Reviewed By: Popcornicus
In recent years there seems to have been a wave of new shows and films being made which are set in the 80’s. I’m here for all of it, which is one of the reasons I wanted to check this one out. Black Phone 2 takes place in the early 80’s, four years after the events of the first installment. I was a bit hesitant going into this one because I recall being disappointed with the original Black Phone. I had high hopes for that one but I was left underwhelmed. So this time I went in with more managed expectations. Turns out this was the right approach.
After Finn’s sister Gwen starts having dreams about receiving calls from the black phone and having visions of three dead boys at a Christian Youth Camp where her mother once worked, she convinces her brother (who is still struggling to heal from his captivity) and friend Ernesto to travel to the camp to find answers. What was odd was that Ernesto invites Gwen to a Duran Duran concert, she accepts, and later when he comes to pick her up, Finn decides to come with, only they head up to the camp. Not sure what the point of the Duran Duran show was. It didn’t seem like that was a cover, they just never explained how they went from planning to go to a concert to packing overnight bags for a trip to the Lake Camp.
Anyway, conveniently there is a massive blizzard on the way up to the lake which means they are the only ones who show up for camp. The only others present are the camp supervisor Mando, his niece Mustang, and two other camp employees Kenneth and Barbara (NOT BARB).They can lose their state license if the males and females don’t bunk in separate cabins, so Gwen is separated from the other two (Really? Come on. They are brother/sister and it’s a freaking blizzard – I’m sure an exception could have be made).
Each dream sequence is distinguished with the use of a grainy film filter so that it’s obvious when Gwen is in a dream. Most of the horror sequences take part in Gwen’s dreams, where she is attacked and sees all her visions. It starts to get a little confusing because while Gwen only sees the Grabber in her dreams, the Grabber is also still calling Finn on the payphone, and even calls Mando on the radio. It seems they are all being haunted, though for Gwen it’s only while she’s dreaming.
I will say Gwen’s character is the best part of the movie. She’s really the only smart one of the bunch, and she’s got a filthy mouth that is very reminiscent of Debra Morgan from Dexter. Her humorous quips liven up the scenes. Mustang, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. They had her trying to talk like a cowboy the whole time which I just wasn’t buying (“if you’re yellow-bellied and barn-soured” – gimme a break).
There are some actual creepy parts though which is the whole point, right? My favorite scene in the movie is where in her dream Gwen meets with the Grabber who explains to her that her mom did not in fact commit suicide, but that he was responsible for her death. He then tells her he’s now got to kill her too. For a brief moment that was truly creepy. Unfortunately it had to be ruined by one of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen. She runs into his house and into the basement where the black phone rings. Despite being actively chased, she stops to answer the phone. There’s a voice that simply says “you need to hide.” Haha, what? Gee thanks, no kidding, what do you think I’m trying to do? Thanks for wasting my time. Not sure what the point of that was.
The ending sequence wasn’t bad story-wise but I didn’t care for all the green screen/CGI/special effects stuff in there. I realize some of it is necessary to make the story work, but the whole ending on the ice just looked really fake to me. With all that said, and with all it’s flaws, it still managed to keep me engaged the whole time and I wanted to see how it ended. I do think it was a step up from the first Black Phone, but again I went in with fewer expectations, which could be why.
Overall Verdict: Decent watch for 80’s horror movie fans
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