Review: Black Phone 2
Ethan Hawke returns in Scott Derrickson's horror sequel, alongside Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw, as they fight The Grabber in Universal's chiller.
Set in 1982, four years after the events of The Black Phone (2021), the story unfolds in a snowy Christian holiday camp in rural Colorado. Despite the new setting, the narrative stays focused on the elements that worked well in the first film, including the unsettling menace of a child killer and a beyond-the-grave plotline with special effects.
The horizons may have expanded but the narrative stays tightly focused on the elements that worked so well in the first film.
However, retreading familiar ground proves to be an exercise in diminishing returns, making it a superficial exercise in creepy fun. Black Phone 2 premiered at Fantastic Fest and will roll out globally from October 15.
Author's summary: A horror sequel with diminishing returns.