'Black Phone 2': A Chilling Horror Sequel

PHOTO: Universal Pictures

When you make a successful horror movie, a sequel is practically guaranteed. But what happens when you make a successful horror movie that doesn’t have a clear path to a sequel? If you’re Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, you lean more into the supernatural and borrow some stuff from one of horror’s most beloved franchises. The Black Phone was a great success at the box office and with audiences, but the film’s ending gave little room to make further installments. I was pretty mixed on The Black Phone, and the idea of a sequel made zero sense to me. However, Derrickson and Cargill have managed to make a rather entertaining film that fleshes out some of the aspects that didn’t fully work in the first film, as well as providing a decent exploration of the after-effects of trauma within its characters. Black Phone 2 definitely is the type of film that gets a little shaky when you look at it closely, but it still works far better than I would have guessed and is a slight improvement over the original. 

Four years after the events of the first film, Finney (Mason Thames) has become a bit of a troubled kid, frequently getting into fights and smoking weed to numb the pain of the trauma he experienced after being kidnapped by The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). At the same time, Finney’s sister, Gwen (Madeleine Martin) begins to experience dreams of horrific murders that took place in 1957 at a Christian camp called Alpine Lake Camp. Gwen decides to investigate, and brings Finney along with her. While there, Finney receives a call from The Grabber, who has long since been dead. As Gwen and Finney continue to investigate, they find that The Grabber has become stronger in death, and that he is still up to something sinister. 

As I went into Black Phone 2, I worried that it would feature a lot of the same issues I had with the first film. That film had strong ties to its time period and some intense moments, but felt pretty half-baked to me. To my surprise, the film actually builds off what it set up in the last one quite well, and has some depth to it that made me feel more invested. It leans much more into Gwen’s supernatural powers and feels like more of a driving force for the plot than a contrivance here. The film capitalizes on her mysterious dreams and uses them as a means to bring spirits into the fold, giving the film a different, yet intriguing central storyline. Much like the first film evokes the “Stranger Danger” messaging of the late 70s, this film evokes the popularity of the slasher genre in the early 80s with its camp setting and its Nightmare on Elm Street-eque plot devices. It is a move that could have felt hackneyed, but Derrickson and Cargill make it work. 

The film maintains the uneasy vibes of the first film, but there is a bit of playfulness here that I appreciated. Since this film expands past the original short story that the first one is based on, Derrickson and Cargill have some freedom in where this film goes. They choose to make this an exploration of how trauma affects us, and how suppressing it can lead to further problems. Normally, a horror film about trauma would make me roll my eyes, but focusing on the aftermath of what the characters have experienced as opposed to painting trauma with a broad brush gives the film a poignancy that I wasn’t expecting. This approach gives the film some weight, and makes it far more interesting as well. It may not be the most thorough or the most subtle when it comes to these themes, but it is still pretty effective. Derrickson and Cargill balance this with the film’s aforementioned slasher elements and add a dash of humor to make this a solid horror film and one of the rare sequels that actually improves on its predecessor. 

The film’s wintry setting is also used quite well, and its coldness permeates much of the film. There is a familiarity that comes with setting the film at a youth camp, but setting it in the winter gives it an interesting layer. Derrickson does a great job of creating a tense environment that has both the claustrophobia of the first film and a bit of room to create some decent setpieces. The first film was confined by design, but this film expands ever so slightly while still keeping firm parameters around it. This ends up being a positive, as it keeps the film from going off the rails while still allowing for room to grow and try new things. I feel that Derrickson’s direction in general is stronger this time around, as he makes some interesting stylistic choices that mostly pay off. 

Most of my issues come from the script, as it still feels a little off in places. The plotting and overall development of specific elements is solid, but there are some lapses in logic and storytelling from time to time. Some of these are forgivable, but they still affect the film’s overall quality a bit. My biggest issue is the dialogue, which came off a bit cheesy at times. There are some lines that were good, mainly the ones meant to be funny, but others are pretty weak. I’m torn, because I think the script is stronger this time around, but it still has some flaws that hold the film back. It makes up for them through its filmmaking and performances, but it does keep the film from being better than it could be. 

Mason Thames and Madeleine Martin were two of the highlights of the first film, and they level up even further with Black Phone 2. Thames uses quite a bit of restraint and built-up emotion in his performance, which plays perfectly into the film’s depictions of life after traumatic events. He is particularly good opposite Martin, and the two are very believable as siblings. Martin herself is excellent, and has significantly more to do this time around. As Gwen, her role in the film is interesting as she is more willing to process trauma than the other characters, but finds herself butting against those who are content to leave the past buried. Gwen’s drive enhances the character quite a bit, and the more emotional material that Martin is given is beautifully realized. Martin gets the brunt of the film’s terror, and plays Gwen’s fear interestingly, blending it with her more direct and headstrong nature in a way that felt very real. It is truly a great performance from start to finish, and signals a rising talent that I would love to see in more movies.

Ethan Hawke was one of the big draws of the first film, and while he does return for the sequel, he isn’t in all that much of the film. While Hawke is quite good as The Grabber, he is used sparingly. This serves the film fairly well, as it makes the character more of a classic horror villain and avoids overusing him. Hawke is still quite good in the role, but don’t go into this expecting to see all that much of him. The Grabber as a character definitely turns into a Freddy Krueger-like figure with this film, but this ended up being a good move. It’s clear that Universal and Blumhouse see the character as a potential horror icon, so transforming him into a malevolent spirit makes a lot of sense. While I feel like this film ends things on a great note, a sequel is possible should this film perform well at the box office. I don’t know where Derrickson and Cargill could possibly go from here, but if they were able to come up with a path forward from the first Black Phone movie, I’m sure they can find a way to bring The Grabber back that makes sense. 

Black Phone 2 is easily one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. I didn’t care for the first film at all, but this one really worked for me. It is a bit flawed and still carries over a couple of issues I had with the first film, but it is more entertaining and more developed than its predecessor. It improves upon the first film in many ways, and is probably the best case scenario for how a sequel in this universe could go. Making a second Black Phone movie seemed unnecessary to me, but I’m glad that this film proved me wrong and made for one of the better horror sequels I’ve seen in a while.

Rating: 3.5/5