About the film (courtesy of Universal Pictures):
The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) seeks vengeance on Finn (Mason Thames) from beyond the grave by menacing Finn’s younger sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw). As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, the headstrong 15-year-old Gwen begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake. Determined to solve the mystery and end the torment for both her and her brother, Gwen persuades Finn to visit the camp during a winter storm. There, she uncovers a shattering intersection between The Grabber and her own family’s history. Together, she and Finn must confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine.
The 2021 supernatural horror film captivated audiences with its chilling atmosphere, strong, grounded performances, and a unique premise blending serial killer dread with spectral communication. Sequels often struggle to escalate stakes without compromising the core integrity of the story, and the highly anticipated follow-up, Black Phone 2, falls squarely into this trap. While the film manages to reassemble its critical cast, the essential spirit and compelling narrative backbone that defined the first installment are conspicuously absent. The result is a disappointing continuation that sacrifices the emotional weight of character for a confusingly chaotic plot.
The initial appeal of Black Phone 2 comes from the return of its principal players. Ethan Hawke once again steps into the deeply unsettling role of the murderous lunatic known only as The Grabber, bringing his customary intensity to the villain’s masked persona. He is joined by the resilient sibling protagonists, Finney (Mason Thames) and his younger, fiercely protective sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw). They are back to face their nemesis on new terms. Unfortunately, the actors’ efforts are hampered by a plot that is determined to rewrite all of the rules. The narrative in the film feels engineered, veering wildly into the realm of the ridiculous, where the central conflict is obscured by bizarre occurrences that are overwhelmingly underwhelming.
The sequel’s biggest misstep is its decision to aggressively abandon the framework that made the original work. The story “jumps the shark” by attempting to escalate the supernatural stakes in a way that feels completely unearned, resulting in a script that includes so many odd and downright laughable moments. This raises the question of whether director and writer Scott Derrickson is intentionally leaning into a full sense of campiness, a tonal shift that fundamentally clashes with the grounded, bone-chilling terror of the original. Key elements, such as the sudden ringing of the ominous pay phones, have been stripped of their dread. Every time one rings, the effect is less frightening and more absurd, breaking any meaningful tension the film might be trying to build.
For a movie to succeed, it requires a balance of compelling plot, strong acting, and overall entertainment value. While the acting talent is undeniably present, the fractured narrative structure and tonal confusion ultimately cripple the experience. The original succeeded on the strength of its tight premise and its ability to generate palpable dread. Black Phone 2 replaces that dread with outright confusion, making the experience far more tiresome than thrilling. The entertainment value is severely diminished when the film’s attempts at horror unintentionally border on self-parody. The emotional stakes of facing an old enemy, meant to be intensely personal, are lost beneath layers of inexplicable plot contrivances.
Ultimately, Black Phone 2 misses the mark by replacing genuine tension and compelling character work with a chaotic script that is difficult to take seriously. It’s a sequel that has all the right characters and the right villain but lacks the essential character required to make the story compelling.
Black Phone 2 opens in theaters Friday, October 17th. Check it out if you must, but I’d recommend waiting to catch it at home at a later date as its theatrical run should be relatively short-lived.
