Black Phone 2 Shows the Horrors of Facing Demons After Already Surviving Them

“All my life I had to fight,” is very much what Black Phone 2 is giving. I feel so bad for these kids, like damn. A normal teenage life appears to be out of the question when you survive a serial killer, and have supernatural abilities that you don’t fully understand.

This is what makes Black Phone 2 a bit different. It’s similar to so many movies we’ve seen before, yet still manages to stand out on its own. The Stephen King influence is clearly there. The Black Phone original movie threw in many references to It/ Pennywise, but Black Phone 2 seemed to double down on influences. I was reminded of classics such as The Shining, and Nightmare on Elm Street, while also noticing a Stranger Things feel to it.

How Was the Movie?

Black Phone 2 is a great follow up to the original film, and having a good sequel to a horror movie is not an easy feat. I cared about these characters, and I think that is what really pulls you into the film.

We see Finney Blake (Mason Thames) and Gwen Blake (Madeleine McGraw) navigating life as older teenage siblings, years after Finney has killed The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). There appears to be a switch here, as the first film focused more on Finney’s experiences and this film surrounds Gwen’s life more. I loved this, because Gwen’s supernatural abilities really stood out to me in the first film and we see them more extensively here. .

As we see in the trailer, the Grabber is back in spirit form. Finney and Gwen have to confront him and figure out why his spirit remains a powerful force in their lives. Poor Gwen is having traumatic nightmares that lead her to sleep walking through different realms, and Finney is trying to figure out how to protect them both through the midst of all of it. Not to mention, he clearly has some of their mother’s spiritual abilities as well since he is still getting more phone calls from the dead.

I wouldn’t say that I was particularly scared from the movie, as I do tend to watch a lot of dark films, but I do find the concept very scary. I would absolutely hate being someone that has confusing and terrifying nightmares that connect to real life true crimes. In addition, you have a serial killer that has evolved into some Freddy Krueger type of monster that can literally kill you in your sleep. Yea, that’s pretty terrifying.

Best Parts About the Movie?

Story:

This is a great story, and I view both films as one full entity. The whole family connection of having supernatural abilities to fight a serial killer who targets children is pretty intriguing. There’s so much sadness and pain in their story as well, which creates an emotional connection with the viewer. Gwen is by far my favorite character, and I just want this girl to find some happiness and peace in her life. Black Phone 2 highlights that she has been going through just as much as her brother; she’s just having a different journey.

Aesthetics :

The aesthetics were absolutely my favorite element of the movie. The grainy dark footage of when Gwen was in the “dream realm” compared to when she was awake in the real world was top tier use of cinematography. I loved seeing the vintage scary look, and it was an excellent way to show the audience the difference between when Gwen was asleep and awake.

Is This Movie for You?

If you liked the first The Black Phone film then you need to watch this one as well. It’s a great sequel, and adds so much more depth to the story from the first film. I could even see more movies spawning from this with different antagonists and mysteries. It’s quite a surreal world, so who knows what could happen next?

Black Phone 2: Hauntings, Night Terrors, and Survivor’s Guilt