Rating: 4 out of 5.
Those who bring pain enjoy the suffering of their victims. Perpetrators like to remain attached to their victims’ minds and linger there for as long as they live if, of course, the victims are lucky enough to survive. We hear countless stories of people disappearing without a trace, leaving behind a void of uncertainty. We don’t know if they’re alive, or if their souls are crying out from somewhere beyond. What makes The Black Phone 2 unbearable in the best way is its suggestion that no soul will ever rest until it is found – or, in this case, until their bodies are.
The sequel takes us back to Finney and Gwen Shaw. Four years after Finney killed the Grabber (Ethan Hawke), in October 1982, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) begins having the same haunting dreams she once had during the time of the murders. Her visions now focus on a series of brutal killings at a snowy campsite – Alpine Lake Camp, the same camp her late mother, Hope (Anna Lore), once attended. Gwen’s psychic ability of oneiromancy has grown stronger, and when she repeatedly receives mysterious calls on the black phone, she follows its guidance to that very camp.
Finney (Mason Thames) still struggles to recover from the trauma the Grabber inflicted. Although he ended the killer’s life, the Grabber somehow reappears—through Gwen’s dreams—seeking revenge for what Finney did. This time, his goal is far more sinister: to destroy what Finney loves most – his sister.
At the camp, Gwen is joined by Finney, her new boyfriend Ernesto (Miguel Mora), and a few others, including the camp’s supervisor, Armando “Mondo” Reyes (Demián Bichir), his niece Mustang (Arianna Rivas), and two employees. Mondo, driven by guilt and purpose, has devoted his life to finding the bodies of the children killed years earlier. The more they uncover, the clearer it becomes that the past and present are intertwined—and that the Grabber’s evil hasn’t died but transformed.
The dream sequences are utterly chilling – so vivid they blur the line between the living and the dead. In one horrifying moment, Gwen faces the Grabber in a nightmare that bleeds into reality. Each vision exposes another layer of truth: her mother was not merely a victim of her own psychic torment but part of a much darker connection that stretches back to the Grabber’s origins. The spirits of the murdered children beg for release, while the Grabber’s ghostly presence clings to life through them, feeding on their unrest.
You see, my dear reader—we love horror movies because they expand our sense of wonder. But they also expose the anatomy of evil: what it is, how it operates, and why it never truly dies. The Grabber is not just a serial killer – he’s a force that thrives on control, even beyond death. He holds his victims’ souls captive, maintaining his dominance in the afterlife. But that power begins to crumble once Gwen confronts him head-on.
Scott Derrickson, returning to direct, makes the right choice to explore trauma, grief, and generational connection through supernatural horror. Some scenes are hauntingly beautiful and emotionally devastating – especially those between Gwen and her mother’s spirit. The film dives deeper into mythology without losing the human core that made the original Black Phone unforgettable.
It’s often asked: why make a sequel to a great film? Why risk diminishing its mystery? But The Black Phone 2 earns its existence. It’s smarter, bolder, and far more spiritual than expected. It had to be told – there was no other choice.