Black Phone 2 Is Full Of ‘Retro Horror Vibes,’ But Are Critics Feeling Grabbed By The Sequel?

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

For those who like to turn up the scares this time of year, there are plenty of upcoming horror movies set to hit the 2025 movie calendar this month and beyond. Among those is Black Phone 2, the sequel to the 2022 book-to-screen adaptation of a Joe Hill short story. Scott Derrickson has returned as director and co-screenwriter, with Ethan Hawke back as The Grabber. Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw and Jeremy Davies also reprise their roles. So what are critics saying?

The first movie got positive feedback from critics — including 4.5 out of 5 stars from our own Corey Chichizola — so how does the sequel measure up? Well, it’s “better,” if you ask Stephen King, and in CinemaBlend’s review of Black Phone 2, Nick Venable would agree, saying the follow-up is “haunting, hypnotic, and surpasses all my expectations.” He gives it 4 out of 5 stars, writing:

Black Phone 2 is Derrickson’s most mature film to date and sits among the few horror sequels that outperforms its predecessor in just about every way. The cast, headed up once again by Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw, takes it to the next level in the same way that the story does, convincingly giving Finney and Gwen the chance to prove themselves as genuine heroes on top of being survivors. And of course, Ethan Hawke commands attention every time he’s on screen donning tweaked versions of The Grabber’s already iconic mask.

Jordan Bassett of NME also rates it 4 out of 5 stars, saying Scott Derrickson goes even bigger with the sequel, dialing up the menace for a flick that’s bloodier than its predecessor. The critic says:

The sets are lusher, the kills gorier and the baddie (played with venomous glee by Ethan Hawke) is nastier still. This is a horror that’s in love with scary movies; a post-modern remix of genre classics filmed through an arthouse gauze that never obscures its goofy sense of humour.

ADVERTISEMENT

Matt Donato of IGN gives it a “Good” 7 out of 10 and says Black Phone 2 is proof that horror sequels don’t have to be retreads of the original and can instead go further to push for standalone appeal. Donato continues:

Black Phone 2 is an effective sequel that boils over with reinvigoration. Colorado’s blustery winter conditions paint a pristine snowcapped backdrop for The Grabber’s origins, where he forces Finney and Gwen to confront their demons from beyond the grave. It’s more about how survivors process trauma than it is a woodland killing spree, but that doesn’t prevent white powder from being splattered with blood like a Jackson Pollock painting. Black Phone 2 might take a beat to reach top speeds, but once everything’s singing in harmony—from The Grabber’s supernatural revenge plot to Gwen’s harnessing of her medium-esque powers for good—it’s more than a worthy follow-up.

Peter Debruge of Variety is one of many critics to find parallels between the upcoming Blumhouse horror and A Nightmare on Elm Street, due to how dreams are involved in both movies. The critic notes that while The Black Phone is about the threat of violence and abuse, its sequel deals with the trauma of surviving these things, not just for the victims but for their families. Debruge writes:

It’s remarkably scary, considering the deliberate pace and how few people actually die in Black Phone 2, which I credit to how all bets are off when dealing with dreams. The movie strives to apply logic, inviting laughs (which are not unwelcome in the tense genre), but ultimately succeeds by devising a formula where two threats — ghosts and serial killers — come calling.

Not all of the critiques are so positive, though. Matt Singer of ScreenCrush says he was not grabbed by this horror flick and its outdated technology. He rates the movie 4 out of 10 and says:

Derrickson fills his frame with retro horror vibes, but he relies on them for too long and with too little variation. Translating the visual language of 8mm home movies into a dream is a cool idea the first time Black Phone 2 does it; by the eighth time the film goes back to that well, it starts to feel as old as a rotary telephone. There’s just not enough imagination on display in these sequences or the Grabber’s methods to keep them engaging over the course of a two-hour movie.

Overall, critics seem to have enjoyed Black Phone 2, as it stands at 78% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer. If you enjoyed the first movie and want to catch up with Finney, Gwen and The Grabber, the sequel will be in theaters starting Friday, October 17. If you haven’t seen The Black Phone (or want a refresher), the movie is available to stream with a Peacock subscription.