By Angelique Jurd (angeliquejurd.com)

Release date: 17 October 2025 (USA)
Director: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Mason Thames; Madeleine McGraw; Jeremy Davies; Demián
Bichir; Ethan Hawke
Running time: 1h 54m
Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Warning: contains spoilers for The Black Phone and The Black Phone 2

Okay, let’s just get this out of the way first: I am a 58-year-old white chick with a
degree (or two) in media analysis and literature and yes, one of my favourite genres
across the board is horror. I read The Exorcist at age 12 and nearly gave my English
teacher a coronary. All of this is to say, that while I might not appear to be the
obvious audience for a horror franchise…trust me I know what I’m doing here.

I am a huge fan of Joe Hill fan (and of his parents*) and I adored The Black Phone.
It walks a very sharp and fine line between psychological thriller and horror with eerie
elegance. The concept is great, the acting was fabulous, and I think it’s one of the
creepier films I’ve seen that doesn’t have an over reliance on gimmicks to deliver.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I love a jump scare as much as the next gal, but the best
horror movies know exactly when not to show us every detail or dictate every shriek.

The stage is set when we meet Finney’s little sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw, now
with more screen time, psychic grit, and a vernacular that at times stole the show)
who is for some reason receiving psychic phone calls from her deceased mother.
Finney meanwhile is splitting his time between getting into fights and getting high.
Given that he is the sole survivor of a serial killer, everyone else is giving him a lot of
rope. A lot of rope. Dad, meanwhile, dealing with his own sobriety while raising two
clearly traumatised teens, is at best ineffectual.
Gwen discovers that the camp she dreams her mother is calling from is in fact a
camp at which Mom worked at as a counsellor and the shenanigans begin.
Convincing Finney and her wanna-be boyfriend Ernie to join her, Gwen leaves for
the camp. In the middle of a snowstorm. Judging by the not so muffled whispers in the theatre I was in, more than a few were shocked a parent would allow such a
thing. As a survivor of the 80s I can assure you that that particular detail is pretty
accurate. Once at the camp, where of course everything goes wrong, who should the
hapless teens discover not only knew Mom but was a member of the camp
staff…but The Grabber.
So begins the obligatory battle between Good and Evil.

The film delivers some fabulous moments. Gwen’s nightmares are difficult to identify
at first giving them a delicious ‘am I dreaming or am I awake’ feel. The camp is
frozen, frigid, and beautifully forsaken – forget the heat of hell, at Alpine Lake horror
is a thing of ice.

Unfortunately, Ethan Hawke’s Grabber, while still unnerving, loses some of his
impact. We know what he’s capable of and yet here he is on ice skates and losing to
a group of teenagers. More Freddy Kreuger on holiday than Buffalo Bill, The
Grabber is simply not as menacing as he was in the first film.
The black phone remains the same deliciously creepy conduit it was in the first
movie but like so much else does not live up to its potential. Somehow a phone on a
wall in a basement that calls a young captive is a lot easier to accept than a phone
booth in the middle of a snowy winter land.

In fact that’s the problem. The Black Phone was no more realistic or easy to believe
but the suspension of disbelief was not such a struggle. It was easy to forget the
awful stuff out in the world because what was happening to Finney was so much
worse. The Black Phone 2 feels like it has given up on trying for that same taut
psychological horror and wants instead to be the next big horror franchise. Trying too
hard in my opinion – I’m not sure there is enough left to keep the story going. The
result is uneven emotional stakes, stuttering pacing, and an over reliance on pacing
and jump scares – neither of which really deliver.

So, did I hate it? No. Did I love it? Also, sadly, no. I … liked it. It was a fun way to
spend a Wednesday evening. It tried – it really did and I think Gwen had some truly
fabulous lines. It still feels like Hill’s story and there was enough to it that I didn’t
regret the night out. All in all, I thought it was a good film with a couple of great
moments that did all the heavy lifting.

Final verdict? A good movie with a few great moments. Bring wine. Or chocolate. Or
both.

Story: 3/5 Plot: 3/5 Acting: 3/5 Effects: 4/5 (if for no other reason than the one scene
that did make me jump) Overall: 3.25/5
*Joe Hill, author of the short story The Black Phone, is the son of authors Stephen
King and Tabitha King.

Thanks to Sans Pareil Online, Universal Pictures, and Event Cinemas for the
opportunity to view and review The Black Phone 2.