Black Phone 2 Movie Review
Filmmaker Scott Derrickson has solidified himself as a staple in the 21st century horror era with incredible films such as Sinister and The Black Phone – both being films that ended on notes that didn’t necessarily scream “sequel”. But, there is an inevitability in horror that you can make cheap, quick, IP driven follow ups to beloved movies to capitalise on a quick buck (see Sinister 2).
When Black Phone 2 was announced, along with the return of Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Derrickson, co-writer C. Robert Cargill, and mysteriously, [spoiler] Ethan Hawke as the now deceased Grabber, despite the band who made the first film so successful and entertaining getting back together, there was a lot of head scratching as to where the sequel could narratively go, and whether the quality would be as good as the original.
But, going down a Nightmare on Elm Street inspired path, using Hawke’s terrifyingly masked kidnapper as an apparitional projection of Finney’s (Thames) trauma, in a completely new, snowy church camp setting, and the expansion of Gwen’s (McGraw) own emotional journey, it really turns out that in Scott Derrickson we must trust, because Black Phone 2 isn’t just as good as the first – it’s darker, more brutal, sincerely emotional, and superior.
The story picks up a few years after Finney’s basement encounter with The Grabber (Hawke), where he discovered his ability to supernaturally connect with children who were murdered by The Grabber, resulting in Finney killing his kidnapper. As expected, Finney is wrestling with the trauma of this event, haunted by visions of his tormentor. Meanwhile, Gwen’s clairvoyant dreams begin leading her down an investigative path involving the death of her mother, and the spiritual connection they both share. Gwen’s dreams lead the siblings to a church camp which their mother was a leader many years before, but also a place that harbours a dark secret about the origins of The Grabber, who begins to manifest himself once more, looking for revenge.
Black Phone 2 is another effective and intense horror outing from Derrickson, whose amazing ability to utilise grainy film camera aesthetics and disorientating sound design creates a truly unnerving atmosphere throughout the film. When you take that unnerving feeling, and set in at a camp that’s been enveloped by a blizzard, meaning no escape for our protagonists, the natural claustrophobia of the situation really comes across on screen.
This sequel doesn’t necessarily contain as many jump scares per se as Derrickson’s previous work (even though there are still a few very effective ones featured here), instead Derrickson disturbs via the brutal nature of The Grabber’s first kills – a group of three boys who were attacked at the camp. There is a lot of blood and gore as we observe these deaths in a truly confronting way, only for it to be exacerbated by the fact that it is happening to children.
In limited screentime by nature of the narrative, yet still having a profound atmospheric presence over the film, Hawke once again scares and stuns as The Grabber, often going off on scathing and unsettling monologues about how he is going to hurt Finney the only way he knows how – through Gwen’s clairvoyancy. His demeanour is once again terrifying, only to be topped by some incredible make up and mask work to really drive the terror home.
But, much like the first film, this is truly a story about Finney and Gwen, who are once again portrayed perfectly by Thames and McGraw. There is a maturity to their performances which matches the idea that the actors have grown up since the first film, but these characters have also had to grow up due to the events they have encountered. That maturity, and truly sincere emotional stakes at play, will definitely surprise audiences with how heartfelt this story is. It’s one of those things where you know you’re coming for the scares (which you definitely get), but you will leave far more emotionally moved than expected, and that is a testament to the performances, and to Derrickson and Cargill’s screenplay.
Finney is a driving force in the film, using his ability to navigate the investigation of finding the bodies of The Grabber’s first three kills, but Black Phone 2 is Gwen’s movie, and McGraw’s performance has such a raw quality to it that is truly immersive and engaging. Gwen goes through a lot in this film, and it’s impossible not to empathetically latch on to her story line and let it drive the emotional core.
Black Phone 2 doesn’t just make a case for existing as “another horror sequel”, it proves that with the right amount of care and passion, you can build on the foundations of predecessors to make a film that is just as scary, even more brutal, and far more emotionally touching.
Black Phone 2 is in Australian cinemas October 16
