Black Phone 2 Review: Strong Performances, Weak Scares in Not-So-Scary Sequel

Scott Derrickson’s Black Phone 2 arrives with the kind of anticipation horror sequels rarely earn. The first film, released in 2021, was not especially terrifying, but it managed to keep viewers hooked with a haunting atmosphere, a strong emotional core, and terrific performances from its young cast. Its scares were mild, yet its story of survival, childhood trauma, and supernatural connection gave it staying power. This follow-up attempts to build on that foundation while widening the mythology, but the results are mixed.

Set several years after the events of the first film, Black Phone 2 finds siblings Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) still grappling with the psychic scars left by the Grabber’s reign of terror. Their small Colorado town hasn’t fully recovered either, haunted by whispers of the supernatural and by a series of new disappearances that suggest the nightmare is not over. What begins as a quiet drama about trauma and faith soon tumbles into something stranger and more dreamlike, as the siblings find themselves drawn back toward the shadow of the masked killer.

The first half of the film works remarkably well. Thames and McGraw carry the movie with believable chemistry and grounded emotion, giving the story a pulse even when the plot turns surreal. Derrickson’s direction remains strong when he focuses on human fear, the silent moments between nightmares, the uncertainty of what’s real. There’s an early sequence in which Gwen’s psychic visions blur into waking life that recalls the eerie restraint of the original. It’s unnerving, personal, and beautifully acted.

Then, unfortunately, Black Phone 2 begins to chase bigger horror ideas than it can contain. The supernatural escalation, involving dreamscapes and ghostly phone calls that cross between dimensions, feels both ambitious and overblown. What once felt like a clever twist of the paranormal now becomes an all-consuming mythology that explains too much while scaring too little. Ethan Hawke’s Grabber returns in fragmented visions and flashbacks, still terrifying when he’s present but used so sparingly that his menace fades. The script’s attempts to deepen the lore only muddy the mystery that made the first movie effective.

Derrickson also leans heavily on stylistic flourishes that already felt worn out. The washed-out sepia tones, fake film scratches, and flickering 8mm-style inserts were a nice touch the first time around, grounding the story in a 1970s atmosphere. Here, they feel like overused filters from a haunted Instagram feed. Instead of evoking nostalgia, they call attention to themselves and distract from what should be raw and immediate. This kind of stylistic decay worked in Sinister, but it has run its course.

That said, Black Phone 2 is never as visually offensive as Derrickson’s last effort, The Gorge, which drowned in artificial CG nonsense. The sequel at least looks tactile, with strong lighting and eerie set design. When it stays small, it’s impressive. There are flashes of real tension and emotion, particularly in how it portrays grief and faith. Gwen’s struggle to reconcile her psychic gift with her religious upbringing gives the film surprising depth, even when the story around her starts to wobble.

It’s also clear that Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill want this to be more than just another slasher sequel. They aim for something poetic about recovery and connection beyond death. Occasionally, they reach it. But the story too often lingers in expository scenes or dream logic that overstays its welcome. For every effective scare, there’s a speech explaining why the characters are experiencing it.

In the end, Black Phone 2 rings true enough to merit answering, but it’s a weaker signal this time. It lacks the tightness and surprise that made the first film so watchable, and the stylistic choices feel tired rather than haunting. Still, thanks to two strong performances and moments of genuine unease, it avoids total collapse. For fans of the original, it’s worth seeing once. For general horror fans, it’s a reminder that sometimes the scariest calls are the ones that never need a sequel.

RATING: 3.0 out of 5 stars.

Black Phone 2 is in theaters October 17th, 2025.