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| Madeleine McGraw as GWEN, Ethan Hawke as GRABBER |
Finney, Gwen, and the Grabber have returned in BLACK PHONE 2, without a cutesy subtitle to mar the experience. Four years after Finney escaped from the Grabber's clutches, the siblings try to move on with their lives, only to find their past has a way of leaking into the present. Director Scott Derrickson leans more into the supernatural and his identity as a Christian in this icy church camp story.
After a "cold" opening of a mysterious girl (Anna Lore) making a call in a phone booth outside Alpine Lake Church Camp, Derrickson catches us up on what has happened to Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) since the last film. Gwen has grown into a pretty young lady and has certainly caught the eye of Ernesto (Miguel Mora), younger brother of Finney's now deceased friend, Robin. Her reputation for seeing visions in dreams has made her an object of ridicule to many of her classmates, but this same ability offers her the chance to learn more about her mother's past. While the first movie planted the idea that her dream abilities came genetically from her mom, this sequel allows Gwen to explore this more fully when she begins having visions of children killed at Camp Alpine Lake, where her mom was a camper.
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| Mason Thames as FINNEY, Miguel Mora as ERNESTO, Madeleine McGraw as GWEN |
Meanwhile, Finney has changed from the bullied to the bully. We first encounter him beating up a kid badly on school grounds. When his sister challenges him on why he wailed on the kid so hard, he repeats phrases that Robin once used: "The more blood the better, for the crowd. Makes a stronger point." In addition to going through this personality shift, Finney has avoided any meaningful relationships except with Gwen. In his drive to appear stronger, he has forgotten everything good he might have learned from his time in captivity. The Black Phone was a resource he used to gain strength and community from the other previous victims of the Grabber. A possible outcome could be Finney realizing he can't do things alone and to continue to seek networks of support. Instead, he has isolated himself from everyone, speaking only to dad and Gwen.
Their newly created default mode is interrupted when Gwen decides to follow her dreams to Camp Alpine Lake, convicted that she has been called to dig up whatever secrets lie undiscovered. Where Finney has grown cold towards others and any thoughts of a loving God, Gwen has retained a childlike faith. She prays and believes God hears her prayers. She doesn't always agree with God's choices, but ultimately she believes he's close by. Finney begrudgingly accompanies her and the smitten Ernesto to the now snowbound camp.
Derrickson's choice to set the film at a camp in middle of winter really works. Most camp stories take place in the summertime, but there's something very creepy about camp in the winter. The roads prohibit all but our three heroes from arriving, which leaves them isolated and unprotected. As they navigate the camp at night, anyone could be hiding in the abundant darkness. Derrickson uses this backdrop to craft Gwen's genuinely eerie dream sequences.
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| Ethan Hawke as GRABBER |
As you guessed, the Grabber (Ethan Hawke) is back. Not in the flesh, but as a supernatural haint, somehow able to exact harm on someone like Gwen, who has fully embodied night terrors. Like Freddy Krueger, the Grabber visits Gwen in her dreams and feels determined to punish Finney by harming the person he cares about most. Cinematographer Pär M. Ekberg films these segments with a Super 8 camera, casting a grainy texture reminiscent of 1980s horror.
Where BLACK PHONE 2 breaks down occurs in the script and the overabundant use of inauthentic religious language. In the first film, dialogue was a strength. Lines were used in a meaningful way to build character arcs and advance the story. And there was a clever trick to the dialogue in that words spoken on the black phone took on extra meaning at the climactic scene. So there was a meaningful plan that made the words powerful.
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| Mason Thames as FINNEY, Ethan Hawke as GRABBER |
In this sequel, Derrickson packs in religion as if trying to make a point, rather than in service to the story. This pains me to say. I'm normally a fan of scripture and talk of faith in films, when it's done well. At a church camp, it's normal that one might hear adults talking about God. But it's out of Gwen's mouth where it feels most off. Yes, we see her praying and with a Bible, but out of left field, she begins quoting scripture at the Grabber. "O Death, where is you victory. O death where is thy sting," is certainly one of the strongest scriptures in the Bible, but it's done out of context and not something Derrickson earned the right to add at that pivotal moment. If you're going to use a powerful scripture like that, you need to plant the seeds earlier somewhere in the narrative. Gwen knows her scripture, but Derrickson has built her character, so far, that speaks to God in a very casual, informal way.
There is already ample religious context in the setting alone, and in sincere moments of dialogue. The owner of the camp Mando (Demian Bichir) explains how he kept the camp so he could keep looking for the kids. And Ernesto asks Gwen about her faith, and she tells him why she believes. These small touches offer meaningful moments of faith without going into sermon territory.
BLACK PHONE 2 is best when the story is kept grounded, with creepy moments and with the focus on the family's past trauma. The drive up to the camp and the dream sequences kept me involved and eager to see what would come next. I appreciate Derrickson wanting to take chances and not just rehash the plot of the original film. He painted with a broader brush, but in this effort, he lost some of the focus he achieved with the first film. With a tighter, less grandiose script, the film would be stronger.
Release info: In theaters October 17, 2025
Final score: 3 out of 5
Release info: In theaters October 17, 2025
Final score: 3 out of 5
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