MOVIE REVIEW | Black Phone 2 – Four years after The Black Phone terrified audiences and became one of Blumhouse’s biggest hits, director Scott Derrickson returns with Black Phone 2, a sequel that digs deeper rather than screams louder.
Co-written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, and based on characters created by Joe Hill, this chilling follow-up expands the mythology of The Grabber. The result is a film that fascinates some viewers and frustrates others.
Ethan Hawke reprises his haunting role, now appearing as something far more spectral than physical — a ghostly presence seeking revenge on Finn (Mason Thames), the boy who escaped him years earlier. The story’s emotional centre shifts to Finn’s sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), whose dreams fill with cryptic phone calls and visions of boys being hunted at a remote winter camp called Alpine Lake.
What begins as a supernatural mystery soon turns into a family reckoning that ties The Grabber’s curse to the Shaw family’s dark past.
A Deeper Dive into the Darkness
Black Phone 2 refuses to recycle the first film’s scares. Instead, Derrickson and Cargill craft a story that works as both sequel and prequel. It explores how The Grabber’s evil survives beyond death and how it continues to haunt the living.
Many viewers, including my co-reviewer, found this deeper dive rewarding. It answers lingering questions from the first movie, enriches the mythology, and adds emotional weight to Finn and Gwen’s trauma. The snow-covered cabins and whispering woods of the Alpine Lake setting give the film an eerie, isolated feel.
For me, though, that shift in focus was a slight let-down. Fans expecting another tense, edge-of-your-seat horror about abduction and escape might miss the raw terror of the original. Black Phone 2 acts more like an origin story than a straight sequel. While well-made, the slower pacing softens its scares.
It’s like watching a Batman prequel that explains the Joker’s childhood — interesting, yes, but not the thrill ride you came for.
Performances and Production
The performances are uniformly strong. Hawke proves that even as a ghost, The Grabber remains one of modern horror’s most disturbing villains. Thames captures Finn’s survivor’s guilt and growing paranoia, while McGraw becomes the emotional core of the story. Demián Bichir adds gravitas as the mysterious camp supervisor, and Jeremy Davies returns as the siblings’ troubled father.
Visually, Derrickson’s horror direction shines. The shadows feel heavier, the silences sharper, and the supernatural touches more confident than before. The film may not be as overtly frightening, but it’s certainly more haunting.
Verdict
Black Phone 2 is a beautifully crafted horror-drama that divides opinion. Viewers seeking lore, atmosphere and character depth will find a rich expansion of The Grabber’s world. Those wanting pure fear and frantic tension may leave wishing for more screams and fewer secrets.
Still, Derrickson’s filmmaking and Hawke’s chilling presence keep the phone ringing loud and clear.
Black Phone 2 – 16 October, 2025.
Link to Universal Pictures HERE
TV Central Movie Reviews HERE
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MOVIE REVIEW | Black Phone 2
@UniversalPicsAU
Rating
Aaron: 5 / 10 “Fewer scares, slower pacing, more prequel than sequel”
Zak: 7 / 10 “Strong performances, expanded mythology, eerie visuals“
Synopsis:
Four years ago, 13-year-old Finn killed his abductor and escaped, becoming the sole survivor of The Grabber. But true evil transcends death … and the phone is ringing again.
Four-time Academy Award® nominee Ethan Hawke returns to the most sinister role of his career as The Grabber 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.
From returning visionary writer-director Scott Derrickson, Black Phone 2 is written again by Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill, based on characters created by Joe Hill. The film is produced by Jason Blum, Derrickson and Cargill. The executive producers are Joe Hill, Adam Hendricks and Ryan Turek.
The cast includes Oscar® nominee Demián Bichir (The Nun, A Better Life) as the supervisor of the camp, Arianna Rivas (A Working Man) as his niece, Miguel Mora (The Black Phone) as the brother of one of The Grabber’s victims, and Jeremy Davies, returning as Finn and Gwen’s father, Terrence. Other new cast members include Maev Beaty (Beau is Afraid) and Graham Abbey (Under the Banner of Heaven).
Universal Pictures and Blumhouse’s horror phenomenon The Black Phone, released in 2022, received widespread critical acclaim and earned more than $160 million worldwide.
Cinema Experience:
The Backlot remains one of Perth’s more intimate boutique cinemas — a small, private theatre often used for corporate functions, media screenings and film events. Its charm lies in its cosy, exclusive atmosphere, offering a far more personal experience than the larger commercial chains.
However, while the ambience is inviting, the screening experience this time around was not without its hiccups. The film began playing with no sound — an awkward start for any preview session — though, to their credit, the issue was quickly resolved. It’s not the first time technical gremlins have crept into a Backlot session, and it’s a reminder that boutique sometimes comes with quirks.
With only a handful of reviewers and patrons in attendance, the small space felt comfortable and relaxed. But one can only imagine how cramped and chaotic things might become during a full house — especially given the venue’s ongoing parking challenges. There’s virtually no dedicated parking for the theatre itself; I had to park nearly 300 metres away.
Despite these shortcomings, The Backlot still delivers a certain charm: a private, quiet spot ideal for press screenings and special events. But be warned — if you’re planning to visit, arrive early, bring your patience, and maybe your walking shoes too.
