'Black Phone 2' Review: The Grabber Trades His Torture Basement for the Nightmare Realm – This Time it's Personal
- Shauna Bushe
- Oct 22
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 29
By Shauna Bushe - October 22, 2025
The Black Phone felt like a complete story, so introducing a sequel only provided confusion: how do you bring back a villain who is definitely dead? Scott Derrickson’s solution was both bold and messy: turning the child kidnapper into a dream stalking maniac, complete with wielding an axe and the frozen wardrobe of Jack Torrence. In the world of sequels, few need not exist, yet Black Phone 2 is a welcome fresh slasher-fantasy hybrid. Crafting an atmosphere just as chilling as The Grabbers mask.
What is Black Phone 2 about?
Director Scott Derrickson and screenwriter C. Robert Cargill return with a bold, bleak switch-up from the original – The Black Phone. Shifting from a claustrophobic abduction thriller to an unearthly exploration of grief, revenge, and a persistent otherworldly evil. Picking up four years after Finney Blake’s (Mason Thames) escape from The Grabber, the film follows Finney and Gwen, both struggling to accept their past. Finney depends on destructive behaviours whilst Gwen (Madaline McGraw) is haunted by new, sinister dream-visions. Their unresolved trauma leads them to Alpine Lake, where secrets are revealed, and one serial killer hell bent on revenge is waiting for them. It’s a risky transition, fumbling in areas, but it remains anchored by stand-out performances.
The Blake siblings learn that trauma is as relentless as The Grabber himself. Gwen steps into the central protagonist role this time, her clairvoyant abilities becoming stronger and used as the main narrative's instrument. Gwen’s performance carries a mixed weight of her signature vulgarness and sass, with a layer of vulnerability. Driven by her supernatural connection and need to protect her brother, Gwen evolves from her sidekick persona, much like in the first film, to a heroic, formidable opponent against The Grabber. Finney, a lot older now, is largely affected by his past trauma. Suppressing his emotional pain by withdrawing from social crowds and abusing substances to drown out the noise of the ringing phone, he still hears. Thames gives a strong performance conveying survivor's guilt; his emotional journey about not wanting to be afraid anymore is a key plot point, and his relationship with his sister remains the heart of the film. The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) returns as a fully-fledged supernatural evil, cementing himself as immortal in the dreamworld. Hawke feels even more sinister than before and metaphysically torments the screen. His sole purpose is to inflict pain, seek revenge, and strike fear into his victims. Appearing and disappearing just like a ghost, he certainly leaves an ice-cold shiver down your spine.
What worked, and what didn’t, in 'Black Phone 2'?
It's rare for sequels to surpass their original, but it has been done before: Aliens, Terminator 2, The Godfather Part II, to name a few, are sequels considered miles more compelling than their predecessors. Whilst Black Phone 2 doesn’t break the mould by design, it is still an enjoyable viewing experience. Scott Derrickson’s sequel leans more into a supernatural spectacle rich in '80s horror aesthetic. The isolated camp setting and nightmare vision sequences shot in a grainy Super 8 lens result in strong atmospheric builders, intertwining reality with the spirit world, expanding on The Grabbers' background, and subverting from repeating formula. What doesn’t work is the heavy dialogue, which slows the pace down. In other areas, it suffers a significant loss of fear that immersed you in the first film and pivots from dark paranormal disturbances to a murder mystery tale – somehow it works.
Is 'Black Phone 2' worth watching?
It’s a solid sequel that makes bold, high-stakes choices and delivers a slasher-fantasy hybrid with a lot of heart and visceral imagery in equal measure. Thames and McGraw are generational talents; Hawke has a knack for becoming something ethereal and monstrous, it's utterly terrifying, and Scott Derrickson’s direction is fantastic stuff. It’s as if The Shining and A Nightmare on Elm Street had a baby, and that baby is Wild Bill. It suffers awkward pacing, overused tropes, but as a whole, it’s a valiant sequel that will surely become an annual winter horror watch for a lot of people.
You can watch Black Phone 2 in the Cinema in the UK from October 17, 2025
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