42
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Chicago TribuneDave KehrChicago TribuneDave KehrCoscarelli has captured the texture of a disjointed, half-remembered nightmare, full of figures and events that seem to have some symbolic value, but which have lost their precise meaning in the process of floating up from the subconscious.
- 60Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasThe difference between the "Phantasms" is the difference between "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "2010." Coscarelli's sequel is a fast, entertaining fright show, but it's not inspired in the way the original was.
- 50The New York TimesCaryn JamesThe New York TimesCaryn JamesThere are some grotesquely stylish and scary moments in Phantasm II, the sequel to a 1979 film that Don Coscarelli made as a precocious 25-year-old. Unfortunately, these episdoes seem to take as long to arrive as the sequel did.
- 40TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineThe original Phantasm was an inventive fever-dream, but the sequel, unfortunately, lacks that delirious youthful imagination. There are some memorable moments along the way--fleeting images scattered throughout the film that have a cumulative effect--but when the shocks do come, they are mostly retreads of highlights from the first movie.
- 38The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay ScottThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jay ScottNowhere in Phantasm II is there the wit of Phantasm the first. [8 July 1988]
- 38Portland OregonianPortland OregonianIndividual scenes are OK for bogus suspense and special effects. The acting is as good as it has to be. But on the whole, the film feels like a 90-minute version of something that was many hours longer. [13 July 1988, p.D4]
- 37Washington PostWashington PostAfter interminable delays and unresolved digressions, we finally get to see some decent special effects, but hardly enough to warrant sitting through the entire film. [12 July 1988, p.D6]
- 25Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe target audience for Phantasm II obviously is teenagers, especially those with abbreviated attention spans, who require a thrill a minute. No character development, logic or subtlety is necessary, just a sensation every now and again to provide the impression that something is happening on the screen.
- 25Miami HeraldMiami HeraldIn the end, Phantasm II is a bland mixture of the horror movies its predecessor spawned. [8 July 1988, p.C5]