the whole atmophere was just generally creepy not to mention the heads and even the ghost train was freaky. GB 2 has some of the scareiest moments for me. the tub scene, and of course the painting. the first movie didnt have anywhere near the amount of scares this one had.
I thought the same thing! 
The tone, at times, was much darker compared to the first. Even in GB1 with the library ghost right after she changes and goes rawr the score/music is very uplifting and joyful. Meant to be mostly a comedic scene, not scary. GB2 however seems they tried to make some parts scarier for the effect of being scarier. The train tunnel, Ray on the wire, the pictures being set on fire, etc. GB2 seemed to go back and forth from the extremes of dark n scary to bubbly childlike happiness.
As a kid, I would always have to stop the vhs tape and fast forward through the tunnel scene. Eventually I got old enough to be like, “What actually happens in this scene?” (because i guess i had forgotten from the first time i watched it), and when the heads appeared I was genuinely unnerved because of how dark the scene was.
I always thought the Tunnel Scene was one of the funniest scenes in the film and one of my favorite scenes, the goofy faces they make while screaming at the severed heads are too silly to take the scene fully seriously. playing “echo” at the foot of the tunnel. Let’s not forget the great line: “sorry.. i missed it..”. classic. too bad the rest of the movie wasn’t in this quality.
I guess your right, the way they react does help tone down the “creepiness” of the scene.
If I recall correctly, the severed head scene and the fire-in-the-bathroom scene were both late additions during ‘reshoots’. They needed some small tension moments without a lot of post-production effects (the ghost train being the main one) so they shot the tracks scenes in a train-themed nightclub as their set, and put out a call with all the special effects wizards to loan them existing severed head props originally made for other films. The better props they placed closer to camera, the rest further away.
Has anyone ever made an attempt to identify the earlier movies that the severed heads came from?
Alex