#REVIEW: “THE BLACK PHONE 2”

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

The Black Phone 2 is a darker, creepier sequel that delivers on scares and story.

It’s been a few years since Finn (Mason Thames) defeated serial killer the Grabber (Ethan Hawke). Now 17, he’s been struggling with life after his captivity. His life gets more complicated when his younger sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) begins receiving calls from the black phone and sees disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp. The two head to the camp to solve the mystery, only to confront the Grabber once again — a killer who’s grown even more powerful in death.

It’s rare for a sequel to live up to the original. Here, Director Scott Derrickson achieves what many horror fans consider impossible — a sequel that matches and may even surpass its predecessor. Most importantly, Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill have a reason for the Grabber to return. The visions Gwen has led her and Finn to learn about their mother’s teenagehood, and they discover what led to her suicide. Therefore, the filmmakers have used this sequel purposefully. As a way to further character development and story within the world of The Black Phone.

This sequel takes place in the 80s, and the filmmakers have given it that ’80s horror flair. The cinematography bounces between the grainy real-world and the glossy vision-world Gwen navigates. It makes for a stylish cinematic experience. Many horror fans know that majority of 80s slasher sequels meant the killer returned from the dead. Here, the Grabber doesn’t physically return from the dead like serial killers past. Instead, he remains in the spirit realm with the ability to murder through Gwen’s capacity to exist in both worlds simultaneously. Thus, making his return an intelligent modern take on an old trick.

We stay prominently with Gwen and Finn. Learning their dynamic and how their past has marked them differently. The two young talents, Thames and McGraw, are outstanding and ground their characters in the trauma they’ve endured. The suspense and scares come predominantly from Gwen’s visions of the three boys. But the real spine-chilling fear comes from the Grabber.

In the original, he was heavily present on-screen. Here, he’s cleverly utilized. He’s not visually shown until halfway through. When he arrives, terror awakens. He’s grown more vicious in his vengeance. And although he may not be as visually prominent in this sequel, the filmmakers and Hawke have made it feel like he’s in every frame.

2025 has really proven to be the year of outstanding horror cinema. The Black Phone 2 is another addition to that impressive list.

Universal Pictures Canada release THE BLACK PHONE 2 on Friday, October 17, 2025.