Co-writer and director Scott Derrickson gives us the 2025 sequel Black Phone 2. It works, but is missing the overwhelming sense of danger. *Joe Hill provided the base storyline for the feature and C. Robert Cargill shares credit. All three men were on The Black Phone (2021).* The first film contains an ever present sense of foreboding as well as danger. Somewhat annoyingly, Black Phone 2 turns into the 1987 film Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. They do not have old Fred Krueger, but the Grabber is a solid stand in; even without those razor fingers.
Black Phone 2 Story
Finn and Gwen are now older. He is having a hard time dealing with events from the first film. She has disturbing dreams. A camp for kids where their late mother worked; Alpine Lake, features in all her visions. Finn and Gwen go there to help find three missing boys. All the while, the Grabber keeps calling Finn; from Hell.
The Main Cast
Ethan Hawke is Grabber.
Mason Thames is Finn.
Madeleine McGraw is Gwen.
Demián Bichir is Mando.
Miguel Mora is Ernesto.
Jeremy Davies is Terrence.
Arianna Rivas is Mustang.
Let’s Talk Black Phone 2
This time around, Ethan Hawke as the “boogeyman” Finn killed in the first film, comes back. He is presumably in hell and is trying to get revenge for his death. He harasses Finn, turns up in Gwen’s dreams and as mentioned above, he turns into Freddy Krueger sans mask and those DIY murder gloves.
My biggest problem with this sequel as its segway into Krueger territory. As much as I admire, and enjoy, Derrickson’s films; he’s not Wes Craven. heading down that particular street takes away from the story being told here.
Derrickson is not alone in doing this. He borrowing another film’s premise happens rather frequently. I felt the same way about James Wan’s 2010 horror offering Insidious. I loved this gloriously scary and downright creepy
haunted house story. Then, just like Black Phone 2, Wan’s film turned into another film altogether. Insidious suddenly turned into Poltergeist.
Poltergeist. I’m not kidding here, the last quarter of the film was straight from the Poltergeist film plot. All that was missing was the short tubby little medium who called everybody “Pumpkin.” mikesfilmtalk.com
In that instance, the sudden change from the scary and quite original story into a horror film made in 1982 threw me right out of Wan’s film. The same thing happened here when Derrickson popped into Elm Street in the last third of the film.
Some Problems
Black Phone 2 also decides to utilize some standard Hollywood tropes. There are two “devout” Christians who, apart from being judgemental and condemning, are also a couple of cowardly custards. They are also suffering from a huge dose of hypocrisy. Disappointing chaps.
It was incredibly odd that when Gwen is talking to her mother, way back in 1957, the girl; Hope, is surrounded by snow, the lake is frozen solid. Yet, her breath is not visible. Not once.
Black Phone 2 Works
Despite the film turning into another, older, movie; it works. Having the cast return, all the main characters: Finn, Gwen and Terrence slide right back into their roles effortlessly. The addition of Bichir and Rivas works incredibly well. Hawke, as Grabber, is just as disturbing as he was in the first film.
The Verdict
Black Phone 2 is a solid 4 star effort. It loses that overwhelming sense of danger from the first film, but it is still effective. It is streaming on Peacock right now.
*Side note: James Ransone is in this one. It was his last film role before his untimely death. He played Max.*
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