2025 for horror has been great, but when it comes to horror movies in 2025, there was perhaps no other movie that I was looking forward to as much as Black Phone 2. It is kind of weird that the first movie was called The Black Phone, but for this one, they are ditching “the”. Perhaps I am overthinking this way too much, but it just sounds weird to say “Black Phone 2” without the in front of it.
Where to Watch Black Phone 2
Black Phone 2 was released on October 17, 2025. It should become available on Peacock and on other digital platfroms 2-3 months after its theatrical release.
The Movie Review
Anyway, they managed to get the gang back together for this! We have writer and director Scott Derrickson returning, Blumhouse handling the producing, and we have our stars back from the first movie. The Grabber is my favorite Ethan Hawke performance, and it is so awesome that he is back here, along with Mason Thames as Finney and Madeline McGraw as his sister, Gwen.
The thing with the original Black Phone movie was that it felt like a one-and-done. I loved that movie, and I never expected a sequel as it felt like it was all wrapped up. The story of Finney, with the help of the ghosts of The Grabber helping him, trying to survive, was awesome. Still, I was very interested to see what they would do and how they would bring The Grabber back.
Plot and Character Evolution in Black Phone 2
Black Phone 2 takes place a few years after the events of the last movie. Finney is trying to move on from the trauma of killing The Grabber, and his sister, Gwen, is now older and is having more intense psychic feelings! I will admit, I only watched the first trailer for this movie and knew that I was in, so apart from that, I knew nothing about this movie.
I am saying this because I was surprised that Gwen felt like she was the main character more so than Finney. I am not going into spoilers here, but they are called to a creepy summer camp, and it is discovered that The Grabber may be dead, but his spirit is not, and he is back to cause chaos. The idea of The Grabber now being a ghost and seemingly untouchable is great!
Horror Inspirations and Tone of Black Phone 2
Now, you could argue that The Grabber is quite similar to Freddy Kruger, as he is attacking Gwen in her dreams, but with the summer camp setting, there is also a bit of Friday the 13th about this as well. Hey, taking elements from two of the greatest horror franchises of all time is more than ok with me. However, I will say that the movie kind of sets these rules at first, The Grabber being able to attack while people are sleeping, and then it is like all of a sudden, he can just attack whenever he wants.
Cinematic Style and Performances
The early 80s setting is something that I thought was awesome! The acting is superb, and the movie is very entertaining, and once again, Ethan Hawke as the Grabber is fantastic. Black Phone 2 also looks amazing. I liked the way that when a dream sequence was happening, it had this kind of strange filter to it. It was not too over the top, but it was done well, and it let you know what was real and what was happening in a dream.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed the movie; I thought it was a fun time, and it was great to see the three main characters back from the original. I think my expectations for Black Phone 2 were pretty much impossible to live up to. I liked it, but I did not love it as much as the first movie. To be fair, I have seen the first movie several times since it was released in 2021, and I have liked it a little more each time. I am thinking that Black Phone 2 will be a movie that I like even more when I see it again. I think if you liked the first, you will definitely have fun with this.
