Black Phone 2 review: Scary sequel that improves on the original

Black Phone 2 is a superb sequel that maintains the creeping sense of dread established in the first movie, through a story that both extends and expands on the horrific Grabber mythology.

Directed by Scott Derrickson – from a script he wrote with C. Robert Cargill from a Joe Hill story – the first Black Phone movie was a period piece that effectively combined 1970s coming-of-age drama with spine-chilling supernatural horror.

The film was anchored by fine performances from young leads Mason Thames and Madeline McGraw, and a truly terrifying turn by Ethan Hawke as a child killer known as The Grabber.

That team returns for this excellent sequel that explores big, weighty themes, while still delivering thrills and scares.

What is Black Phone 2 about?

Following a brief prologue in the Rocky Mountains, we’re back to North Denver, the year is 1982, and teenagers Finney (Thames) and Gwen (McGraw) are not in a good place.

Although they defeated the Grabber at the end of the first film, he still casts a long shadow over the siblings. Finney’s simmering rage sees him fight other kids at school, and self-medicate with weed when he’s home.

Meanwhile, Gwen is branded a witch by her classmates and plagued by disturbing dreams about dead children — dreams tied both to the first film’s events and her own complicated family history.

She wants answers, so Gwen drives the story forward through her investigation, which sends the dynamic duo to a Christian summer camp with its own dark past, and puts them on a collision course with their old enemy.

Dealing with trauma

Universal Pictures

It’s a while before the Grabber reappears, as much like its predecessor, Black Phone 2 is mostly concerned with these kids just trying to live their lives, in unfathomably trying circumstances.

But in spite of their innocence being lost during the first film, they’re both fighters, who won’t let the troubles of their past bring them down. This makes the sequel a movie about trauma, and the need to face issues head-on, before finally being able to let go.

Faith also becomes a repeating theme, with heaven and hell very real concepts in the movie. Ultimately, though, Black Phone 2 is about the power of love, and how it can help to heal the most painful of wounds.

Channeling Dream Warriors

That’s the serious stuff, but Black Phone 2 is also immense fun, especially when we head back to the Rocky Mountains, and kills start happening in beautiful snowstorms, where they’re complemented by Atticus Derrickson’s thumping electronic score.

Thanks to Gwen’s affliction – which she sees as a curse – there are also lengthy dream scenes, shot on grainy Super 8 that really works for such sequences.

This is where the movie channels A Nightmare on Elm Street – and most specifically Dream Warriors – as Gwen starts playing a more active role in those visions as a way of taking back her power, which succeeds thematically, while being wildly entertaining to watch.

Is Black Phone 2 good?

Universal Pictures

Black Phone 2 is a perfect sequel in that it leans into what worked in the first film, while also taking the story in interesting and unexpected directions.

There were questions asked at the end of its predecessor that are addressed here, as we learn more about the Grabber and what drives him to commit such evil.

Meanwhile, Finney and Gwen continue to change and grow in ways that are consistently satisfying to watch.

Black Phone 2 score: 4/5

If you liked the first movie, you’ll love Black Phone 2, a sequel that’s both bigger, and better.

The Black Phone 2 was reviewed at Fantastic Fest and will hit theaters on October 17, 2025.