Black Phone 2 (2025) Movie Review

Black Phone 2 (2025) Movie Review: Sequel Syndrome

Sometimes, if something isn't broken, there's simply no reason to fix it. Black Phone 2 adds very little to what its predecessor had already accomplished particularly with how The Black Phone concluded Finney's survival and the demise of its antagonist, The Grabber. Unfortunately, this sequel undermines much of what made the original effective even going as far as regressing some of its characters. While the horror elements remain terrific, the actual narrative is so convoluted and ridiculous that it's difficult for us to fully enjoy this second foray into The Grabber's dark world.

Four years after escaping the clutches of The Grabber, Finn (Mason Thames) continues to struggle with the trauma of his ordeal, doing everything he can to avoid discussing it with others. But when his younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) begins sleepwalking, dreaming about the victims of a killer, and receiving a phone call from their deceased mother, the siblings investigate the mysterious occurrences and travel to the Christian camp where their mother once worked as a counselor.

What stood out for us in The Black Phone was how effectively it balanced its supernatural elements with a sense of groundedness and realism. The original wasn't just terrifying, it also gave us characters we genuinely cared about and a story we could emotionally invest in. With Black Phone 2 however, the filmmakers reset the rules and go all-in on the supernatural horror. Unfortunately, this shift creates a huge disconnect between the film and its characters. The narrative becomes increasingly ridiculous, with rushed developments and convenient leaps in logic that make it difficult to take the story seriously. Even its resolution feels rushed, sacrificing coherence even for a supernatural film just to bring everything to a conclusion.

Ethan Hawke remains effective as The Grabber bringing plenty of menace whenever he's on screen. Mason Thames also does what he can with the material he's given and we appreciated his performance despite the limitations of the script. Sadly, the same cannot be said about Finn's characterization, which feels like a step backward. Most of the characters are either frustratingly written or downright unlikeable making it harder to become invested in their individual journeys this time around.

Ultimately, Black Phone 2 still manages to deliver some genuinely tense and terrifying moments, but that's about as far as its strengths go. The original understood that effective horror needed more than just supernatural scares. This sequel seems to have forgotten that lesson. It may have found new ways to haunt its audience but it also loses much of what made the original worth watching.

 

Rating: 2 reels