Based on a short story by Joe Hill (son of Stephen King), the 2021 horror flick “The Black Phone” relied more on suspense and jump scares than it did on gore and OTT special FX. The movie’s supernatural element was that the dead adolescent male victims of The Grabber (a masked Ethan Hawke) communicated with Finney (Mason Thames), the serial killer’s latest captive, via a non-functioning black telephone.
Fast forward a few years, it’s 1982, and in the sequel “Black Phone 2” (Universal/Blumhouse), the formerly bullied Finney is now admired by classmates, having survived captivity by The Grabber and then killing him in the process. That doesn’t mean his life has gotten easier. Sure, his formerly abusive father, Terrence (Jeremy Davies), is now sober. But kid sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), known for her portentous (and grainy) dreams, is being “visited” by their dead mother Hope (Anna Lore), calling her from a phone booth.
Said phone booth is located on the snowy grounds of a Christian camp in the mountains. Gwen is determined to find that phone booth and sets out, in a blizzard, with Finney and classmate Ernesto (Miguel Mora), who is not only interested in Gwen romantically, but is also the brother of Robin, one of The Grabber’s victims.
At the camp, the teens, there on the pretense of being counselors-in-training, meet Mando (Demián Bichir), who purchased the camp at auction, and religious fanatic camp employees Barbara (Maev Beaty) and Kenneth (Graham Abbey). As they get acquainted and the truth about why Gwen and the guys are there emerges, the identity and history of The Grabber is revealed. He was known as Wild Bill and worked at the camp with Hope.
Of course, Hope isn’t the only one calling from beyond. Three boy campers, who were murdered, are also beckoning Gwen. Additionally, The Grabber, aka Wild Bill, is pursuing Finney from beyond, promising to get revenge, with his sights set on Gwen.
Where the first movie in the series felt fresh, there’s a heavy dose of borrowing in the sequel, mostly from the “Elm Street” realm. The worst things happen to Gwen when she’s asleep and dreaming, including being brutalized by The Grabber. So, there is an ongoing bit about keeping her awake and then struggling to wake her when she’s having a nightmare and showing signs of physical harm. Sound familiar?
That said, there are some unexpectedly humorous moments in which viewers may find themselves laughing out loud. Also, director/screenwriter Scott Derrickson, who attended an evangelical college and even minored in theology, doesn’t hold back when it comes to skewering Christian zealotry.
Rating: C+
