Hollywood will rarely release a movie that is not based on or related to an existing intellectual property. The continued system of recycling created a sludge of uninspired movies that end up repeating what their predecessor did. “Black Phone 2” is somewhat of an exception, as it manages to use its status as a sequel to build a fun movie with scares and tropes as unsettling as it is familiar.
The 2021 hit, “The Black Phone”, introduced audiences to Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) who is kidnapped and tormented by the sadistic child kidnapper known only as The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). The film was very rooted in the supernatural, with the main gimmick being a disconnected phone in the Grabber’s basement, which allowed Finney to receive calls from the Grabber’s previous victims. The supernatural is also seen in Finney’s sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), who has psychic abilities.
In “Black Phone 2”, both Finney and Gwen return as the film’s protagonists. Drawn in by visions of three boys who went missing at the Alpine Lake Christian Camp in years past, the siblings venture into the deeply isolated camp in the Colorado mountains to get to the bottom of the mystery. This time, however, the Grabber returns through haunting visions within Gwen’s nightmares, and a defunct black phone.
The new setting was much better than the first, as the characters are truly isolated within the Colorado mountains. Director Scott Derickson masterfully uses the blindingly white snow as its own character, creating a sense that the viewers are also imprisoned within the deeper, colder, and far more suffocating setting.
The sequel also uses the same gimmick that made the first movie so unique, but with a twist. This time, the Grabber is on the opposite end of the phone. Ethan Hawke does an amazing job voicing the Grabber, making the scenes with the Grabber’s phone calls incredibly disturbing. The use of an isolated phone booth to house the defunct black phone also elevates the horror every time the phone rings, and a character steps inside for the call.The change with the phone being Finney’s salvation to being how the Grabber makes his entrance made the movie feel fresh. Derickson’s use of practical Super 8 film, a format of practical film which gives the sequences a darker grain filter, also makes the nightmare sequences build pressure effectively, and gives the feeling that a jump-scare could happen at any moment.
However, “Black Phone 2” does suffer from some issues that are too big to ignore. The Grabber’s abilities to enter and haunt Gwen’s dreams were not clearly established. Characters outside of the dreams are selectively able to interact with the Grabber (which is an invisible force to them), and the Grabber’s power in these dreams are inconsistent between scenes. The inconsistency only served to harm the overall logic of the supernatural elements, and somewhat took away from the overall viewing experience.
As a whole, the “Black Phone 2” proved that sequels can be more than just reheated left overs. Despite some boring low points, and the third act reverting to the typical tropes seen in horror movies, “Black Phone 2” is a movie that is as macabre as it is fun to watch. The renewed sense of dread and nightmare sequences make the movie a chilling and worthwhile watch.
