Black Phone 2 (2025) Review

The Black Phone 2 takes the haunting premise of the first film and pushes it firmly into classic slasher territory. Where the original leaned into psychological horror and supernatural menace, this sequel embraces the full mythology of an unstoppable killer, recalling the immortal figures of Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th. The Grabber, once a terrifying but human figure, now stands alongside icons like Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers, an unkillable force haunting a new generation.

The story picks up a few years after the events of the first film. Finney, played once again by Mason Thames, is now a teenager trying to live with the trauma of his survival. The quiet dread of his past never fully goes away. Of course, Finney is pulled back into the nightmare. He knows, almost instinctively, that The Grabber isn’t gone. What makes this especially unnerving is how the film leans into the idea of The Grabber as something beyond mortal. The audience is placed in the same helpless position as Finney, who knows something supernatural is stalking them but can’t convince the world around him.

Thames delivers a strong performance, grounding the horror with a believable sense of post-traumatic resilience. Finney is not the same boy he was. He’s older, tougher, but still deeply scarred. The script wisely allows him moments of anger and fear rather than trying to turn him into a traditional action hero. His arc is compelling because it acknowledges what trauma does over time, especially when that trauma wears the face of a masked killer. He carries much of the emotional weight of the film, and it works.

The supporting cast also delivers solid work. Madeleine McGraw returns as Gwen, Finney’s sister, still sharp-tongued and tough, but with a clearer sense of her psychic abilities. Her visions, which were key to the first film, play an even bigger role here as the story delves further into the supernatural. Jeremy Davies brings his characteristic intensity to Terrance, their father, a man trying to keep his fractured family together while confronting his own guilt and helplessness. Miguel Mora’s Ernesto, a new friend and reluctant ally, adds some grounded humanity to the story. And at the center of it all, Ethan Hawke once again embodies The Grabber with a performance that is both menacing and strangely theatrical.

Hawke’s portrayal has shifted in tone. Where the first film gave us glimpses of a disturbed, terrifying man, this film leans into myth. He is less a person and more an entity, a figure who appears and disappears with ease, seemingly unharmed by previous events. The film never overexplains this transformation, which is a smart choice. Instead, it uses the ambiguity to build a modern slasher mythos. The Grabber is no longer just a kidnapper with a mask. He’s a force, like Freddy or Jason, who lingers no matter what anyone does.

The film’s style and tone match this shift. The lighting is colder, the imagery sharper, and the night scenes take on an almost dreamlike quality. Several sequences could easily be mistaken for a nightmare sequence from A Nightmare on Elm Street. The Grabber doesn’t just appear. He manifests, in places he shouldn’t be, with the quiet inevitability of a bad dream. This supernatural quality fits well with the franchise’s themes of trauma and memory. For Finney and Gwen, The Grabber isn’t just a past figure. He’s a constant presence, alive in their fears.

Director Scott Derrickson, returning to the helm, clearly understands the evolution he’s guiding. He doesn’t try to recreate the slow-burn tension of the original. Instead, he embraces bigger, bolder horror beats. The set pieces are sharper and more stylized. The kill scenes are brutal but never gratuitous, designed to evoke the slasher classics while maintaining a modern polish. The pacing is faster, which suits the mythic tone the sequel adopts.

The film also leans heavily into recognizable slasher tropes. The “rules” of survival start to surface in dialogue. Characters speak of The Grabber in whispered tones. Certain locations become marked, cursed spaces. There’s even a touch of dream logic in how characters encounter him, something that will feel familiar to fans of classic horror. This is both a strength and a mild weakness. While it positions The Grabber firmly among modern horror icons like Art the Clown, it also loses a bit of the raw, unpredictable fear that made the first film so unsettling. The Grabber feels less human here, and while that works for the slasher mold, it shifts the franchise’s tone significantly.

Still, for horror fans who grew up on slasher legends, this is a welcome direction. Modern horror often leans toward elevated dread and psychological complexity, and it’s refreshing to see a franchise unapologetically embrace the campfire-tale villain. The Grabber’s mask, already iconic, becomes a kind of totem. Every time he appears, the tension spikes not because of surprise but because of inevitability.

The Black Phone 2 is not a subtle film, but it’s an effective one. It blends supernatural horror and slasher energy in a way that feels deliberate and confident. Finney’s personal arc grounds the story emotionally, the supporting cast brings depth, and Ethan Hawke’s performance cements The Grabber as a figure who belongs in the horror hall of fame. This film may not scare in quite the same way as its predecessor, but it thrills and unsettles with a style all its own.