‘Black Phone 2’ review: Ethan Hawke returns in Scott Derrickson’s rote horror sequel

'Black Phone 2' Review

Ethan Hawke returns in Scott Derrickson's horror sequel, alongside Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw, to fight The Grabber in Universal's chiller.

Set in 1982, four years after the events of The Black Phone (2021), the story unfolds in a snowy Christian holiday camp in rural Colorado, with the same characters and a similar narrative focus on the child killer's unsettling menace and beyond-the-grave plotline.

The narrative stays tightly focused on the elements that worked so well in the first film.

Despite the expanded setting, the film proves to be an exercise in diminishing returns, relying on familiar ground and gooey special effects for creepy fun.

Directed by Scott Derrickson, Black Phone 2 premiered at Fantastic Fest and will roll out globally from October 15.

Author's summary: Horror sequel with familiar plot.

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Screen Daily Screen Daily — 2025-10-16

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