The Black Phone” sequel was released in theaters on October 17, following great anticipation since its announcement in October of 2023. It follows the lives of Finney and Gwen Blake two years after Finney escaped The Grabber. Gwen is learning to harness the psychic abilities she demonstrated in the first movie and Finney grapples with the effects of his trauma, while trying to maintain his strong character that prioritizes protecting his baby sister. The movie builds upon the plotline through deepening each character’s backstory, as well as through introducing new supernatural horror elements.
The new supernatural features work to maintain the scare factor of The Grabber, as well as intertwine his backstory as the storyline develops. Throughout the entire film, the directors have clearly banked on fear through confusion. By slowly sprinkling in the major details of The Grabber’s past, audiences remain engaged and anxious to piece together the storyline.
While the plot is continued well, the fear factor peaks around the time that Gwen learns how to utilize her gift and Finney begins to let go of his trauma: the characters become more in control of their lives. This combined with the new knowledge they have about The Grabber helps the Blake siblings to finally defeat him.
The film series is adapted from the short story by Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son. The short story was published in 2004 and was likely based on the crimes of John Wayne Gacy, an American serial killer from the 1970s that targeted young boys.
Overall, the film checks off all the boxes of a proper sequel and elaborates on the storyline well. The script does fall flat in a few scenes and the scare factor does fall off after a certain point in the movie, but it’s hard to fully compare to the unique nature of the original film.
Director Scott Derrickson’s work with the film series shows great promise for continuation within the horror genre, as does the partnership with Jason Blum and Blumhouse Productions.
