Black Phone 2 is a 2025 American supernatural horror film directed by Scott Derrickson who co-wrote it with C. Robert Cargill. It serves as a sequel to The Black Phone (2021). The film stars Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, and Ethan Hawke reprising their roles from the first film, with Demián Bichir also joining the cast. The story sees siblings Finney and Gwen, along with their friend Ernesto, head to a winter youth camp to uncover a mystery regarding the first victims of the Grabber, whose ghostly presence now haunts the camp.
Black Phone 2 premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 20, 2025,[5] and was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on October 17. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $130 million worldwide with a budget of $30 million.
Plot
In 1982, four years after Finney Blake killed the Grabber,[a] his sister Gwen begins having dreams where she sees murders that happened at Alpine Lake Camp in 1957. During one, she receives a call from her mother Hope, who at the time of the 1957 murders was having similar dreams. Gwen convinces Finney and Ernesto, the brother of the late Robin Arellano, to travel to Alpine Lake Camp. A heavy blizzard traps them there with the camp supervisor Armando, his niece Mustang, and two camp employees, Kenneth and Barbara. The three kids begin investigating what Gwen's dreams might mean.
On the second night, Finney receives a call on the camp's dead payphone, this time from the Grabber. Speaking from death, the Grabber vows revenge, blaming Finney for forcing him to kill his own brother and for ending his life. Moments later, Gwen is violently attacked in her dream by the Grabber but Finney, Ernesto, and Mustang manage to save her. The shaken group gathers in the camp's chapel, where Armando and the others realize they must find the bodies of the Grabber's victims from Alpine Lake Camp to loosen his power over the dream realm. The group deduces that the bodies are beneath Lake Maru.
As they investigate further, they discover that Armando, Hope, and the Grabber had all known each other at the camp long ago. That night, Gwen dreams of the Grabber; he reveals Hope did not commit suicide and he actually killed her, staging it to look self-inflicted. He then attempts to kill Gwen, with her injuries sustained in the dream manifesting in reality. She manages to gain power in her dream and fight back before being woken up by Finney and Ernesto. Meanwhile, Armando is searching for the boys' bodies. The next day, Finney's and Gwen's father Terrence arrives, having borrowed a snowplow to get there. Gwen confronts both Terrence and Finney on their abuse of alcohol and drugs to avoid thinking about their traumatic pasts. They decide to stay to defeat the Grabber and put the murdered boys to rest.
Later, joined by Kenneth and Barbara, the group returns to the frozen lake to recover the three missing boys. Gwen prays to Jesus to keep her alive and succeed in her mission to find the boys. As they search, Gwen falls asleep again and is attacked by the Grabber. The Grabber also attempts to murder Finney, Terrence, and the others present. During the struggle, Gwen locates the boys' bodies beneath the ice, removing the Grabber's power. Finney, Gwen, and the spirits of the murdered boys attack the Grabber, and he is dragged beneath the frozen lake. The next day, as Gwen, Finney and Ernesto prepare to leave, Gwen answers a call on the payphone, in which Hope tells Gwen that she is proud of her.
Cast
Mason Thames as Finney, the Grabber's only known survivor
Miguel Mora as Ernesto, the brother of Robin, who was one of the Grabber's victims and Finney's friend. Mora also previously played Robin in the first film.[6]
James Ransone as Max, the Grabber's brother who he killed prior to his death
Production
In June 2022, Scott Derrickson said that while Joe Hill was protective of his 20th Century Ghosts eponymous story, the author had pitched him a "wonderful idea" for a sequel that he was open to directing if The Black Phone was a success.[10] In August, Derrickson and Hill confirmed that there were discussions with the studio to make a sequel. Derrickson referred to the financial success of the first film as one of the catalysts for the project.[11] Hill said his inspiration to writing a sequel was based on the "iconic imagery" of the Grabber's masks.[12]
In November 2023, it was reported that Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, and Jeremy Davies would reprise their roles from the first film. Miguel Cazarez Mora would also appear, though in a different role from the original. The script was written by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, with the duo also serving as producers on the sequel.[13] In December, Derrickson was confirmed to return as the director.[14] In September 2024, Demián Bichir joined the cast.[15] With the working title of Mysterium, principal photography began in Toronto and Hamilton on November 4, 2024, and was set to conclude on January 15, 2025,[16][17] with Pär M. Ekberg serving as the cinematographer.[18] In December, Arianna Rivas joined the cast.[19] Filming concluded on January 23, 2025.[20][21] The film's score was composed by Atticus Derrickson, the director's son.[22]
Release
Black Phone 2 premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 20, 2025, and was released on October 17, 2025.[23] It was originally set to be released on June 27, 2025.[24]
Home media
Black Phone 2 was released on digital on November 4, 2025.[25]
Reception
Box office
As of November24,2025[update], Black Phone 2 has grossed $77 million in the United States and Canada and $54 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $130 million.[4]
In the United States and Canada, Black Phone 2 made $2.6 million from Thursday previews.[26] The film then topped the box office on its opening weekend, dethroning Tron: Ares, after making $27.3 million at the domestic box office.[27][28][29]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of 183 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "Taking the consequences of its predecessor seriously, Black Phone 2 is a chilling sequel that mines memorable scares and thought-provoking themes from the scars that linger."[30]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 61 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[31] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of B on an A+ to F scale, lower than the B+ earned by its predecessor.[32]
Bret Eckelberry of Plugged In concluded that Black Phone 2 is "a horror flick with heart".[33] Katie Walsh of the Los Angeles Times felt that it was "a bit surprising that Black Phone 2 turns out to be so pious and deeply Christian, which is a bit of an odd mix".[34]
In October 2025, Derrickson stated that he would only develop a third film if the story can be better than the previous two installments, expressing that he wants the series to be quality over quantity.[38] Hawke expressed interest in reprising his villainous role in a sequel, stating that he would like to explore the background story of the Grabber, his journey into Hell, and his continued hauntings of other characters.[39] Hill stated that he foresees the potential for various sequels but acknowledged that their reality depends on the financial success of Black Phone 2.[40] Cargill acknowledged the potential for another film but echoed Derrickson's thoughts by stating that they would only start production if the creatives could develop a story that is worthy of realizing.[41]
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