When “The Black Phone” landed in theaters in the summer of 2022, it performed better than many people expected. Having already screened at several festivals, word of mouth from critics and early audiences was good, and a twice-delayed release heightened anticipation even further. Now, three years later, here we are with the sequel. 
It’s been a rough two years for Blumhouse Productions, with a string of films that have failed to meet various benchmarks, whether that’s box office returns or critical and audience reactions. There have been some wins, but from “The Exorcist: Believer” and “Night Swim” to “Afraid,” “Imaginary,” and “Wolf Man,” as well as “Drop,” the company has been skating on thin ice. Everyone has been hoping that “Black Phone 2” can ring in a change of fortune.
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The concern is partly warranted after the franchise malfunction of “M3GAN 2.0” earlier this year, and that’s not the first time the company has fumbled a follow-up to a hit first entry. The good news is that “Black Phone 2,” despite a reality-bending premise that could have gone either way, turned out well.
Set four years after the first film, “How To Train Your Dragon” features Mason Thames returning as Finney, the sole survivor of The Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke from “Reality Bites.” If you remember “The Black Phone,” you’ll recall that Finney killed The Grabber and escaped. However, The Grabber is back from beyond the grave, more powerful than ever, and he wants revenge. Finn, now 17 years old, is struggling with life post-captivity, and his sister, Gwen, played by Madeleine McGraw, is receiving calls on the titular phone in her dreams. Not only that, but she’s also experiencing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake. What does it all mean? 
As incredible (and now somewhat iconic) a boogieman as The Grabber is, bringing him back from the dead to torment the teens is a risky idea that could have gone horribly wrong. However, instead of getting stuck in every clunky and kitchy trope pothole in the road, it steers around the pocked plot device with ease and confidence, delivering some genuinely genius moments and solid scares. What could have been cheap, lame, and schlocky actually turns out to be a fertile creative ground thanks to returning co-writers C. Robert Cargill and Scott Derrickson, the latter returning to the director’s chair. They make clear narrative choices that make sense in this new supernatural dimension. The pair also serves as producers along with Jason Blum.
While “Black Phone 2” is very much still in the horror genre, there are other things at work here. It introduces the aforementioned supernatural element and explores it with confidence, building on the serial killer angle. However, it’s the film’s ability to embrace different styles and influences that truly excels and delivers. It plays with tropes as much as it plays with the audience’s expectations. Influences here include the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” films, especially the third installment, “Dream Warriors” (although this is set in 1982, five years before the film’s actual release), as well as Italian horror, grindhouse, and religious horror. “Black Phone 2” isn’t as straightforward and genre-trad as the first film, and it works as both a sequel and a standalone movie that will hopefully spark curiosity in potential cinephiles not already au fait with the inspirations. On top of that, after a solid first and second act that build nicely, the third act, including an intense battle on a frozen lake, is one of the most tense things you’ll see in a movie theater this year.
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When it comes to the acting, there are no real standouts here. Still, the returning cast delivers, especially Hawke digging even deeper for the malevolent Grabber, while the new additions, such as “The Nun” star Demián Bichir, do a solid job. The real win is in the design and execution, no pun intended. Cinematographer Pär M. Ekberg and production designer Patti Podesta bring Derrickson’s vision to life perfectly. Kudos also to Atticus Derrickson for his score. Yes, he’s the son of the director, but his work here is top-notch, and there’s no doubt he deserves the gig, which is also his feature debut. It’s exciting to think about what he might come up with next.
“Black Phone 2” is bloodier than its predecessor, pushing the envelope in terms of the world(s) The Grabber operates in and his capabilities within and beyond. On paper, this idea may seem hokey, but it is surprisingly effective. There are scares, surprises, and it feels different, but also like a natural companion piece to the first movie. With a fan base from The Black Phone that has only grown thanks to streaming, if “Black Phone 2” delivers at the box office, there will likely be the temptation to expand this franchise into a third movie. My advice would be not to do that. Taking “Black Phone 2” where it goes was a significant risk – it’s the equivalent of taking a franchise into space in many ways. I trust Cargill and Derrickson, but wouldn’t push it. The only way forward would be to go back and create a prequel, but even then, why not just leave this here? “Black Phone 2” isn’t perfect, but it’s a killer good time, and that’s more than enough. [B]