Movie · 2025 · Horror, Thriller · 1h 54m · R · English
Curator score: 2.3/10 (635.7K ratings)
Dead is just a word.
Overview
Four years after defeating The Grabber, Finney Blake is struggling with life after captivity. When his younger sister Gwen begins receiving calls in her dreams from the Black Phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp, the siblings become determined to solve the mystery and confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine.
Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Demián Bichir, Miguel Mora, Jeremy Davies, Arianna Rivas, Maev Beaty, Graham Abbey, James Ransone, Anna Lore, Simon Webster, Shepherd Munroe, Chase B. Robertson, Dexter Bolduc, Jazlyn Wong-Lee, Julien Norman, Jacob Moran
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A moodier, more emotionally driven sequel than a simple repeat of the first film, with dream-logic horror and sibling trauma giving it some real texture. It sounds strongest when it leans into Gwen’s visions, winter-camp unease, and the lingering damage of survival, though the premise may still feel familiar if you wanted a sharper, more original scare engine.
Best for
fans of supernatural horror sequels that deepen character psychology
viewers who like dream sequences, haunted-child imagery, and wintry isolation
audiences interested in trauma-forward horror with a sibling bond at the center
Skip if
you want a fully fresh concept rather than a continuation of an established villain
you prefer lean, grounded thrillers over supernatural mythology
you are tired of franchise horror that revisits the same killer energy with a new setting
Overview
Black Phone 2 looks less interested in repeating the first film’s mechanics than in widening the emotional fallout. The setup suggests a sequel about survival after survival: Finney is still carrying the damage, while Gwen becomes the more active conduit for the story through dreams, visions, and the pull of a winter-camp mystery.
Worth noting
That shift gives the film a stronger identity than a routine follow-up. The appeal here is the atmosphere: cold-weather dread, psychic intrusion, and a killer who feels more like a lingering curse than a simple slasher villain. It sounds like the movie understands that horror gets scarier when the haunting is personal.
Bottom line
Still, the core ingredients are familiar enough that mileage will depend on execution. If the sequel balances emotion, invention, and menace, it could be a satisfying expansion. If not, it risks feeling like a polished rerun with a more elaborate dream coat of paint.
Top Letterboxd reviews
𝐉 (3★) · 13954 likes
“I think it's hot you talk to Jesus”🥀🕊️
thenotoriousjac (4★) · 13038 likes
the phone put more emotion into ringing than Gal Gadot ever did into acting
lucia🎞 (4.5★) · 8926 likes
i'm sorry, the old grabber can't come to the phone right now. why? oh, 'cause he's dead