Black Phone 2 did what many sequels could only dream of (pun intended), and that was to surpass their predecessor. Many think this film just plays the old beats of Nightmare on Elm Street and Black Phone in one combined package, and my question to that is, how is that a bad thing?? This film expands on The Grabber as a supernatural being in his own Freddy Krueger way and it’s done fucking excellently. The dream sequences are chilling, Ethan Hawke is a rockstar as the main villain and creepy as fuck in this role. He was amazing in the first film as The Grabber, but he really fleshed out the character, tone, and presence of the growing horror giant that he becomes. The chemistry with the cast also is fantastic. They work so well together and it’s amazing what a small limited cast can do and create magic facing one common evil.
This story in Black Phone 2 revolves around Gwen and it was the best directional decision, along with introducing the supernatural, that Scott Derrickson could have made. She owns this film. Sure some lines are campy and cheesy meant to be a product of the time the movie takes place, but she delivers them so well. Her battler with The Grabber being the focal point while also still having Finney fighting his own internal demons from the first film trying not to become what his father was in the first film. The introduction of the new characters worked really well too.
This movie has plenty of solid jump scares, but it has that “Sinister” pacing where when you have the grainy screen showing that signals a dream, you know you’re going to see some shit, and this film does not hold back on showing kid violence by old Wild Bill. Some of my favorites from Black Phone 2. My favorite moment was the Grabber first appearing in a dream to try to throw Gwen into the oven. Him appearing out of the dark corner had so much “aura” as the kids say these days. My favorite twist in the film was the revealing of what actually happened to their mom. Added a significant layer to the entire story and connection to The Grabber. My favorite scene overall was right before the climax where, Gwen is telling Finney and her dad that they can’t leave and why. It was a very emotionally fueled scene and actually made me get quite emotional behind the eyes. I loved this film and while I won’t get greedy, would love a third film for the hell of it. Let’s get wild with this franchise if Scott Derrickson will allow it.
The Cinema Speakeasy Theatre Room 
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