Technology plays a challenging role in films and other forms of entertainment nowadays. It is not an easy task to name a movie The Black Phone, which involves an unplugged pay phone, and then make a sequel that does not actually take place in the present-day phone situation. Not to fear, however, the sequel to the 2021 Horror film The Black Phone arrived in movie theaters everywhere on October 17, 2025, through Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, under the title Black Phone 2.
One of the more anticipated theatrically released Horror films of 2025, Black Phone 2 is directed by Scott Derrickson (who worked on The Black Phone, as well as 2012’s Sinister) and co-written with C. Robert Cargill (Known for work on 2016’s Doctor Strange, among other projects), bringing back Ethan Hawke (known for everything from 2001’s Training Day to 2012’s Sinister) as the antagonist supernatural force titled “The Grabber.”
Joining the party of dreamscapes and gore are the main characters, Mason Thames (For All Mankind series, Evel series), who plays Finn, and Madeleine McGraw (Outcast series, Toy Story 4 2019), who returns as Gwen. The story follows Finn and Gwen as they confront the Grabber’s ghost at a winter camp to which Gwen is drawn after receiving visions from the black phone. The sequel can stand on its own, giving the audience the freedom to choose whether to see the 1st film before watching this one.
As the plot thickens, so does the blood of those victims the Grabber has doomed in the past. For this sequel, Black Phone 2 definitely has some features reminiscent of 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street and the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, which can either hurt or enhance the film, depending on the viewer’s discretion. In the plentiful dream sequences, they use a fuzzy-looking filter, reminiscent of watching a VHS tape from the ’80s. Does it work to give the back-in-the-day dream effect, or is it just read as bad camera work? Either way, the film has some good creepy elements with an added gore factor to tide Horror fans over.
Furthermore, Ethan Hawke as the Grabber seems a worthy combination, and in this sequel, the man behind the curtain does reveal a bit. Ghosts, dreams, a villain, snow, and a mysterious pay phone carry this sequel to the end. Overall, Black Phone 2 is a good choice, despite some questionable logistical moves in the story. Nevertheless, it stabilizes the concept and leaves room for a third edition. Thinking a potential third film might be the charm, Cryptic Rock Black Phone 2 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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