From its very first frame, The Black Phone 2 delivers a bold and thrilling ride that both honours and reinvents its predecessor—drawing you into darkness, then giving you permission to stare straight into it. The creative team manages the tricky task of balancing visceral chills with genuine emotional stakes, and the result is a horror-sequel that feels grown‐up, confident, and deeply satisfying.
There’s something electrifying about how this sequel evokes the spirit of A Nightmare on Elm Street—that uncanny blend of dream logic and dread, where you’re never entirely sure whether what you’re witnessing is real, or slipping into nightmare. The nightmare-invasion motif, the sense of vulnerability even in the familiar bedroom, the idea of something terrifying reaching into the safe spaces of sleep: these echoes pay homage without turning into mere imitation. Instead, The Black Phone 2 uses that lineage as a springboard, then twists the conventions into something fresh.
This film doesn’t just rely on scares. It gives us characters we care about—flawed, human, trembling at the edge of terror. The young lead anchors the story with a performance that is both terrified and courageous, making every monstrous moment count more deeply. At the same time, the film makes smart use of setting and tone: shadows linger unnervingly, silence pulls focus just before the jolt, and the cinematography turns everyday rooms into claustrophobic trapdoors. It’s a textbook of tension done right, but with heart underneath.
The writers aren’t afraid to dig into themes of trauma, powerlessness and survival. Amid the chilling set-pieces and creepy payoffs, there’s a pulse of hope: that fear can be challenged, that the night can be confronted. And because the film acknowledges darkness rather than pretending it away, the eventual victories feel earned.
Visually and aurally, this is the kind of horror experience you’ll recall long after you’ve left the theatre. One scene in particular—when the young protagonist lies awake, eyes darting, the hum of the phone on the nightstand echoing in the dark—captures what great horror does: it turns the ordinary into the ominous. The sound design, the camera placement, the silence—everything conspires to make that moment linger.
In sum: The Black Phone 2 isn’t just a sequel. It’s a worthy expansion of its universe, a deft homage to horror classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street, and a compelling thriller in its own right. If you love being pulled into the shadows and then walking back out with your pulse racing, this one’s for you. Highly recommended.
Genre: Horror
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Demián Bichir, Miguel Mora, Jeremy Davies, Arianna Rivas
Director: Scott Derrickson
Written by: Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill, based on the short story ‘The Black Phone’ by Joe Hill
Producers: Jason Blum, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill
Executive Producers: Ryan Turek, Adam Hendricks, Daniel Bekerman, Jason Blumenfeld
Rated R for strong violent content, gore, teen drug use, and language.
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