Summary
The Black Phone 2will arrive in theaters in the fall of 2025, just in time for Halloween, and I’m even more intrigued after seeing the trailer that was recently released.The horror sequel finished filming in Januaryand brings back the two main child characters, but this time, they’re high schoolers.Finn (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeline McGraw) Blake find themselves dealing with The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) once again, andthe sequel’s cast also includes Demián Bichir.
Blumhouse is releasing several 2025 horror movies, and while I’m excited to seeFive Nights at Freddy’s 2, especially afterthe poster reveals a highly anticipated toy character, I also can’t wait forThe Black Phone 2.The haunting and well-crafted trailer made me think of two popular horror movies, and I’m interested to see what happens next.
The Black Phone 2’s Trailer Is Dark & Scary Like A Nightmare On Elm Street & Sinister
After watching the trailer forThe Black Phone 2,I wasreminded of two classic horror movies:A Nightmare On Elm StreetandSinister.
AsFinn tries to figure out how to stop The Grabber once again, he sees Ethan Hawke’s villains in his dreams, and I think these scenes are a lot likeFreddy Krueger haunting and killing people in their sleep inA Nightmare On Elm Street. While I would love tosee anElm Streetreboot, I think this is the next best thing, and I like how diabolical and evil The Grabber is. Sure, somehorror villains have complex loreand some are even sympathetic. But, since The Grabber kidnaps children, keeps them in his basement, and then kills them, there is no possibility of a redemption arc. I like that, based onThe Black Phone 2trailer, it seems likeThe Grabber’s spirit is haunting Finnas this adds a new and complicated layer to the already compelling story.
SinceScott Derrickson directedThe Black Phonefranchise andSinister, it’s easy to seesimilarities between these scary stories, and I appreciate their bleak and gruesome tones. As Finn gets deeper into the mystery of The Grabber, I was reminded of Hawke’sSinistercharacter Ellison Oswalt, a true crime author who gets sucked into the evil forces haunting his new house. Both Finn and Ellison have a desire to learn as much as they can and to save themselves and their loved ones, and they’re also able to move past their fear and jump into the terrifying situations they’re in.
I was a big fan ofThe Black Phoneand especially appreciatedthe performances by the two main child actors. I wasn’t surehow The Grabber would appear againsince he dies atthe end of the movie, but I thinkit makes sense for him to be a ghost. This way, the sequel doesn’t retcon the events of the original film, and there is no plot hole. Since Finn spends much ofThe Black Phonetalking to ghosts on the phone and his sister Gwen has visions, I think it’s smart for the sequel to lean more into the supernatural.
There are someparticularly grim and terrifying scenes inThe Black Phone 2trailer, such as The Grabber creeping forward in the snow, and I can’t wait to see how these unnerving images fit into the rest of the story. Since I considerSinisteris one of the most unsettling and disturbing horror movies, I’m sure thatThe Black Phone 2will be terrifying, but will still feature the strong character development of the original.
Scott Derrickson Called The Black Phone 2 “Violent, Scarier, More Graphic”
In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Scott Derrickson talked about the tone ofThe Black Phone 2, which finds the characters in high school. He explained how this shifted the feeling of the sequel and said:
“A middle school coming-of-age horror movie is a different animal than a high school coming-of-age horror film. And there’s a ratcheting up of intensity because of that.”
He continued:
“It is certainly more violent, scarier, more graphic. And part of that is because of the age of the kids.”
The Black Phone 2will be released in theaters on October 17th, 2025,and I’m excited to see how Finn and Gwen defeat The Grabber this time.
