MOVIE REVIEW: BLACK PHONE 2

 

Bad dreams haunt 15-year-old Gwen as she receives calls from the black phone and sees disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp. Accompanied by her brother, Finn, they head to the camp to solve the mystery, only to confront the Grabber -- a killer who's grown even more powerful in death.

Director: Scott Derrickson

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, Demián Bichir

Release Date: October 17, 2025 

Genre: Horror

Rated R for strong violent content, gore, teen drug use, and language.

Runtime: 1h 54m

Review:

Black Phone 2 is a solid, if overlong, follow up to the 2021 original with this entry taking more of a Nightmare on Elm Street approach, sprinkled with atmospheric elements from of The Shining for good measure.  Scott Derrickson returns behind the camera and brings back the throwback aesthetic of the original while adding some impressive visual flourishing along the way such as overly grainy dream sequences.  He has a noticeable amount of restraint which is especially noteworthy for a sequel as he allows the audience to spend time Finney and his sister Gwen four years after the traumatic events.  Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw return from the original film to play the siblings which gives them natural chemistry together.  Thames’ Finney is left hardened by his experience with The Grabber and is more than willing to fight anyone while he represses his trauma.  Thames delivers a measured performance balancing his steely eyed protectiveness of his sister while keeping a ting of vulnerability hover underneath.  He’s given a moment in the film’s back half that really lets him unleash everything which makes for a solid showcase of Thames’ talent.  Madeleine McGraw has a much larger role here and she does well with the bigger spotlight even though her character is saddled with using nearly every bit of 80’s slang you can think of.  Her character is much more central to the overall plot as her psychic has increased since the last film and has put her in the crosshairs of unsettled ghost and the spirit of the vengeful Grabber, played again by Ethan Hawke.  Hawke’s character doesn’t really become part of the story until about midway through the film but once he does you get the sense, he’s relishing the chance to chew up scenery.  It’s a fun performance but it’s hard to overlook the obvious comparisons to Freddy Krueger throughout.  Thankfully, this leans closer to earlier Kruger than the overly wisecracking version of those latter films in that franchise.  Hawke’s bloodied demon looks like a festering open wound as he’s torturing Gwen with a more expressive mask doing a lot of work.  Demián Bichir, Miguel Mora and Arianna Rivas round out the cast with Bichir in particular delivering strong work leaving you wondering why the film didn’t write him a beefier role.  The script does leave something to be desired in general as it’s peppered with clunky, exposition heavy dialogue which the cast does to work with.  A handful of those moments feel like they could have been trimmed a bit in the editing room to keep them slowing down the film as much as they do.  Black Phone 2 might not be a top tier horror sequel, especially in a year that has had stellar entries throughout, but it is effective enough that you don’t question why they bothered with a sequel in the first place.

B-