Black Phone 2 Review. When The Black Phone released in 2021…

When The Black Phone released in 2021, it was easily the horror hit of the year for me. Some horror films are stylistic. Some play smart with prior tropes while carving their own path. Others genuinely have something valuable to say — and use the genre to say it in an impactful way. The Black Phone did all of these simultaneously. So if there’s a horror film that deserves a follow-up, it’s this one.

I’m happy to report Black Phone 2 (with Scott Derrickson returning to direct) does all of this once again — to varying degrees. It may not have the privilege of being the first to break ground, but it makes all the right moves as a sequel. Black Phone 2 doesn’t retread the same beats as its predecessor — it builds upon them, both narratively and thematically. If The Black Phone gave us a Sixth Sense-style twist on a child-kidnapper story, Black Phone 2 gives us A Nightmare on Elm Street.

The film opens with a strong contrast in how Finney (Mason Thames) has grown since the events of the first film — revisiting that early school fight, but this time he’s the aggressor rather than the observer. While Finney has certainly learned to confront his fears, it’s not all positive growth. There’s real damage here — trauma that this film doesn’t ignore. One of the reasons both Black Phone films stand out is because they don’t glorify the heavy subject matter of child kidnapping and murder, nor do they shy away from its horror.

But the heart of this story centers around his sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), and her prophetic dreams. With the child kidnapper and murderer, The Grabber (Ethan Hawke), dead, Gwen begins to see three boys who were murdered — and a Christian youth camp called Alpine Lake. Each of Gwen’s dreams carries that same grainy, surreal look from the first film, but here it’s used to much greater effect. It’s not just a stylistic choice; it’s narrative. What happens in the dreams directly affects reality, and the effect helps us clearly see whose point of view we’re watching the events from. This film isn’t interested in a cliché bait-and-switch about whether what you’re witnessing is dream or reality. Instead, it makes clear what’s real and what’s not — and turns that clarity into a key narrative device.

Finney, Gwen, and her crush Ernesto (Miguel Mora) reluctantly head to Alpine Lake to uncover what her dreams mean and the truth buried within the camp’s history — and their own.

I went in with high hopes — confidence not just in the first film but in Derrickson himself (and a strong trailer didn’t hurt). I wouldn’t call Derrickson a ‘Christian filmmaker,’ but rather a filmmaker who is Christian. His movies are never preachy, yet his faith quietly informs his storytelling. That’s never been more evident than here.

In The Black Phone, Gwen constantly talks to Jesus for guidance — often comedically, given her verbose vocabulary choices especially for someone her age — but it’s done sincerely, which already puts it ahead of most horror films. Derrickson cranks that up here, not only through Gwen’s continued conversations with Jesus, but also through the camp’s setting and its staff. When Barbara (Maev Beaty), one of the staff, berates Gwen with judgment, misusing Scripture to do it (Philippians 4:8) — Gwen quickly fires back not against scripture but with the verse’s full context. Take notes Hollywood… this is how it’s done.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” — Philippians 4:8

But the film doesn’t just critique the condescending “Christians” (or legalists, as we’d call them). It balances that with genuine believers as well. Armando (Demián Bichir), the camp’s supervisor, serves as a pastoral presence — a man of conviction, anchored in Scripture. Through him, the film delivers its core message — a continuation of the first movie’s central truth.

At its heart, The Black Phone was about Finney finding the courage to fight back instead of waiting for rescue. This sequel revisits that same thread — now, both Finney and Gwen must learn it’s not just about surviving The Grabber, but healing from him. As Armando says, “If you’re strong enough to kill The Grabber, you’re strong enough to let him go.” I wasn’t expecting a horror sequel with this much emotional resonance — but maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. Perhaps Derrickson took some notes from his friend Dallas Jenkins (The Chosen).

It’s not perfect — some scenes connect a little too neatly, and a few heavy emotional beats don’t land as strongly as intended — but Thames delivers another standout performance and continues to impress as a young actor.

Black Phone 2 also deepens its spiritual undercurrent — especially through The Grabber himself. In life, he rejected any reality beyond the physical — and in death, he remains enslaved to his own evil. “Hell is different than they tell you,” he says. “They take all the human bits and leave the worst. I am a bottomless pit of sin.” It’s a chilling line, and a theologically haunting one. Once again, Derrickson manages to weave this kind of spiritual truth into a mainstream horror film without compromise. Gwen herself sums up the film’s victory best with Scripture:

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting.” — 1 Corinthians 15:55

Conclusion

Black Phone 2 is a satisfying sequel that builds on a solid foundation without rehashing old ground. The new setting and emphasis on dreams give it a haunting, eerie tone, while its emotional and spiritual depth ground it in truth. Derrickson has once again turned horror into something meaningful — and this franchise stands as one of the best doing it.

8.5/10