Black Phone 2 (2025) – Sequel Scares That Stumble for Newcomers, But Deliver for Fans
Hello, movie lovers! In this review, I'm dialing back into supernatural chills with Black Phone 2 (2025), directed by Scott Derrickson. Reprising roles from the 2021 hit are Mason Thames as the haunted Finney "Finn" Blake, Madeleine McGraw as his psychic sister Gwen, Jeremy Davies as their dad, and Ethan Hawke as the undead Grabber—with Demián Bichir joining the fray. This R-rated horror-mystery-thriller (1h 54m) picks up four years post-escape, when evil rings eternal. I struggled as a sequel newbie but appreciated the effort, landing a 6/10—fun for fans, frustrating for fresh eyes. Let's answer the ring.
Black Phone 2 (2025) - Ghostly Grabber Returns, But Only If You've Got the First on Speed Dial
Jumping into Black Phone 2 blind (no first film under my belt) was a fumble—I spent the opening act lost in a fog of "who's who?" and "what's that phone?" The setup assumes you're dialed in: Finn's PTSD haze, Gwen's dream calls from the black phone, visions of stalked boys at snowy Alpine Lake camp. It feels like catching a sequel mid-convo, no recap to bridge the gap. Once the storm strands them at the camp, things thaw into tolerable terror—Gwen's visions get visceral (that ice climax? Gory genius), and Hawke's Grabber haunts with hawklike menace from the grave. Visuals shine in the snow: swirling flakes, blood on white, a girl flung skyward in a spin-cycle scare that pops with practical punch. At 6/10, it's labor-of-love horror—$120M box office on $30M screams fan love—but for me, boredom battled boredom in the front, mild intrigue in the back. No scares stuck; just a slog to the end. Curiosity's got me queuing the original now.
The Plot: From Post-Trauma Haze to Haunted Hideaway Hunt
Four years after 13-year-old Finney Blake slew his kidnapper—the masked serial killer dubbed The Grabber—and escaped as the lone survivor, now-17-year-old Finn (Mason Thames) grapples with survivor's scars: nightmares, isolation, a life half-lived. But true malice mocks mortality. When headstrong 15-year-old sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) starts fielding eerie calls in her sleep from that cursed black phone—the one that once whispered warnings from beyond—and visions plague her of three boys hunted at remote winter camp Alpine Lake, the siblings sense the Grabber's grudge reaching from the grave. Persuaded by Gwen's grit, Finn joins her trek to the storm-swept site, unearthing a bone-chilling link between their family fractures and the killer's cursed legacy. As armed apparitions close in and secrets surface, they race to silence the ringtone forever.
Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill expand Joe Hill's novella with Nightmare on Elm Street nods—revenge from the rift—but ground it in sibling solidarity and trauma's tendrils. Clocking 114 minutes, it shifts from suburban unease to isolated ice terror, blending jump-scare jolts with psychological plumbs. Universal's October 17 drop cashed in on cult cash, but newcomers? Expect confusion calls.
Performances That Ring True (When the Script Dials In)
Mason Thames matures into a brooding Finn, his quiet cracks conveying captivity's echo—subtle, sympathetic, a far cry from kid-hero antics. Madeleine McGraw owns Gwen as the fierce focal point, her visions vivid with vulnerable fire; she's the sequel's spark, channeling teen tenacity amid terror. Ethan Hawke's Grabber? Sinister symphony—mask muffled menace, his posthumous presence a puppet-master pull that chills without camp. Jeremy Davies adds dad-depth, Demián Bichir brings brooding bulk. Solid squad, but the script's sequel-speak mutes the magic for outsiders.
A Chilly Callback to the Original's Shadow
Derrickson (Sinister, first Black Phone) doubles down on dream-dread, evoking Elm Street's spectral slasher but swapping suburbs for snowbound seclusion—think The Thing paranoia in a phone booth. The Grabber's origin teases add lore layers, but over-explanation (as critics note) bogs the buildup, per Roger Ebert's take on history dumps. Visuals vault from mundane malaise to wintry whitesplatter (ice finale a Pollock of powder and pain), with Hawke's hawklike haunt stealing shadows. Compared to the 2021 sleeper's sparse scares, this amps ambition but risks alienating arrivals—fan fuel, franchise fluff for the uninitiated.
Ratings and Critical Reception
IMDb: 6.3/10 (26,000 users), RT: 72% critics (179 reviews)/83% audience (2,500+ verified).
Critics praise the "chilling sequel that mines trauma" and "gory ice showdown", docking for Elm Street echoes and exposition bloat. Box office: $120M worldwide on $30M budget—a sequel smash for superfans.
My 6/10 mirrors the middling: effort evident, but entry barriers blunt the bite.
A Major Critique: Sequel Snubs for Series Newbies
As a first-timer, the front-loaded fog was fatal—no quick recap, no context crumbs, just "you know the drill" dumps that left me decoding instead of dreading. Boredom blanketed the build, sense only surfacing in the storm—horror half-baked without the history homework. Fans feast; fresh faces freeze out.
A Middling Missed Call for Horror Holdouts
At 6/10, Black Phone 2 is fan-favorite fodder—labor shines in spots, but it's a ring I won't redial. Hawke's haunt and wintry whirls warrant the watch, sparking my first-film flip. Solid sequel? Sure. Standalone stunner? Nah.
What did you think of Black Phone 2? Sequel sin or savior? Fan frenzy or flop? Drop your digits below—did it ring true, or should it have stayed silent? Suggest my next scare—I'm eyeing originals! Like, follow, share so you don’t miss the next call. Thanks for tuning in—see you on the line!
