In 1978, when Finn Blake (Mason Thames) put an end to the Grabber’s life and reign of terror over Denver, Colo., we all thought we had heard the black phone ring for the final time. This October, however, Scott Derrickson brought the black phone back to our screens, along with Ethan Hawke’s terrifying Grabber. “Black Phone 2” challenges what we all think we know about death and adds another layer of supernaturality that left me speechless.
This film took a very Freddy Krueger-like angle when finding a way to bring back the Grabber, which was actually very scary. In the first movie, viewers were made aware of Finn’s sister, Gwen’s (Madeline McGraw), psychic dreams that she supposedly inherited from her mother. This element of the story really drives the plot in this movie as the Grabber mostly interacts in Gwen’s dreams. Because of this, Gwen was really the main character of this movie, rather than Finn. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; yet it distracts from Finn’s trauma. He only had one conversation with the Grabber throughout the whole film, and I feel that the story could’ve benefited from more interaction between the pair, which already shares so much history.
“Black Phone 2” was very emotional. Mason Thames is an amazing young actor, and his portrayal of Finn brought me to tears more than once. I won’t go into too much detail so as not to spoil the movie, but there is a scene towards the end of the film between Finn, Gwen and their father where the audience is shown all the trauma that Finn had been holding onto for years, and it nearly killed me. I would love to see him in more roles like this in the future.
The overall production level of this film was also very impressive. Derrickson returned as director after the first film, and I really admire how well he sets the tone of the film. The sequel takes place in the early 1980s, and the era is evident. The slang, fashion and synth music are all very ‘80s, which, for the most part, comes off well –– except for some cringey dialogue. One of my personal favorite parts of this film was the way that Gwen’s dream sequences were shot. Usually, at the beginning of the sequence, it looks like a choppy film reel. It caused a very unsettling feeling, which was driven home when she would “wake up” and the camera and sound quality were still very fuzzy, implying that she hadn’t woken up, but was sleepwalking.
Having seen it twice already, “Black Phone 2” was one of my favorite movies of the year. I applaud the entire cast and crew that brought this film to life, and though at first, I didn’t think this story even needed a sequel, I wouldn’t be mad about seeing more of this story in the future. If you enjoy horror, good filmmaking or are looking for a new movie this spooky season, this could be the film for you.