Black Phone 2 Review: The Grabber Returns For A Scary, Standout Sequel That Gets Better The More I Think About It

Black Phone 2 is a rare breed from top to bottom. For one, it’s the only time director Scott Derrickson’s crafted a follow-up to one of his own films, and while the first was an expansion of a short story from horror maven Joe Hill, the second is only based on an idea that Hill had in mind. Ninety-nine times out of 100, that would start a recipe for disaster, but The Grabber’s return is haunting, hypnotic, and surpasses all my expectations.

In fact, Black Phone 2 is Derrickson’s most mature film to date and sits among the few horror sequels that outperforms its predecessor in just about every way. The cast, headed up once again by Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw, takes it to the next level in the same way that the story does, convincingly giving Finney and Gwen the chance to prove themselves as genuine heroes on top of being survivors. And of course, Ethan Hawke commands attention every time he’s on screen donning tweaked versions of The Grabber’s already iconic mask.

Defying all the usual horror sequel tropes and avoiding nearly all of the expected trip-ups, Black Phone 2 is a breath of fresh and snowy air that has more heart, more humor, and more humanity than a lot of non-genre films hitting theaters this year. But let me now admit something that I’m kind of ashamed to say in hindsight: I didn’t actually feel quite this positive immediately after watching, and this review would have been a vastly different beast had I not had the time to let all those thoughts simmer.

Black Phone 2 is so different from The Black Phone that I initially questioned its very existence.

I had the privilege of watching Black Phone 2 among other highly invested horror fans for the world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2025, and the energy for the movie was palpable – not only in my screening room, but across the entire theater. For good reason, too, since it’s precisely the kind of movie that festival is known for, down to the throwback Universal logo that kicks things all off. What it isn’t, though, is a lazily crafted shadow of its predecessor.

Four years have passed since Finney walked out of The Grabber’s twisted hovel as the serial killer’s only known survivor, and he’s clearly dealing with that trauma in certain ways that reflect the events that came before. (Namely, beating the stuffing out of whoever deserves it.) However, the high schooler isn’t the only one being paranormally targeted this time around, as his sister Gwen’s psychic abilities also put her in the path of The Grabber’s beyond-the-grave wrath.

Rather than once again limiting the core events to a single location, Derrickson and his go-to co-writer C. Robert Cargill expand the scope of the story through Gwen’s visions. She sees the spectres of various children who’d suffered violent deaths and are being kept from moving on to the great beyond. An investigation leads them to the winter ski camp Alpine Lodge, with noteworthy elements including its supervisor Armando, portrayed by Demián Bichir, and a phone booth that hasn’t worked (properly) in over a decade.

So much of the film from this point on heavily incorporates Gwen’s visions and dreams, visually indicated by the switch from traditional film to the extremely grainy and slightly ethereal look of Super 8, which Derrickson utilizes in both bold and subtle ways – particularly when Gwen is being hunted and taunted by Ethan Hawke’s exceedingly toxic wraith. Even at its spookiest, the aesthetic maintains a warmth (perhaps ironically) where the first film often made me feel left out in the cold.

With so many differences to point out between 2021 movie and its sequel, my earliest opinions were blobby mixtures of enjoying what I was watching and questioning why this story wasn’t being told using completely a completely different ghoulish monster, an unfamiliar pair of antagonists and some new-fangled communication device. Not until well after the credits rolled did the real question truly sink in: why was I viewing this sequel’s pointedly intentional originality as if it was a problem instead of a solution?

Some of my favorite horror sequels also went in completely different directions from the originals.

Following the film's Fantastic Fest premiere, Scott Derrickson talked about his reticence to return to previously established worlds, as he never wants to deliver anything resembling a copy of what came before it, which myriad other franchises have zero issues with. One of the biggest reasons Black Phone 2 took years to come together is because Derrickson wanted his young co-leads to realistically grow into the next phase of Finney and Gwen's lives for an evolved coming-of-(r)age tale.

The easiest comparison to make, given The Grabber's transition from real-world monster to supernatural threat, is with the Nightmare on Elm Street films, most of which built up unique dream-tethered storylines atop a basic foundation of "Freddy killing him some teenagers." Dream Warriors and Wes Craven's New Nightmare are among my favorite genre films of all time, and both are vastly different from each other, as well as from the flagship slasher.

From Ti West's Pearl-centric X trilogy to Aliens to Army of Darkness to Bride of Chucky, there are thankfully quite a few examples of game-changing horror sequels out there, while a movie like Ouija: Origin of Evil achieving greatness despite having a truly terrible predecessor. With that perspective grasped, appreciating Black Phone 2 specifically for its differences became effortless.

I'm thankful that the way I experienced Black Phone 2 specifically helped me appreciate it more.

Had I watched Black Phone 2 on my tablet without a clue as to what any of it was about, I could probably still appreciate the cinematography in the dream sequences, the characters and The Grabber's look on a surface level, though I might be that much more critical of the storyline and some of the performances. However, this is one of those movies where my ever-increasing gratification and understanding stemmed entirely from how it was enjoyed, similar to a movie watched on a first date or another special occasion.

Not that I think others would need to follow in my footsteps to reach the same levels of enjoyment, given my initial qualms also came from a very specific place. The far-plainer version of this review could have easily read as: "Black Phone 2 is bigger, darker, and better," because that will no doubt be the takeaway that a lot of other viewers will have. But that kind of approach just wouldn't...grab...anyone's attention.

At this point, I'm willing to say that I'd watch Finney and Gwen go on cross-country adventures to bring justice to tortured spirits, always staying a step ahead of that dastardly Grabber. (And if the next movie is presented through the lens of a Scooby-Doo episode, that's all the better, I think.) Time will tell how well Black Phone 2 stacks up against 100 years of previous horror sequels, but I bet you can only count on one hand the number of horror movies with psycho killers on ice skates.