation story.
  29. Worse than dull. It's parasitic.
  30. 0
    Guaranteed to inspire many more belly laughs than it does actual shivers. Boo, scary? I think not.
  31. 0
    A schizoid monster slapped together by uneasy bedfellows.
  32. Doomed to be inconsequential and forgettable.
  33. Reviewed by: David Ansen
    0
    If you harbor any fond feelings for the original, stay far away from this mess.
User Score

Generally unfavorable- based on 39 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 18
  2. Negative: 10 out of 18
  1. 0
    terrible. absolutely terrible. almost NOTHING to do with the original. the original was a great film, and if you saw it and loved it, steer clear of this abomination. bad acting, pointless storyline, STUPIDITY that surrounds the plot...it all adds up to make, lets face it, a pretty crappy film. the end is not explained; the characters are just taken to jail, without a hint at what actually happened?? get the original writers directors and producers back for a REAL sequel please. Full Review »
  2. Sammyo
    0
    A terrible movie. I hated every second of it. Don't watch it, it's that simple.
  3. Alex 0 terrible. absolutely terrible. almost NOTHING to do with the original. the original was a great film, and if you saw it and loved it, steer clear of this abomination. bad acting, pointless storyline, STUPIDITY that surrounds the plot...it all adds up to make, lets face it, a pretty crappy film. the end is not explained; the characters are just taken to jail, without a hint at what actually happened?? get the original writers directors and producers back for a REAL sequel please. Full Review »