Kelli received mostly mixed reviews from critics, with the perception being that she fails to stand out much from the rest of the characters in the movie, with "Variety" describing the character as generic. Horror website Dread Central, when comparing the two movies, described Kelli as "an awful character exists in stark contrast to the very likable and level-headed Jess of the original." Despite this, "Screen Rant", in their list of the best final girls, when talking about Jess from the original movie, praised Kelli for being able to defeat both antagonists by herself.