Stephen King’s Black Phone 2 Verdict Will Have Horror Fans Screaming
Fresh off a major festival premiere, Stephen King weighed in on Black Phone 2 with a social media reaction set to thrill horror fans ahead of the film’s October 2025 release.
Stephen King just weighed in on Black Phone 2, and he did not whisper. The hot take landed right as the sequel bowed at a major festival and a few weeks ahead of its October 2025 release. If you were on the fence about a follow-up to one of the better studio horror films of the last few years, this will nudge you.
Stephen King throws the gauntlet down
It's not as good as the first one. IT'S BETTER.
That was King on September 22, 2025, posted from his official X (formerly Twitter) account. He paired the line with the film's promo art: a snow-caked, devilish mask; Ethan Hawke's name; the title in stark black-and-red lettering; the tagline 'Dead is just a word'; plus the October 17, 2025 date and Scott Derrickson credited as director. Subtle it is not, but subtlety wasn't really the point.
Why this endorsement actually matters
Black Phone 2 premiered at Fantastic Fest and started picking up early buzz, which got turbocharged once King chimed in. Beyond the obvious 'he's Stephen King' factor, there's some inside baseball here: the original short story that became The Black Phone was written by his son, Joe Hill. So when King says the sequel outdoes the first, horror fans pay attention.
Where the sequel picks up
We're four years out from Finn killing his abductor and getting free. Gwen's visions are back and getting darker, while Finn is still trying to live with what happened. The hook this time: Gwen starts getting calls in her dreams from the black phone, pulling her and Finn up to Alpine Lake in the middle of a winter storm. Waiting there is a stronger, meaner iteration of The Grabber, and his presence ties straight into their family history. Not exactly a low-stakes return.
Who's in it
- Returning: Ethan Hawke as The Grabber, Mason Thames as Finn, Madeleine McGraw as Gwen, plus Jeremy Davies and Miguel Mora
- New faces: Demián Bichir, Arianna Rivas, Maev Beaty, Graham Abbey
Who's making it
Scott Derrickson is back to direct and co-write with longtime collaborator C. Robert Cargill, working from characters created by Joe Hill. Jason Blum, Derrickson, and Cargill produce, with Hill, Adam Hendricks, and Ryan Turek on board as executive producers. Universal Pictures has the theatrical rollout locked for October 17, 2025.
Long story short: the sequel hits festivals, Stephen King calls his shot, and now Black Phone 2 walks into theaters with a target on its back and the confidence to match. We'll see if the mask fits.