Black Phone 2 Review- Does the Sequel Answer the Call?

The remarkably successful adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story, The Black Phone (2021), gave us a stunningly memorable villain with a mask, The Grabber. The unforgettable black phone stays in Finn’s memories, making it a torture of his lifetime.

Here is our version of Black Phone 2 review that showed death’s new barbarous face by shedding light on themes like trauma, good vs evil, and the vague line between supernatural and reality.  

Plot details of Black Phone 2 (2025)

Finn (played by Mason Thames) has been struggling with his life since he escaped from The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). He is now 17 years old, and the film’s incidents take place four years after The Grabber first kidnapped him. 

His sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), is seeing disturbing images of the killings of the three boys and even receives calls from the same black phone in her dreams. She needs to decipher the meaning of those calls.

Are they from her mother, who was present at the same Alpine Lake in 1957, where the three boys were killed? Or are they from The Grabber, who is back in 1987 and wants them to revisit the chilly campside for his own revenge? 

Have a look at the trailer:

Actor’s performances in Black Phone 2 (2025)

The three main leads of the film are Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, and Ethan Hawke. Thames’ Finn is understandably traumatized and even exhibits anger streaks sometimes, as he does not want to talk about what happened to him four years ago.

Thames’ Finn knew what ringing of the black phone meant, but still he answered it every time, just to ensure that he could not do anything about it. Even the terrifying visions in her sister’s dream do not get his attention, despite Gwen repeatedly saying to him that she had a bad dream. 

McGraw’s Gwen, on the other hand, is scared of her dreams till the time she does not know what meaning to infer from them. She is brave enough to face them and “him” in her dreams, and resolves to never leave Alpine Lake until she finds the bodies of the three boys who were brutally killed by The Grabber several years ago. 

Ethan Hawke as Grabber is more vicious and hungry for revenge. He has become more sadistic and more powerful as he can attack his targets in their dreams, just like Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). No wonder the director wanted to stay true to the ’80s horror touch. 

Hawke’s chilly voice over the phone felt like pulling the soul out of Gwen and Finn, as he is now capable of hurting Gwen in her dreams, which the other awake members of the camp can also see in real life. 

Although the mask concealed his face, we could sense Hawke’s angry, savage, vile, and vengeful face. His mere presence embodied a psychological storm with an unfiltered evil. Even after his death, he is still able to create a claustrophobic and intense atmosphere, demonstrating that of a predator. The credit goes to the director. 

What do critics add to Black Phone 2 review?

The critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes shows a positive review of Black Phone 2. Here’s what it says, 

“Taking the consequences of its predecessor seriously, Black Phone 2 is a chilling sequel that mines memorable scares and thought-provoking themes from the scars that linger.” [Source]

Most of the critics were happy with what Derrickson had come up with, as the director initially wasn’t interested in making a sequel, but he called the writer of the short story on which the film is based, Joe Hill.

The critics thought the sequel was a “solid foundation” that did not miss out the “original’s tighter scope”. Still, others argued that it felt like a “derivative of A Nightmare on Elm Street”. It was only Derrickson’s direction that saved the film.  

Fans’ reaction

With a slightly higher audience rating than that of the critics, the fans were happy with the film. They found it “fun and entertaining”. A few thought it was “unnecessary”; however, with new twists and turns, the storyline felt great, resonating well with the Halloween season. 

Is it worth watching?

No one knew it was needed until we saw it and acknowledged it. It is definitely worth watching, but I still had one question left unanswered. 

Though we get to know more of Gwen and Finn, their mother’s roots in the Alpine camp and her nightmares that are now inherited by Gwen, I still did not understand much about the Grabber. 

I did not understand how Bill became The Grabber and where he gets his urge to kill those children. Did he have a disturbing childhood as well? Why did he only choose children? And that, too, specifically boys? Why not girls?

What were his origins? How did he become part of the campside? How did nobody know he was the killer in 1957 when three boys went missing and their dead bodies were never found again? If he was never found, why did he come to the city in the first place and abduct Finn previously? 

In my opinion, all of these questions ask for Black Phone 3. However, Hill says if the financial numbers show a good outcome, people coming out of the theatres will ask for it. 

But since the first story showed Finn as the lead character and his sister helping him, and the sequel showed Gwen as the lead character and her brother saving her. Black Phone 3 will need to have a logical story rather than showing both of them saving each other.  

Two other small issues that I felt strongly about: Finn’s passive role felt sidelined to me, but I can understand the director might have wanted to highlight Gwen’s arc this time, as Finn was given his due share in the first part. Second, the Grabber’s ability to intrude into Gwen’s dream is not well-defined. The rules of his dream interference and understanding of his power’s boundaries remain blurred. 

Despite horror visuals and language taken from Freddy Krueger’s universe, Black Phone 2 still did not feel like a copy. The themes and cinematography mimic Elm Street, but the credit goes to the talented filmmakers who presented it as if a new life had been injected into it.

Derrickson had worked out his timelines well, and he perfectly outlined in his mind how and why he wanted to make the sequel darker and wilder. The emotional resonance was stronger this time.  

What we liked

• Ethan Hawke’s terrifying return
• Stronger role for Gwen
• Themes of trauma and legacy
• Nostalgic ‘80s horror atmosphere

What could be better

• Unanswered questions about The Grabber
• Finn’s character felt underused
• Dream logic is not fully fleshed out
• Needs a stronger setup for a sequel

 

 

 

 

 

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Here’s a detailed breakdown of our rating for Black Phone 2 (2025)

Story/plot	7/10
Characters and acting	8/10
Direction and pacing	7.5/10
Visuals and cinematography	8.5/10
Soundtrack/score	8/10
Themes and message	6/10
Emotional impact	6.5/10
Creativity/originality	8/10
Rewatchability	7/10

Our rating: 7 

Is Black Phone 2 (2025) available for streaming?

Black Phone 2 (2025) (R-rated) is distributed by Universal Pictures and is currently playing in cinemas. It might come to the Peacock streaming platform later.  

Genre: Horror

IMDb rating: 6.7

Rotten Tomatoes: 74 percent on Tomatometer (critics’ score) and 85 percent on Popcornmeter

Cast: Mason Thames, Ethan Hawke, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, Miguel Mora, Anna Lore

Director: Scott Derrickson

Writers: C. Robert Cargill, Scott Derrickson, Joe Hill

Producers: Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, Jason Blum

Release date: October 17, 2025

Movie runtime: 1 hour 54 minutes

Do you agree with the review here? How did you find Black Phone 2? Tell us in the comments below.