I saw The Black Phone (2021) and was excited to learn there was to be a sequel. When I learned that this year’s Fantastic Fest would be offering Black Phone 2, it was easily a very much anticipated film for me at this year’s festival. It is always a great time at the festival to be seated in a theater filled with fellow fans of horror films and this year’s festival certainly had great energy and many friends to visit with/discuss films with. I was not disappointed with the sequel and in fact plan to see the film again this opening weekend.
In the 2021 film The Black Phone, the villain known as the Grabber (an excellent Ethan Hawke once again) has the name as he was a child serial killer. Spoiler alert if you have not seen it before going to see the sequel, The Grabber doesn’t make it at the end of the film. Scott Derrickson and writer C. Robert Cargill deliver a satisfactory and engaging film set a few years after the events with the minors in the prior film.
Black Phone 2 is set in 1982, after Finney (Mason Thames) is known as the only survivor of the Grabber’s deadly deeds four years prior. As is to be anticipated, he is traumatized from the horrific experience. The high school student has a younger sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) who has had her share of experiences in the family. Gwen has psychic abilities and there are scenes that may not make sense to someone who may not have seen the 2021 film but knowing this helps to understand that they are being reached paranormally. She feels the wrath of The Grabber despite his whereabouts is supposed to be beyond-the-grave.
The core events take place away from the city to investigate a winter ski camp, Alpine Lodge, where the teens mother once was a part of a few decades earlier. Once the siblings and Gwen’s new boyfriend, Ernesto (Miguel Mora), are there, they connect with the camp supervisor Armando (Demián Bichir) and his niece Mustang (Arianna Rivas). It is not long before Gwen’s visions increase dramatically. The three are a welcome talent to this film.
If not mentioned before, there is an out-of-order phone booth that rings and haunts them. The Grabber’s return is haunting, hypnotic, and frankly terrifying in more than a few scenes. Oh, I can still hear that phone ringing!
The film is set to be released theatrically on October 17, 2025.
Source: Universal Pictures
###