BLACK PHONE 2 -- Horror That Grabs You

Review by Adam Donato

Scott Derrickson brings the gang back together for a sequel to The Black Phone called Black Phone 2. Drop the “The” and slap a two on it like The Evil Dead franchise did. This isn’t the first sequel done by Derrickson as he directed one of the Hellraiser sequels. He was supposed to direct a sequel to his major Marvel blockbuster Doctor Strange, but left due to creative differences. Ironically, his spot was taken over by The Evil Dead director, Sam Raimi. Derrickson instead reteamed with Jason Blum and Ethan Hawke since they saw such great success with Sinister. The Black Phone was a big box office success and was enjoyed by audiences. If they play their cards right with the franchise going forward, The Grabber could become a modern day horror icon. 

Black Phone 2 does a lot of things that a good sequel does. One of the best parts about the first movie is the relationship between the two siblings, Finney and Gwen. Therefore, it’s interesting to catch up with them now to see how they’ve coped with the trauma they’ve experienced in the first movie. Their mission takes them to this snowy youth camp that makes for a great location visually. Everything is coated in snow and there’s opportunity for new set pieces like the sequence on the ice. This goes a long way to make this sequel visually distinct from the first one. Here we get to further develop the supernatural aspects of this world and flesh out the backstory of The Grabber. Finney’s personal beef with the Grabber is expanded on here. In a lot of ways, this is a very satisfying sequel.

While some may see this as a lateral move or even an improvement upon the first movie, it does read more like a minor step down. Ethan Hawke is a major draw for cinephiles here and he doesn’t get a lot of acting to do. He’s almost exclusively under the mask or a part of an action sequence. Some of the best scenes in the first movie were the one on one dialogue sessions between The Grabber and Finney in the basement and seeing the different iterations of the mask. In the sequel we get that great scene from the trailer where Finney is in the phone booth and we see The Grabber just outside talking with him. It’s less of a critique on something they got wrong and more of a critique where I wanted more of the things that made the first movie work so well. When Ethan Hawke is on screen, he is great and takes advantage of his opportunities. Also, this sequel is eleven minutes longer and has so many more supporting characters to develop. Gwen has a new boyfriend. There’s the ensemble that runs the camp. Gwen’s mother has a connection to the mystery at hand. The former victims of The Grabber need to be uncovered. There’s a lot going on, in a good way. 

Black Phone 2 draws a lot from the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise as the story of this movie centers around the recurring dreams that Gwen is experiencing. Finney killed The Grabber at the end of the first movie and now The Grabber is back to show these siblings that revenge is a dish best served cold. This does lend itself to some confusing internal logic. It’s an interesting visual cue from Derrickson that all the dream sequences look like they’re shot on an old video camera. What’s confusing is the relationship between the dream world and the real world. Also the stakes are weird since the characters we’re trying to save are dead and the people we kill live on to affect the real world anyways. This makes for a climax that feels like going through the motions. 

It’s very easy to be cynical about obligatory sequels, but Black Phone 2 does a solid job continuing this story and these characters. It’s clear that this is the realm in which Derrickson thrives and hopefully this film will be a similar success to the first one so that he can move on to whatever he wants to do next. It’s a big year for Mason Thames who plays Finney as he headlined the live action How to Train Your Dragon earlier this summer and is romantically paired with McKenna Grace in Regretting You later this month. Black Phone 2 projects to be the main Halloween event at the cinema this year and is certainly more deserving of that title than surprise hit The Conjuring: Last Rites. For your horror fix, Black Phone 2 is a good choice to check out in theaters this week. 

Black Phone 2 will be in theaters on October 17.
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Rating: 3/5