“Black Phone 2” a Bold Chilling Sequel to the 2022 Surprise Hit

In this solid sequel to the 2022 surprise hit, “Black Phone 2”, bad dreams haunt fifteen year old Gwen as she receives calls from the black phone and sees disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp.

Accompanied by her brother, Finn, they head to the camp to solve the mystery, only to confront the Grabber - a killer who’s grown even more powerful in death.

When I first checked out the 2022 movie “The Black Phone,” I thought it was a great movie that would’ve worked as a stand alone movie. It had emotion, great tense sequences and a great ending. Once I heard that a sequel was in development, I was a little hesitant and still kept an open mind. Now, while “The Black Phone” really didn’t need a sequel, this follow up ended up being better than I expected.

“Black Phone 2” digs more into the supernatural lore that was briefly introduced in the first movie and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect. This time around, the Grabber is transformed from a human serial killer into a ghostly menace. His vengeful spirit can cross between dreams and reality, very similar to Freddy Krueger. Even though there are times that it almost seems like this movie is almost like an updated “Elm Street” in a way with the Grabber’s supernatural abilities, it’s still truly effective!

Unlike the first movie’s carefully crafted tension and suspense filled moments, the sequel delivers a faster, more action-oriented approach, which does help bring the tension to this sequel. With the Grabber being supernatural this time around, the action-oriented moments (which includes an energetic chase scene on the ice) really helps build the intensity and keeps the movie’s pace flowing.

One aspect that I really enjoyed with this sequel is how they filmed Gwen’s dream attacks. Throughout the movie we see Gwen having several dreams where the Grabber tries to attack her and the filmmakers shot these sequences using a distinctive 8mm

aesthetic which looks incredible and using this aesthetic lets the viewer know when Gwen is dreaming and when we see the real world. Her dream attacks with the Grabber is easily one of the most intense moments of this sequel.

The final showdown in “Black Phone 2” which takes place on the frozen Alpine Lake (the site of the Grabber’s first murders) is a really tense way to conclude this movie. This showdown involves not only Gwen, Finn and the camp personnel, but also their reformed father and everyone has their own little moment with the Grabber.

Before wrapping up my thoughts on the sequel, I have to mention the reformed father’s redemption arc. The father, who was an abusive alcoholic in the first movie, is sober this time around and is actually on better terms with his children. While his little redemption arc may seem a bit on the cliched side, it really works with the movie’s overall story and adds to the movie’s emotion at times.

Overall, “Black Phone 2” is a bold sequel that serves as an effective and entertaining addition to the supernatural horror genre. Its inventive new direction to lean more to the supernatural is really bold and is one of the many things that keeps this sequel entertaining!

Cast: Mason Thames (Finn); Madeleine McGraw (Gwen); Ethan Hawke (The Grabber); Jeremy Davies (Terrence); Arianna Rivas (Mustang); Miguel Mora (Ernesto); Demian Bichir (Mando); Anna Lore (Hope); Simon Webster (Felix); Jacob Moran (Billy); Maev Beaty (Barb); Shepherd Munroe (Carl).

Writer/director: C. Robert Cargill (writer) (The Black Phone; Sinister 1 and 2; V/H/S 85); Scott Derrickson (co-writer/director) (The Gorge; The Black Phone; Doctor Strange; Deliver Us From Evil; Sinister)

MPA: Rated R for strong violent content, gore, teen drug use, and language   (runtime 114 minutes).

• Miguel Mora played Robin Arellano in the first movie and in the second movie he plays Ernesto, his brother.

• Though the sequel was not based on a specific Joe Hill story, he still provided the initial concept to the filmmakers. Screenwriter C. Robert Cargill recalled, "He just said, 'A phone rings, Finney answers, and it's The Grabber calling from hell.'"

• The story takes place four years after the events of the first film, with Finn now 17 years old and Gwen 15.

• The nightmare sequences were primarily shot on 8mm film using a Super-8 camera. This visual style, apart from helping the viewer differentiate between real-world scenes and dream-world scenes, also gave the sequences a haunting analog feel reminiscent of director Scott Derrickson's previous film Sinister. The mechanical humming that can be heard during these scenes is the sound of a film projector, heightening the sense that the audience is watching a cursed home movie. It is believed that this movie also holds the record for most Super-8 footage ever used in a feature film to date.