“Black Phone 2” is a movie that perfectly captures horror, relationships, and strong emotions all in one film.
In one word, it was eerie. In many words, it was a masterpiece of a movie, and one of the few times a sequel lived up to the original. Black Phone 2 is one of the scariest movies I have watched in a while. It’s not only terrifying but also creepier than the first, and explored strong themes and emotions throughout the movie.
Black Phone 2 chronicled Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen’s (Madeleine McGraw) experience with The Grabber—the violent kidnapper—in a more psychological way than the first. In the first movie, Finney is kidnapped, and it is about his escape from The Grabber, while Gwen has special dreams that leads her to solving the mystery. The second movie is about the internal battle with The Grabber instead of the physical battle, especially for Gwen.
The second movie immediately captured the vibes of the original Black Phone, which was a perfect way to begin. A lot of the time, prequels are not liked because they can feel so different from where they branched off, but Black Phone 2 did not make that mistake. I appreciated that the sequel didn’t just introduce a brand-new problem; it grew from the first, branching off from the trauma of Finney and Gwen.
That trauma is what led the plot of the movie, which made it so much more appealing to watch. The audience saw and felt the emotions of the main characters, helping them relate to the story. It explored important themes that are not often covered, such as intense trauma, depression, PTSD, and other feelings that cannot be described through simple words.
The movie didn’t lose the plot of the original, making it enticing to watch, and it let the audience anticipate every moment, every jumpscare, and every intense scene. Not only is the plot good, but the acting is phenomenal. Thames did an amazing job at showing what trauma can do to a teenager, and his acting gave me chills in some parts. McGraw excelled at representing pure rage and resentment from a teenager, enabling both actors to create a connection with the audience by exemplifying common feelings. Both actors showed the power of a sibling bond and the protectiveness, worry, and fighting that come with a relationship that strong.
As someone who likes a good horror movie, Black Phone 2 really did it for me. It was not a basic scary story; it was so much deeper than that. There are many fans of this movie series who were not disappointed with the sequel, and neither was I. Throughout the movie, there were creepy flashbacks with a foggy, eerie vision through the audience’s lens, intensifying scenes to become more chilling. The first flashback is about Finney dealing with being abducted and having a violent kidnapper, while the second one deals with the feelings that come after something so traumatic.
While the movie was such a great experience, it comes with some controversy. There was much more gore in this second one, and more violence than people might be used to. It is nothing like the Terrifier franchise, but it still has many unsightly scenes. Other than that, it was not only a horror movie, but also something inspiring. It instilled a sense of hope in its audience, the hope that people can overcome adversity and win our toughest battles. Black Phone 2 was a hit, and for good reason.