By Camilla Rodriguez
The phone rings again, Black Phone 2, the sequel to the 2021 movie The Black Phone, arrived in theaters on October 17th. The first film was set in the late 1970s and followed a young boy named Finney, who was kidnapped by a masked killer known as The Grabber. Trapped in a basement with only a disconnected black rotary phone, Finney began receiving mysterious calls from the killer’s previous victims, the ghostly voices that determined to help him escape. Directed by Scott Derrickson, the movie blended supernatural horror with a coming-of-age story, earning praise for its storytelling and performances. Now the story moves forward into darker territory. In The Black Phone 2, Finney is older and struggling with the trauma of his past, while his young sister Gwen steps into the spotlight. Mason Thames and Madeline McGraw return as the siblings, and Ethan Hawke reprises his role as the Grabber. Set in 1982, four years after the events of the original, Finney, now 17, continues to be haunted by what happened, while Gwen, who is 15, begins receiving strange calls in her dreams from the infamous black phone. The Grabber returns, but he is no longer human. He now menaces from beyond the grave, hunting Finney while targeting his sister in a new setting, a winter youth camp called Alpine Lake, caught in the middle of a blizzard. The phone that once rang in the basement now appears disconnected yet very alive, summoning voices and visions that pull the siblings into a haunting family mystery. By keeping the focus on Finney, Gwen, and The Grabber, the film maintains continuity while raising the stakes with new scares and tension. What sets the sequel apart is its expansion of the original. While the basement setting of the original created claustrophobic tension, the snowy landscape of Alpine Lake adds a fresh, unsettling atmosphere. The story also explores the siblings’ inner struggles, balancing supernatural horror with human vulnerability. Unlike some sequels, the director clearly puts effort into continuing the story. Fans have responded with mixed opinions, as the movie holds a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 3.3 out of 5 stars on Letterboxd. Overall, I would rate The Black Phone 2 an 8/10.
Photo Provided By: The New York Times