Review: Black Phone 2
Director Scott Derrickson's horror sequel, Black Phone 2, returns with Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, and Madeleine McGraw to fight The Grabber.
Set in 1982, the film takes place four years after the events of The Black Phone (2021), with the same characters, but in a new location: a snowy Christian holiday camp in rural Colorado.
The narrative focuses 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.
Despite the creepy fun, the film proves to be an exercise in diminishing returns, retreading familiar ground. Black Phone 2 will be released globally from October 15.
Author's summary: Black Phone 2 returns with familiar characters and plot.