In North Denver, 1982, we’re catching up with Finney a few years after he barely made it out alive from a dangerous serial killer called the Raptor. The whole thing messed him up pretty bad, and he’s trying to deal in any way he can—like smoking pot to take the edge off. Gwen, his sister who helped save him, is going through her own rough patch. She’s getting these creepy visions about kids trapped under ice in a lake. When she dreams, it feels like her late mom is somehow talking to her, connecting back to this winter camp where her mom used to work ages ago.

Charlie convinces Ernesto, who she’s kind of into and Finney to be counselors at this snowy old camp called Alpine Lake. As they poke around there, they start digging into an old mystery about missing kids and realize there’s something spooky going on that ties back to the Raptor—even though he’s long gone.

After they saw how well Black Phone did at the box office, they figured why not continue the story for Black Phone 2? Even though that original movie wrapped things up nicely. They decided if a killer’s dead it doesn’t really matter—why not just pull a Freddy Krueger move and bring him back from beyond like some nightmare villain? Seriously gives you those ‘80s horror vibes all over again!
Scott Derrickson and his co-writer C. Robert Cargill took a cool story by Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son. For the second movie in the series, they nailed creating this dark, almost dream-like atmosphere that feels both familiar and fresh at the same time.

Unlike many sequels that just try to copy-paste what’s already been done, Derrickson shakes things up a bit. The first movie was all about feeling trapped, really closed in. This time around, though, there’s all this snow and wide-open icy spaces—totally chilling in a different way. It gives you that creepy “out-in-the-open but still not safe” vibe.

Now, there’s this one part of the film which might drag on for some folks—it’s pretty deep into explaining stuff and even dives into characters’ heads. It might lose you for a minute there emotionally, but before and after that stretch? Derrickson’s back to blowing minds visually with scenes packed full of style and nail-biting tension.
This movie dives deep into the epic battle between Good and Evil, pulling no punches and involving everyone and everything. It’s got an interesting mystical and religious vibe that you didn’t see much back in those days. While there are no big plot twists, they nail the staging with perfectly timed scare moments to keep your eyes glued to the screen.

The main trio from the last film are back in action! Mason Thames and Ethan Hawke both do their thing well, bringing solid performances as you’d expect. But Madeleine McGraw really steals the show once again with her role as the psychic little sister. She’s downright amazing—believable and full of depth.