Freddy KruegerThe Grabber is back in Scott Derrickson’s supernatural killer chiller The Black Phone 2. Co-written by Derrickson (Sinister) with frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill (Doctor Strange), who previously adapted Joe Hill’s short story of the same name for The Black Phone (2021), this new exploration of evil expands the reach of their masked child murderer beyond the grave and into the cold recesses of fear itself. It’s a clever side step into another avenue of horror for a direct sequel, and one that finds plenty of opportunity for spooky nightmare imagery, but ultimately a story built on some pretty thin ice.
Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw return as Finney & Gwen Blake, respectively, both haunted in their own individual ways from their traumatic fight with Ethan Hawke’s The Grabber. Finney has spent the last several years stoned and alone while Gwen has been trying to fit herself into the mold of a normal 1980s American teenager. The psychic dreams that helped Gwen save her brother’s life in the previous film have become an embarrassment for her, but her abilities refuse to stay hidden. After a series of haunting nightmares involving dead children point her to the summer camp their mother attended back in the 1950s, Gwen & Finney make a trip into the snow-covered mountains looking for answers with the help of Gwen’s new crush Ernesto (played by Miguel Mora, who portrayed Ernesto‘s dead brother Robin in the previous film).
“Derrickson’s ability to craft scary sequences is undeniable…”
Waiting for them all in the cold, isolated foothills of Camp Alpine is *spooky drumroll* The Grabber. Back from a brief sojourn in the 7 Circles of Hell, he skates in from the afterlife to take his revenge on the kids that ended his (mortal) reign of terror. While searching for answers, the kids Scooby-Doo their way through the limited camp staff snowed-in along with them (including a criminally underutilized Demian Bichir), but mostly they just wait for Gwen to have an expository nightmare and fill the rest of the group in on what to do next.
Those nightmare sequences are where the movie really cooks, leaning on Derrickson’s patented 8mm aesthetic, but for all The Grabber’s insatiable rage he never really crosses the line from bad dream to boogeyman. People get hurt, sure, but no one ever seems to be in that much danger. And sadly, there is no real machine powering the story’s mystery with every unanswered question unravelling conveniently without any real effort from the gang.
The design on The Grabber as an otherworldly spirit of vengeance is great. His mask was a little silly (for me) in the first installment, but it lends so damn well here in his new form as a Dream Devil (not to be confused with A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s own Dream Demon). Beyond design, the best bits of dialogue in the film come from The Grabber as well, including a grim explanation of how Hell strips all the good parts from you, leaving only a bottomless pit of sins. It’s not a surprise that the villain should have the sharpest tongue but even with those quick moments of menace to lift a scene, the rest is pretty overwrought and undercooked.
Derrickson’s ability to craft scary sequences is undeniable but they come at the expense of a story that uses psychic imagery and assumption in place of earned discovery and clear rationale. The swings this sequel takes for its villain are all great choices, although it lacks the momentum of the original. Sadly, when it comes to conjuring a grounded story that justifies its journey from one nightmare to next, The Black Phone 2 can’t seem to answer the call.
“The swings this sequel takes for its villain are all great choices, but it lacks the momentum of the original.”
Scott Derrickson’s The Black Phone 2, from Universal Pictures & Blumhouse Productions is in theatres now! Let us know what you thought of this surprise-turn sequel over in the Nightmare on Film Street Discord (and keep them spoilers to the official Spoiler-Zone, folks). Social Media is A Cesspool. Come Hang Where The Cool Creeps Are.
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