This is a review of the “Black Phone 2” that will contain spoilers. Recently, I went to the theaters and watched “Black Phone 2” and was pleasantly surprised. Usually, the sequels to horror movies end up being extremely underwhelming and disappointing. This was not the case for “Black Phone 2.” They were able to successfully make a great horror movie, after the antagonist from the previous movie died, without resurrecting him, and without having a single new kill from the present timeline. Something interesting about this movie is that the antagonist exists only in Gwen, the female main character’s dreams. The antagonist, known as the Grabber, was killed by Finny, the male main character in the first movie, and haunts Gwen’s dreams during the movie. This allowed for many extremely creative scenes combining the dream world and the real world.
An example of creativity used in the film is how they showed the dream world vs. the real world. During scenes in the dream world, they would add grain to the film and make it look older. When you saw this, you knew it was a dream. Another compelling element is how the kids deal with their PTSD from the first movie. Finny has become an angry person, getting in fights all the time, and haunted by the Grabber. Gwen has been having intense dreams and sleepwalking out of her own house. Gwen’s sleepwalking is a huge part of the movie, and it is very interesting to watch her navigate it. I really like how, in the end, she finally realizes that her sleepwalking is a gift and not a curse.
Also, in this film, there is more of an emphasis on the siblings working together. It is very heartwarming and powerful to watch them look after each other. Without each other, the movie would have been over way earlier. “Black Phone 2” took an unexpected turn from the first movie, and it worked extremely well. The first movie was a slasher horror with a little bit of a psychological aspect to it, whereas the sequel takes a more supernatural turn. The first one had some aspects of the supernatural, with Finn being able to speak to dead people, but this movie has even more. This leads to the movie feeling even more eerie and spooky. Also, the setting of most of the movie takes place in snowed-in cabins in the mountains. It gives a very unsettling feeling that pairs really well with the overall vibe of the film.
The acting in this movie is another strong suit of this movie. Ethan Hawk, who played the grabber really transformed into the character, making you forget that the Grabber is even an actor at all. Both of the child actors did impressive jobs playing traumatized kids suffering from their past traumas. The new characters added in all bring something fresh to the story. For example, the fact that the head of the camp has been looking for three dead kids who turn out to be the Grabber’s first kills is an inventive use of a new character. The movie also has an insane twist about Finny and Gwen’s mother’s death that I never saw coming. It also gives their family much-needed closure.
This was a surprisingly excellent movie. It was never boring and kept me intrigued the entire time.
