The Stream: A bit too long and nonsensical even for a horror flick.

The Big Screen: Ethan Hawke delivers the creep-factor.

The Final Bill: While this sequel was totally unnecessary, at least, it is not a carbon copy of the original.

– S2S: Movie Review
Director: Scott Derrickson
Writers: C. Robert Cargill, Scott Derrickson, Joe Hill
Stars: Mason Thames, Ethan Hawke, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, Demián Bichir
Genre: Horror
Rating: R for strong violent content, gore, teen drug use, and language.
Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes
Production Companies: Blumhouse Productions, Crooked Highway, Universal Pictures, Ontario Creates
Platform: In theaters October 17, 2025
Notable Trailers: Bugonia, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Frankenstein, Keeper

*broken landline phone rings*

HALLOOOOOO, Streamers! It’s Halloween time, so naturally, we get an unnecessary horror sequel like Black Phone 2. You may remember that The Black Phone was a fan favorite, and this film picks up just a few years after the events of that original scary movie. In Black Phone 2, Finn, (Mason Thames), now 17, is still reeling from having narrowly escaped the Grabber while, his sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone. She’s also having visions in those dream of mysterious boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake. Ghastly Grabber hijinks ensue.

There really is no reason there should have been a sequel to The Black Phone except that it was fairly popular and made money. Three years later, here comes Black Phone 2. While Black Phone 2 seems like just a shameless cash-grab, Scott Derrickson, who has directed and co-wrote this movie, and his creative partners came up with a clever premise to bring back the black phone and the Grabber. The problem is that the execution of the interesting idea of this sequel leaves a lot to be desired. The mechanism that brings the Grabber back doesn’t make a lot of sense in how it manifests. Why now? Why this way? Why here? Why is there a random phone booth in the middle of nowhere near a frozen lake? Just nonsense. Plus, the dialogue is lame and poorly delivered. Unfortunately, the acting is pretty bad in this movie overall. Sometimes you can excuse that in a horror movie, but it really is quite distracting. The one exception is Ethan Hawke as the leading attraction, who actually barely appears in the film. It’s probably the easiest voiceover check he’s ever made. Despite that, Hawke gets the most fun role and delivers a sinister performance even if he’s barely physically there.

Other than Ethan Hawke, the movie does a good job of differentiating between the dream world and the real world. The filmmakers have used different film stock that is disorienting and makes the audience question what’s going on. The problem is that the movie feels long and repetitive. It drags out the mystery of what’s happening until the Grabber show up. Then, it delays the climax for the sake of its runtime. This could have used a good edit. Ultimately, there are exciting sequences, but it’s never really scary despite the attempts to shock the audiences. It’s pretty disappointing in that way. I’d say the general premise of the film and Ethan Hawke are enough to keep you engaged despite those issues noted above.

Long story short, Black Phone 2 was a completely gratuitous money grab of a sequel, but it mostly pays off. The movie is a bit too long and repetitive. Check this flick out at matinee time and you’ll find your money and time well spent.