Rotten Tomatoes, reports that 23% of 14 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 4.02/10, making it the poorest reviewed film in the series on that site. Chris Hicks of the "Deseret News" called it "perverse" and criticized the film's plot. Caryn James of "The New York Times" called the Chucky doll "an impressive technological achievement" but said the film "misses the sharpness and dark humor" of the original film. "Variety" called it a "noisy, mindless sequel" with good acting. Richard Harrington of "The Washington Post" wrote, "Chucky himself is an animatronic delight, but one suspects the film's energies and budget have all been devoted to what is essentially a one-trick pony." Stephen Wigle of "The Baltimore Sun" called it "fun for any fan of the slasher genre".