Welcome back everyone to a brand new movie review! For this one, I am going to be taking a look at the follow up to one of the more notable break out horror hits of the last couple of years. The Black Phone was based upon a short story by Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill, and was a buzzy, well reviewed hit ($161 million globally on a $17 million budget) that was big enough for Blumhouse to roll the dice on a follow up. While I didn’t have the chance to see that one in theaters, I eventually caught up with it and really enjoyed as I thought it was a very effective horror thriller that also served as a emotionally compelling character drama with some terrific performances. However, I can’t say that its a movie that naturally lends itself to a sequel, so when Black Phone 2 was announced, I was a bit skeptical at how it would be pulled off and whether they had a good idea or were just doing it to milk this newfound IP. However, with much of the same talent coming back and some solid trailers that introduced what would be going down, I became more interested. So now that The Grabber is back, is this a call worth picking up? Let’s jump right in and see what vengeance has in store!
Taking in 1982, place four years after Finney killed The Grabber, he and his sister, Gwen, have been living their lives, trying to get back to some sense of normalcy, which has been easier said than done. Now, Gwen has been starting to have these horrific dreams of child murders happening at a sleepaway camp called Alpine Lake Camp in 1957. She even starts to communicate with her deceased mother, Hope, and soon finds out that this was the camp that Hope was a camp counselor at. Now determined to figure out what is going on, Gwen is able to convince Finney (much to his reluctance) and her friend, Ernesto, to drive up to the camp to “volunteer” there. They soon find themselves trapped there when a blizzard hits isolating them a few other camp workers. From there, strange events begin to occur, with The Grabber finding his way back from beyond the grave into Finney and Gwen’s life.
Considering the close ended nature of the original, the challenge with a follow up of this nature is being able to continue the story in a way that feels natural, while still finding ways to change things up, so as not to feel like a complete re hash of what came before. Thankfully, returning director and writer, Scott Derrickson, and C. Robert Cargill, are able to pull this off better than I expected. They do this by making smart choices that make sense in terms of continuing the story and characters, such as aging up our heroes so that we see them in a new point in their life, changing the setting to expand the scope a bit, and exploring the supernatural elements that were merely present in the original, using that to flip certain dynamics so that The Grabber is using the Phone as a way to communicate with Finney from the dead, like his victims did. All of this is done very well and Cargill proves very adept at being able to juggle all of these elements seamlessly. He uses the time gap to further explore the themes of trauma that were present in the original, but looking at it from the perspective of those who experienced it and are still trying to reckon with it much later after the fact. We see the struggles Finney and Gwen have with trying to move on from the former’s fateful kidnapping and it is compellingly explored with some thoughtful conversations that dig into how one does “move on” and how to not make them define who one is as a person.
Them going back to their family’s past to face this head on is also interesting as we get to learn more about The Grabber’s connection to the main family and I will admit, what is revealed in theory is a risky play as it somewhat retcons certain things established and relies a bit too much on connecting everything together. However, it worked well for me, because I didn’t feel like it undid the impact of the first while providing an even greater sense of emotion, where I became even more invested in wanting to see our characters succeed in taking down The Grabber. The tone is very well managed with comedy being injected surprisingly well and it can be quite funny especially with how the film pokes fun at the worst kind of Christian behavior. It also doesn’t take too long for the film get the set up out of the way and get things going, with the camp stuff taking up most of the running time and while there is a good deal more explaining certain details, which sometimes stops the movie, dead in its tracks, we do get some interesting expansion of The Grabber’s backstory and how the more supernatural elements function to make the lore feel more fully rounded.
One thing that I also really dig about this movie is that it leans even further into the horror than the original, amping up the scares and creepy imagery to effective results. Derrickson is excellent at creating a chilling atmosphere in his horror films, where one just looks at the screen and gets chills just be looking at what is being shown. A large part of this is with how he shoots his scenes with Gwen’s nightmare sequences being shot with a grainy feel that gives off the feeling of watching an old video tape a la Derrickson’s Sinister. This visual look combined with some horrific imagery makes for the kind of feeling that keeps one up at night and Derrickson is smart not to overdo these parts so as to make them hit harder when they come up. Even without these scenes the newfound snow bound setting is able to provide a nice change of pace from the isolated feel of last time with the team really taking advantage of the location to create some starking contrast between this innocent sleepaway camp and the terrifying things going on in it.
The chilly vibe works in creating some great imagery with Par M. Ekberg being able to get some strong visual shots and sequences that utilize the unending darkness so well and just how scary it can be to be stuck in some snowbound location in the middle of nowhere at night. Derrickson is also able to craft some truly intense scare sequences that had me on the edge of my seat. The way he pans the camera around to reveal what’s in the background gave me chills at times and the jump scares in parts are very well done with great build up and what is revealed tends to actually be scary with some fantastic gore effects being used (definitely a more violent picture than the first impressively). Some great editing in some of the more fast paced, intense scenes with a lot of cutting between what the different characters are doing, but in a way that flows very well and there is a lot of energy that just them all the more investing. This is epicially true of the climax which plays around with the idea of The Grabber doing things in the dream world that can’t be seen in the real world to great effect and in a way that makes one fear for the character greatly.
