As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, his sister begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake.
Posted: November 5, 2025
So after watching Black Phone 2, I couldn’t help but feel like it was, in a way, very much like A Nightmare On Elmstreet. The whole movie was basically about a killer, who by the way was killed in the first Black Phone, and is coming back to seek revenge on Finn. Only this time it was through his sister’s dreams. Sound familiar right? Now this isn’t a complete copycat in any way, but when the cuts and burns started appearing on Gwen’s arms, I couldn’t help but think, “yeah this isn’t something new.”
Now I did rather enjoy this movie, but it could have been much better. I didn’t really care for all the dream sequences that were put in the movie. I feel like they really over did it with those. I probably wouldn’t have minded it as much if they weren’t shot with that grainy, old school film filter look applied to them. I mean, I get it, she was dreaming, there’s no need to keep making it look like that. It got pretty old, real fast.
There’s a few things that stood out to me after I finished watching the movie. Like why does Finn even keep answering every phone to begin with? Just because a pay phone is ringing somewhere, doesn’t mean you need to answer it. But then again, I guess if he doesn’t, it would make for a very short and boring film. Also, when they go to Christian camp, why didn’t Finn just tell Mondo that his sister sleep walks so he needs to be in the same cabin as her? Instead, she’s left all alone to freely roam around in her sleep. Seems kinda dumb to me… But Ok.
I was also a little confused when they first went to the Christian camp. Originally, when Gwen and Ernie got in the car to leave, and Finn and his dad are standing on the porch, I thought they were going to the Duran Duran concert. Then Finn suddenly packs a bag and gets in the car and goes with. But they didn’t go to the Duran Duran concert. Instead, they end up at the Christian camp. Did I miss something there or did they totally skip over the entire concert they were supposed to go to?
Then comes the ending… When they were fighting the grabber, I wasn’t really sure who was dreaming and who wasn’t. Gwen was asleep, but Finn was fighting a supernatural force he couldn’t see but then was suddenly able to see him. The camera cuts back and forth between him fake fighting air and him fighting a real person. So could he see him or not? The same goes for the dead kids they were looking for in the water. You see them grabbing the grabber out of the water, but then you just see a skeleton grabbing him. At that point, I wasn’t sure what was a dream and what was reality. They switched back and forth way to much to have it make any sense. If you’ve seen the movie then you’ll know what I’m talking about, but if you haven’t, well you’re in for a confusing treat.
I also want to point out that there are a few rediculous parts in the movie that didn’t make any sense. For instance, when the grabber is trying to get Gwen while she’s asleep. At one point, Gwen is spinning around in a circle super fast like a top. But they never show what the grabber is actually doing to her. So why was she spinning so fast and how did that even happen? I know it’s a supernatural entity doing it, but they showed every other part he was doing like choking her or throwing her, but when she’s spinning like crazy, they skipped that part…Hmmmmm… and this happened more than once.
Now I’m not trying to analyze every little thing about the movie because, well, it’s a movie, but those are a few things that just stood out to me. I did enjoy the film but I think maybe they shouldn’t have made a sequel. At least not with this Freddy Krueger plot.
So would I watch it again? Yes I would, but mostly just to see some of things I might have missed the first time. Overall it’s worth a watch if you’re a fan of the first Black Phone, but if you’re thinking it’s going to be like that again, you’ll be disappointed. Don’t be like me and analyze all the mistakes, just watch the movie for what it is and you’ll probably enjoy it.
Overall Verdict: It's worth watching but don't expect it to be like the first one. If you're a fan of The Nightmare On Elm Street movies, you'll probably enjoy this as well.
Posted: November 11, 2025
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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6.2/10