By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
"BLACK PHONE 2" DIALS INTO DARKER TERRITORY
"Black Phone 2," from director/co-writer
Scott Derrickson, with screenwriters
Joe Hill and C. Robert Cargill ("The Black Phone"), dials up almost as many chills and psychological thrills as the 2021 original, but with a fresh angle that takes the horror beyond the basement.
Mason Thames returns as Finney, now older but still marked by the horrifying encounter with The Grabber. Though that nightmare is over, Finney remains haunted, as Ethan Hawke ("Blue Moon" and TV's "The Lowdown") reprises his role in unnerving dream sequences that blur memory, fear, and unfinished business.
Madeline McGraw ("High Stakes Holiday" and "Captain Tsunami") once again impresses as Gwen, Finney' s psychic younger sister, whose visions grow more vivid as they are drawn into a mystery that stretches beyond their family's past.
The setting shifts to Alpine Lake Camp, a remote retreat for troubled teens, run by the stoic Armando. (Demian Bichir, "Without Blood"). His calm demeanor hides a growing dread as strange dreams begin to ripple through the campers.
Where the original film focused on literal captivity and survival, "Black Phone 2" dives deeper into the subconscious--dreams as warnings, as portals, and as connections to the dead. The supernatural elements are dialed up, creating a creeping sense of unease that plays out across dreamscapes and ghostly messages.
Finney and Gwen's father, Terrence (Jeremy Davies, "Dark Harvest" and "Adventures of Naked Umbrella"), has a burden to bear as he tries to make peace with his own past. Now sober but emotionally frayed, he is grappling with the mysterious death of his wife-Finney and Gwen's mother--who attended the same camp years ago and was found dead under circumstances that still cast a long shadow.
As the kids--mainly Gwen-- begin to experience increasingly disturbing dreams tied to the camp and its eerie history, the film deftly weaves together supernatural terror with raw human grief.
While "Black Phone 2" may not have the claustrophobic intensity of the first film, it succeeds by broadening the horror world and deepening the lore. The scares are quieter, more psychological, gruesome, and linger longer with themes of inherited trauma, family guilt, and the mysterious language of dreams.
"Black Phone 2" is a creepy little sequel that respects its roots while daring to dream a little darker.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Go Ahead And Watch This Trailer For
"BLACK PHONE 2"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
