Black Phone 2 Is Crushing the Original in Reviews — Critics Are Raving

Early buzz on Black Phone 2 is surprisingly strong. Reviews are just starting to trickle in, there’s no Rotten Tomatoes score yet, and the sample size is small — but critics are already calling this Ethan Hawke-led follow-up an upgrade over the original.

"Scott Derrickson collapses dreams, reality, past, and present sidelong into a singular cinematic haunted space."

What critics are saying so far

• Slashfilm’s Rafael Motamayor says it sidesteps repeating the first movie and pivots into a 'Dream Warriors'-esque angle — basically, think more supernatural heat — turning The Grabber into an undead nightmare.
• RogerEbert.com’s Brian Tallerico finds it a bit long, but says it still clicks in unexpected, creative ways.
• IndieWire’s Katie Rife calls out the sequel’s nods to classic horror, and not in a lazy way — she frames the references as actually enjoyable.

So what’s the sequel actually doing?

The setup leans harder into the uncanny. Gwen is determined to stop the nightmare that’s been dogging her and her brother, Finn. She convinces him to visit a camp during a winter storm — yes, very horror-movie timing — and there she uncovers a nasty overlap between The Grabber and her own family history. From there, Gwen and Finn have to face a killer who’s only gotten stronger in death, and far more entangled with their lives than they ever imagined.

Who’s behind it (and who’s in it)

Black Phone 2 is based on characters created by Joe Hill. Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill wrote the script, with Derrickson back directing. The cast includes Ethan Hawke, Demián Bichir, Arianna Rivas, Miguel Mora, Jeremy Davies, Maev Beaty, and Graham Abbey.

Derrickson, Cargill, and Jason Blum produce. Executive producers are Ryan Turek, Adam Hendricks, Daniel Bekerman, and Jason Blumenfeld.

Bottom line: early word says it pushes past the first movie instead of replaying it, leans into the 'Dream Warriors' vibe, and makes The Grabber even scarier on the other side.

Black Phone 2 opens October 17, 2025.