Black Phone 2 (2025) [Movie Review] — A Frostbitten, Nightmarish Return

Set in 1982, Black Phone 2 leaps past the first film’s closed chapter and asks a braver question: what happens after surviving a monster? Director Scott Derrickson and co-writers C. Robert Cargill and Joe Hill expand the mythology around Ethan Hawke’s Grabber, shifting the action from cramped abduction terror to a wider, snowbound nightmare that centers on Finney (Mason Thames) and — more importantly — his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw).

Performances

Young leads anchor the horror

Thames conveys a scarred, combustible survivor whose rage and numbness feel earned; McGraw is the film’s emotional and psychic engine, believable as a teen haunted by visions of ice and mutilation. Hawke’s presence lingers like a warped lullaby — less screen time, more menace by association — while Miguel Mora, Demian Bichir, and supporting players add grounded textures to the camp-bound setting.

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Direction & Visuals

’80s grain, spinning cameras, and practical nightmares

Derrickson leans hard into period textures and dream logic. Cinematographer Par M. Ekberg and the director favor grainy, home-movie aesthetics for Gwen’s visions and inventive camera moves (a rotating phone-booth sequence is a standout) that make the audience complicit in the terror. The film delights in practical, unsettling imagery — faces split by glass, children trapped beneath ice — and stages two late set-pieces that recall the best of Craven-era invention.

Themes & Tone

Faith, family trauma, and the mechanics of fear

Beyond homage, the movie mixes Catholic imagery and a primal good-vs-evil framework: prayer, belief, and the longing for a benevolent afterlife underpin its emotional stakes. The shift from confined menace to frozen expanse reframes the threat into mythic territory; the filmmakers often let nightmare logic lead, which is where the film’s imagination is at its richest.

Flaws

Too talky in the middle, and a few echoes feel obvious

The film sags in a long explanatory stretch where characters spell out backstory and motivation — a misstep for a movie that thrives on disorientation. Some viewers will bristle at the clear nods to Nightmare on Elm Street, while many will see those as an affectionate homage, and others may judge them as overt mimicry.

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Verdict

An inventive, occasionally indulgent horror sequel that pays off

Black Phone 2 isn’t flawless, but its commitment to visceral set pieces, strong young performances, and a striking visual vocabulary make it a rewarding entry for fans of elevated studio horror. It’s a little long, sometimes too explicit, but frequently brilliant in its willingness to be ugly, weird, and unapologetically terrifying.

Final rating: ★★★⯪☆ (3.5 / 5)