'Black Phone 2' Review
Ethan Hawke returns in Scott Derrickson's horror sequel, alongside Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw, to fight The Grabber.
Set in 1982, four years after the events of The Black Phone (2021), the story takes place in a snowy Christian holiday camp in rural Colorado.
The narrative focuses on the same elements that worked well in the first film: the unsettling menace of a child killer and a beyond-the-grave plotline with special effects.
It remains a superficial exercise in creepy fun, but retreading familiar ground proves an exercise in diminishing returns.
Black Phone 2 premiered at Fantastic Fest and rolls out globally from October 15.
Author's summary: Horror sequel with familiar elements.