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

Review: Black Phone 2

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

Set in 1982, the film takes place four years after the events of The Black Phone (2021) and follows a similar story, with the same characters, but in a new location: a snowy Christian holiday camp in rural Colorado.

The narrative stays tightly focused on the elements that worked so well in the first film; the unsettling menace of a child killer and a beyond-the-grave plotline augmented with gooey special effects.

While it remains a superficial exercise in creepy fun, retreading familiar ground proves an exercise in diminishing returns.

Author's summary: A horror sequel with diminishing returns.

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Screen Daily Screen Daily — 2025-10-16

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