NOW IN THEATERS! Black Phone 2 is the horror sequel to the original box office hit, with Scott Derrickson returning as writer-director and alongside co-writer C. Robert Cargill. The film follows four years after the events in 1978, and now Finney’s sister, Gwen, begins receiving calls from the Black Phone, linking the two siblings back to The Grabber. In 1982, Finney (Mason Thames), now 17, is back at school and is no longer the cowardly kid we saw in the first film. We open with him beating up a new kid in school who has teased him about his kidnapping, much to the dismay of Gwen (Madeleine McGraw). The kidnapping has hardened him, and he numbs himself from the trauma by getting stoned.
Although he defeated The Grabber (Ethan Hawke), Finney’s ability still remains, as he chooses to ignore a broken payphone as it rings. Gwen’s premonitions and dreams also become more intense. They lead her to sleepwalk to the old house of The Grabber, and when the phone rings, she answers it — the voice on the other side of the phone is her mother, Hope Adler (Anna Lore), from 1957. The call leads the duo and their friend Ernesto (Miguel Mora), the younger brother of Robin from the first film, to a Christian youth camp that their mother once attended. They learn of three boys who went missing and haven’t been found.
The campgrounds also have a payphone that no longer works, and this time, when it rings, Finney chooses to answer. At first, he is connected to the missing boys, but later, when he answers it again, he’s reunited with The Grabber. Gwen, in her dreams, is also visited by The Grabber, who’s able to harm her physically. Eventually, Finney and Gwen learn of the camp’s past and its connection not only to The Grabber but also to their mother. In order to rid themselves of this new nightmarish version of The Grabber, the two siblings must solve the mystery of the missing boys.
“Gwen begins receiving calls from the Black Phone, linking the two siblings back to The Grabber.”
If audiences had issues with the first film, then Black Phone 2 will fix them. Most of the time, when there’s a horror film, there’s usually some sort of backstory given on the motivations of the character, which weren’t fully explained for The Grabber in The Black Phone. This time around, all those lingering questions are answered. Further questions also arise as to the abilities of the children, and as this sequel focuses more on Gwen, their connection to their mother, only briefly addressed in the first film, also answers the “why” they possess them.
The Grabber has also evolved. Normally, when we see Jason, Michael Myers, or Freddy Krueger, they are always dressed the same. To showcase this new supernatural version of The Grabber, just as in the first film, he has a different set of masks that are worn to reflect the setting. It’s a detail that really adds to the film and helps distinguish the character from his human self.
The sequel is a shout-out to horror movies of the past. Gwen learns to harness her abilities, and I could see a correlation to A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. And maybe there is a bit of a rip-off, as The Grabber does possess Freddy Krueger–type powers to torment her. The cold, frozen Christian youth camp setting could also be compared to Camp Crystal Lake from Friday the 13th or even The Shining — a contained environment in which escape is futile. Finally, Derrickson manages to incorporate his own masterpiece, Sinister, by cutting to the old grainy visuals to depict Gwen’s dreams.
Growing up a Generation X kid, there was always the threat of children being kidnapped and ending up on milk cartons — that’s why I always appreciated the first film. I didn’t even bother to revisit it before watching the sequel. I came in hopeful and found this one to be on par with the first, and it even made me rewatch the original. If there’s a suitable Halloween release that satisfies, it’s definitely Black Phone 2.
"…a shout-out to horror movies of the past."
