‘Black Phone 2’ review: Should’ve gone to voicemail

Writer/director Scott Derrickson’s Black Phone 2 has its moments, but can’t match the creepiness of its predecessor.

Three years after The Black Phone terrified audiences with its fresh concept and unsettling emotional core, Black Phone 2 arrives hoping to keep that same energy alive. It’s not a total misfire — there’s still plenty of atmosphere, a few haunting visuals, and strong performances from its young leads — but it never quite justifies its own existence. The first film felt necessary; this one, not so much.

Scott Derrickson returns to the director’s chair alongside writer C. Robert Cargill, the same creative team that made the original such a standout in modern horror. This time, we revisit siblings Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), still coping with the trauma left behind by The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). This time, the story drifts beyond the suburban basements of Denver to a new setting: Alpine Lake, a summer camp where Finney and Gwen are sent in hopes of leaving their nightmares behind. Of course, those nightmares follow.

Callbacks.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Where The Black Phone felt unpredictable and alive, Black Phone 2 often feels like it’s following a template. The first film’s blend of supernatural tension and grim, real-world fear made it stand out in a genre flooded with cheap scares. But here, Derrickson leans more heavily on loud jolts and traditional horror setups. You can sense the movie’s effort to recapture the same psychological unease — that creeping dread living in the silences between phone rings — but too often it opts for shock over suspense. The result isn’t ineffective, just expected.

That’s not to say the film is without redeeming qualities. The mood is still claustrophobic and unnerving, full of that hazy, late-70s ambiance Derrickson does so well — dim hallways, foggy nights, and the subtle hum of something sinister hiding just out of frame. And it’s always nice when a sequel tries to expand the world rather than just repeat it.

The sequel also attempts to broaden the mythology of the titular black phone, exploring how its supernatural connection extends beyond one killer’s basement. There’s a fascinating idea buried here about trauma as something that echoes, binding the living and the dead through shared pain, but it’s never given enough time to grow. The film teases larger implications, then retreats to safer ground, relying on eerie sound design and predictable scares to keep things moving.

A cold reception.

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Thames and McGraw’s chemistry remains as genuine as ever, and they continue to be the film’s emotional core. Thames gives a steady, grounded performance that captures Finney’s quiet resilience, while McGraw once again shines as Gwen — equal parts sarcastic, spiritual, and fiercely loyal. Even when the story falters, the two of them hold it together.

Demián Bichir joins the cast as Mando, the supervisor of Alpine Lake, and his performance is one of the film’s bright spots. Bichir brings warmth and complexity to a character that could’ve easily been one-note. Mando’s compassion and quiet protectiveness offer a counterbalance to the film’s darkness, and when the story begins hinting at his own buried secrets, it briefly feels like Black Phone 2 might dig into new emotional territory. Unfortunately, those threads never fully develop, and like much of the film, they end up as glimpses of something greater that never materializes.

Still, when Black Phone 2 slows down long enough to focus on its characters, it finds fleeting moments of the magic that made the original so memorable. There’s a particularly effective scene of Finney wandering outside of his camp cabin late at night, the black phone’s distant ring echoing through the woods like a ghost calling from his past. These moments work because they remind us that the real horror isn’t always the supernatural, it’s the lingering fear of what trauma leaves behind.

The movie’s final act tries to tie everything together, but the climax feels both too tidy and familiar. There’s suspense, sure, but not the kind that crawls under your skin and stays there. You walk away wishing the filmmakers had pushed deeper into the psychological side of Finney and Gwen’s story instead of rehashing the beats that worked the first time.

The bottom line.

At its best, Black Phone 2 is eerie, atmospheric, and competently made. At its worst, it feels like an echo of something that once felt original. It’s not a bad movie, just one that exists in the shadow of its predecessor, unable to step fully out into the light. Fans of the first film will appreciate the familiar tone and strong performances, but they might leave wishing the story had rung through with something new.

Black Phone 2 is now playing in theaters everywhere. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of Universal Pictures. Read more articles by Alyshia Kelly here.

Alyshia Kelly

Alyshia is the Interviews Editor for InBetweenDrafts. A self-proclaimed pop culture enthusiast, she watches B-movies in her spare time and hopes to make one some day. Apart from writing, she is a publicist fully immersed in the world of entertainment.