Death doesn’t always mean it’s the end; sometimes, it can open doors to something far more sinister. This theme is evident in the hit 2025 movie “The Black Phone 2.”
While the original movie does contain a supernatural element, the sequel explores these themes to a much greater extent. After his death in the first movie, the series’ main antagonist, The Grabber, comes back to haunt Finn and his sister Gwen once again, but this time from the afterlife.
“Channeling ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ with a splash of Scott Derickson’s ‘Sinister,’ ‘The Black Phone 2’ delivers everything you’d hope for in a sequel,” said Cris Parker, host of film review channel 3C Films in the video “The Black Phone 2 Is… (REVIEW).”
The original Black Phone movie focuses on Finn, a sensitive and cautious adolescent boy, who is trialed at the fullest extent of the word. On his way home from school one afternoon, he is abducted by The Grabber, a man terrorizing the community by kidnapping young boys.
The movie follows Finn’s story where he escapes The Grabber and becomes his only surviving victim, finding himself and his courage. While he’s missing, his sister Gwen is plagued with dreams and visions, giving her clues to his whereabouts.
Finn’s escape would have never been possible without help from the previous victims, who communicate with him via a black landline in the basement where he is being held captive. In his escape, Finn uses the phone itself as a weapon and kills his captor.
In the 2025 sequel, we once again see Finn and Gwen, still experiencing the effects of The Grabber four years in the future. Gwen is again seeing visions, but this time they are less clear, only perceiving Alpine Lake Camp, where her late mother worked as a counselor.
Finn and Gwen travel to the camp, trying to figure out the meaning behind the dreams. Upon their investigation, they discover the three boys that went missing many years prior were actually the first victims of The Grabber. Somehow, The Grabber’s spirit is still feeding off of the fearful spirits of his young victims at the camp and is able to attack Gwen through her dreams upon her arrival. Finn, Gwen, and some of the camp’s staff all work together in an attempt to defeat The Grabber for good.
The Black Phone 2 is rated R and will be available to watch on streaming services in mid-to-late December 2025. Viewers who have already watched the movie have rated it 72% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Often, sequels are never as good as their original counterparts, however, :The Black Phone 2” is a perfect example of the contrary.
by Kate Atwood
