Black Phone 2: better than the first?

I saw the first “The Black Phone” film right when it was released to theaters in June 2022. I got my popcorn, had watched the trailer a million times and had already fallen in love with the concept of the horror film. However, I left that theater disappointed because something was missing. 

Three years later, the sequel was released in theaters. I got my popcorn, watched the trailer, loved the concept and still left disappointed. But I also kind of loved it. That’s the funny thing about sequels, it’s usually good or bad, no in between. “Black Phone 2,” however, was in between. 

The first “Black Phone” had a fascinating concept: A child is kidnapped by a serial killer and finds himself in a basement with a mysterious phone that is tethered to the afterlife. As soon as I read the blurb, I bought my tickets. However, it fell short, and I’m still not 100% sure why. The acting, especially by the younger children in the film, was phenomenal. The scare factor was definitely there, and the plot had so much potential. However, I found that there was a lot of fluff, a lot of unanswered questions and it didn’t give me that “wow” factor. 

When I first saw a sequel in the works, I was conflicted on whether or not I should watch it. However, when I first saw that trailer, I was terrified. My friend described it as, “the stuff made from nightmares” and I can’t describe it any other way. Trailers rarely shake me, but something about this one disturbed me. I couldn’t believe it was the same film concept, and I knew I had to see it. 

I will start off with what I enjoyed about the film, because there was actually a lot I did enjoy. I actually love sequels, which is definitely an unpopular opinion, but I think a lot of stories go unfinished. After the first “Black Phone” I had a lot of questions, and they were all answered with this second one, which I appreciated. I think it’s safe to say I left “Black Phone 2” with no questions, however I was still left unsatisfied. 

It was definitely a terrifying movie, a few jump scares actually got me and the concept was very unsettling. Ethan Hawke, reprising his role as “The Grabber,” was impressively chilling as always. The focus was shifted more on Gwen, the little sister of the previous protagonist, Finney, whose kidnapping and supernatural journey was the main focus in the first film. I personally loved the shift, it allowed the movie to feel fresh and have a newer perspective while also still focusing on Finney and his trauma. The film also introduced more background on the characters we already know, especially Gwen and Finney’s mother, Hope. I thought this plot point was a great addition and added more depth to the film (I cried). 

So what was missing? Honestly? The script. I’ve watched countless horror films, I know how to ignore a cheesy line or two. But this whole movie was a cheesy line. I felt like I was watching “Riverdale” at some points. The script and the execution of it felt satire but was meant to be serious. There were just too many one-liners where I found myself laughing when I shouldn’t have been. Frankly, the dialogue was just terrible in some parts and left me disappointed. 

For a film buff, a badly written script is the most annoying thing in the world to me. It is so hard to find a fresh, interesting idea for a film and on top of that, good actors and new perspectives. “Black Phone 2” had all of that, all of the potential, and fell short because of the script. I’m not saying screenwriting is an easy task, but if everything comes together in a film like this film did, the script shouldn’t be a problem. The cringe factor of this movie really turned me off, which was a shame regarding how good the other aspects of the film were. 

If you enjoyed the first movie, I still urge you to watch this sequel, just prepare to cringe more at the writing than the jump scares.