After the success of the first “The Black Phone” movie, the sequel “Black Phone 2” was released on Oct. 17. The second film takes place four years after the terrifying events Finney Blake experienced at the age of 13 in the first movie. Both films are based on a short story found in Joe Hill’s novel “20th Century Ghosts” published in 2004. After hearing that a second film was in the works, I was eager to see what Blumhouse Productions would bring to the screens with the second film.
As someone who has been an avid horror movie fan for years, recently released horror movies rarely live up to my expectations, with most being low-quality or parodies of other films. However, this film’s duology’s storyline and production are impressive. “Black Phone 2” centers around Gwen Blake, Finney’s younger sister, played by Madeline McGraw. With her psychic abilities and visions, she ends up connecting with her deceased mother, which stirs up trouble and reveals secrets from the dead. After having brutal nightmares about The Grabber, a notorious serial killer and Finney’s abductor from the first movie, Finney and Gwen both realize they have unfinished business with The Grabber.
Compared to the first film, the atmosphere of this movie was more intense and contained more supernatural elements, creating a creepy mood. With the film centering on Gwen and her dreams instead of Finney, the directors had a solid plot to work with. The scenes with Gwen’s dreams created an atmosphere similar to the horror movie classic “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” which elevated the horror aspect of the movie.
The plot twists were creative as well. The producers developed a straightforward plot while also blending in unanswered questions from the first film to deepen the storyline and characters.
The actors themselves did an extraordinary job portraying their characters. It was impressive to see young and upcoming actors, such as Thames, put so much emotion into the characters they played, adding to the atmosphere of the film by realistically portraying the fear experienced by their characters.
Despite the incredible acting, one issue with the movie itself is the dialogue. Some of the characters’ dialogue, specifically Gwen’s dialogue, came across as unserious and unrelated to the film. It was difficult to take parts of the film seriously when the characters were saying immature lines during serious moments in the movie.
In comparison to most present-day horror movies, “Black Phone 2” was an exceptional horror movie and sequel. Despite dialogue flaws, the plot was uniquely complex, and it served as a satisfying continuation of the storyline portrayed in the first film.
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