The reviews split almost evenly, and the spread is wide. Most critics agree on what works: Taissa Farmiga’s earnest lead performance, the gloomy European settings and a handful of well-built set pieces, with The Times picking out a magazine-stand sequence as the most inventive. Several also find the final act enjoyably absurd.
The reservations cluster around the scares themselves, which many find repetitive and reliant on jump cuts and loud music rather than built tension, and around a plot that leans heavily on Conjuring Universe lore. Those who like it, led by Collider, call it a clear improvement on the first film, tighter and better paced. Those who do not, including The Guardian and Screen Daily, see a retread with diminished returns from a franchise running on habit. Even the harshest reviews tend to spare Farmiga. The broad view is of a better-made sequel that still cannot keep its demon frightening for long.