The return of talent involved with the first, extends to the cast with pretty much every major player being present and accounted for here, with the profiles of a couple having risen quite a bit since then. They all slip back comfortably in their roles, doing new things with their characters at the same time. Mason Thames continues to make Finny into a sympathetic character, one who has matured quite a bit since his kidnapping, becoming overprotective and a bit more aggressive towards those who threaten him or his sister. Thames is able to successfully bring a lot of rage to this role that was brought up by his upbringing, but he also showcases his more sensitive side very well too, which is most evident in the scenes with him and Gwen. I think the movie explores his inner demons quite well as he struggles with a smoking addiction, trying to repress his feelings when all that does is make him grow more distant. It’s a compelling way to continue his story and it is quite satisfying seeing him talk back to The Grabber so harshly, showing just how far he has come. However, I would argue that Gwen is more of the lead this time around, a smart move to make as I thought Madeleine McGraw was a stand out last time around. She’s terrific once again, still delivering sassy, foul mouthed remarks with ease, while getting even more meaty material to work with as she continues to come to terms with her psychic abilities. Her journey of discovering the mysteries of her family’s past while learning to not see herself as a monster and fight back her trauma is so powerful as we see her stand up to evil forces like The Grabber and learn the harsh realities of what happened to her mother. It is all excellently done with one moment near the end serving as a lovely coda to her whole arc that made me tear up a bit.
I also appreciated the way other characters were handled, with Finn and Gwen’s father, Terrence (Jeremy Davies), having come a long way since days as a drunk, abusive dad. I do think that that element of the first feel a bit overlooked by the end, with it feeling like he was let off the hook slightly by the end. This improves the first further, by showing he has gone through serious efforts to become a better man, becoming sober and actually trying to raise his children correctly, but he also is still reeling from the trauma of losing his wife and nearly losing his children and is trying to hold all of that in, not dissimilar to his son (like father like son in an unending cycle of self destructiveness). The moment where he is confronted with all of this and it makes for one of best dramatic beats in the film and I liked the role he ended up playing in the story as it goes on. We also get some strong new additions thrown into the mix as well. Ernesto makes for a fun tag along with Miguel Mora successfully channeling the attempted charisma he enacts in order to swoon Gwen, spouting out a couple of cringe lines that provide some nice levity when needed. Also liked his connection to Finn as being the brother of Robin, his old friend and a victim of The Grabber and how he is also reeling from that loss, making him into more than just a funny love interest. My favorite of the new bunch is easily the camp supervisor, Armando, played wonderfully by Demian Bichir. Highly enjoyed his sarcastic quips and his dedication in finding the campers he lost so long ago, a plot point that ends up being critical and gives the character another layer. He also just nails delivering the lines of motivation and urgency that he becomes one of the most likable horror movie side characters I’ve seen in a bit. I wish the same could be said of his niece, Mustang (Arianna Rivas), who ends up getting the short shift as she gets the occasional moment to show her strong willed personality, but she ends up feeling like an afterthought, even though it does feel like her stuff got cut out (it implied that she is supposed to be some sort of romantic interest to Finney, but that’s barely developed).
The main star of the show though as far as who’s prominent on the marquee is Ethan Hawke’s The Grabber who has arguably become something of a new slasher icon in a way and for good reason. Hawke is an extraordinary actor who excels bringing this gleefully devilish individual to life, as his growling voice sends shiver down the spine and his unpredictability makes us fear for everyone even more. This movie presents him as Freddy Krueger like being who can invade dreams and use whatever spirit realm is present to interact with the real world and I think that is a very creative way of bringing him back and making him into a just as scary threat as he was in the first (albeit there it was handled more realistically). We get to see him do more crazy things with Hawke being more than down to give him an even greater sense of theatricality in terms of his physical movements (the “vengeance is mine” pose almost feels like him coming from a stage curtain about to perform). Plus, even though we learn more about him, there is still a great deal of ambiguity surrounding his true motivations with small hints at his seemingly abusive upbringing and I do appreciate that still being maintained here as it makes him into a more interesting character. He somehow becomes even more hateable given what is revealed about him here and he still manages to present himself as someone who believes what he is doing is justified despite it clearly not being the case. Oh and apparently he is a mad good ice skater which is a fun touch and leads to one of the more campier moments of the film that still oddly worked for me because of how it takes advantage of the dream world.
On the whole, I thought Black Phone 2 was a very entertaining and worthwhile follow up to a film that didn’t really scream for one. It can get bogged down in explaining things and some aspects and characters feel like they were cut down for time, however it manages to find an interesting direction to take things, I thought the way it explored its themes of trauma was compelling, it manages the tone well, it is even scarier than the original, it is an immensely well crafted picture, the performances are great, and the character work is strong. Whether or not you enjoy it more or less than the original depends on personal preferences for the kind of story each is telling and whether one likes what this sequel does in terms of changing things up. However, I think most people will be satisfied and it makes for a great watch for the spooky season and I think I liked it just as much as the first as they succeed in different areas. I am very happy to have my skepticism proven wrong here as this is the kind of surprisingly strong sequel that I love to see as it shows the creativity that can be shown in order to try and make a follow up to a surprise hit with the people involved daring themselves to see what they can do better or different. Given that this movie also ends in a very satisfying way, I’m not sure there’s much else that can be done with The Grabber, but if Derrikson, Cargill and come up with something good, I am certainly not opposed to picking up a third call (as long as I’m not put on hold).
Rating: A-
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