If I had to summarise the film in one line, it’s like that one friend who says, “I’ve got tea,” and instead tells you something mildly interesting. Right off the bat, knowing that Scott Derrickson would also be directing the second part, I went in with pretty high expectations; I’m a huge fan of the Sinister movies. It encapsulates modern horror perfectly, it has a much darker plot twist making it psychologically disturbing, and instead of the usual predicted jump scares it makes you absolutely sick to your stomach. The world created by Derrickson feels wrong, heavy, the whole concept of children brutally murdering their whole families in horrific ways leaves you sleepless for days.
Sadly, I was mistaken. While Black Phone 2 wasn’t abysmal, it wasn’t exactly amazing either. Unlike Black Phone, its sequel is rated 18, resulting in far more meaning more gore and blood, but its most gruesome scenes were let down by the questionable CGI that unintentionally left me laughing.
Black Phone 2‘s storyline was similarly flimsy; falling foul of the common error of trying to do far too much all at once. The grabber’s return is confusing and not thoroughly explained, as if they were someone popping up in a group chat after months of ghosting everyone. There were speculations from the characters about his return, but the audience was left hanging long after the credits rolled.
To further add to the confusion, Black Phone 2 is both a sequel and a prequel, like it could not pick a lane. While viewers were given lots of context about the first movie, we were left in the dark for the sequel, set four years after its predecessor. While the time travel element was promising and could have been explored in more depth, audiences were still left guessing – and ultimately left dissatisfied.
That’s not to say Black Phone 2 is all bad; the movie succeeded with its aesthetic, the cinematography was hauntingly elegant, and without a doubt the best I’ve ever seen in a horror movie. Director Scott Derrickson created these dream sequences through a point of view lens, giving the perspective that you are seeing these eery flashbacks of someone’s life. It was like watching a shaky VCR film through an old, pixelated TV, but instead colours drained from the screen as you watched yourself ending up in blood and silence. Paired with an unnerving soundtrack, it made the movie feel otherworldly, there was a creeping sense of dread and unease whilst watching.
It was the skilled performances of Black Phone 2‘s stellar cast that saved the movie from complete failure. While Ethan Hawke and Mason Thames can always deliver on set, co-star Madeleine McGraw also gave another spectacular performance. The ensemble successfully added wholesomeness to a tongue-in-cheek humour which stopped the film from taking itself too seriously. In contrast, the killer’s role felt unoriginal, the build-up and jump scares predictable.
Overall, Black Phone 2 may not be the best or scariest experience, but cinephiles will appreciate the film looked gorgeous and sounded amazing (when CGI was not involved). But even while the cast gave it their all, the film fell down on the spook stakes; it’s akin to a sleepover ghost story told by your friends. If you are expecting a hiding under the blanket type of terror, be prepared to be somewhat disappointed.
