Black Phone 2

Finney (Mason Thames) does battle with The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) again in Black Phone 2 (Distributed by Universal Pictures)

My biggest issue with horror sequels is that they tend to try too hard to change as little as possible from the original. After all, people clearly liked it enough to spawn a follow-up. Don’t fix what isn’t broken. They’ll be bloodier, more violent, probably wilder in narrative, but very similar nonetheless, making them redundant and perfunctory. That can’t honestly be said about Black Phone 2.

The original was supernatural horror about a boy kidnapped by a serial killer who escapes thanks to previous victims communicating with him through a dead phone. This time it follows the same boy and his sister, who communicates with the dead through her dreams, as they battle the child killer again, now haunting them from beyond the grave. It certainly contains elements from its predecessor, mixing it with aspects of A Nightmare on Elm Street to create a next step that is sort of logical. The result is uneven to say the least.

Whereas The Black Phone was consistent and confident, Black Phone 2 (109 minutes, minus the end credits) is neither of those things. It is all over the place, with a slapped together plot, introducing a silly mythology that makes the original make less sense. It tries to be sad, scary, funny and exciting, sometimes in the same scene. The premise is so absurd, yet the screenplay doesn’t go crazy enough with bonkers ideas for it. It plays it straight too much.

I think we’re supposed to take the villain seriously as a threat. That was easy the first time around. He was a terrifying myth who was all too real. Now he’s a movie monster who can be anywhere and do anything. There are some cool things here, but many more poor choices. The Black Phone didn’t seem like it needed a sequel. Hopefully, this one closes the door on a third.

Four years after killing The Grabber, Finney Blake is a teenager suffering from PTSD. While he is ignoring his ability to speak with the dead, his sister, Gwen, begins having more intense dreams connected to a lakeside camp. When Finn and Gwen arrive at the camp, they discover that The Grabber lured them there for revenge.

Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) faces off with The Grabber

The best thing returning director Scott Derrickson does here is the way he differentiates between the real world and Gwen’s dream world. Reality is sharp, with light colors. The white of the snow is blinding. Dreams are grainy, with muted colors. This is used to great effect, especially in one sequence where Gwen “wakes up” even though she is still fast asleep.

Less effective is the cutting back-and-forth between the two, where she can see The Grabber, while everyone else cannot. Her being thrown around by an invisible force looks pretty goofy, not anywhere close to the frightening visual it was intended to be. However, the dream logic is kind of creepy, despite the villain feeling like a product of it, as opposed to being in control of it.

That’s really where Black Phone 2 falls apart. In its predecessor, it was The Grabber’s game and Finn had to outsmart him at it. He never feels like a genuine presence here. Him calling Finn from Hell and stalking Gwen in her dreams could work as an intriguing metaphor for trauma: how it affects not just those who directly experienced it, but also their loved ones. Finn’s trauma is mostly reduced to him smoking pot and looking aloof. Oddly, in a refreshing twist, he’s not the protagonist this time. It is Gwen who drives the story and has the most important role in it. The Grabber is barely a character, thus making it difficult to get invested on any level.

The Black Phone worked so well because Finn’s predicament was truly unnerving and he was a likably plucky hero. The sequel has no suspense or tension because the rules are tenuous and the antagonist is merely an ill-defined concept. It is strange and creative enough to not be totally worthless. Still, it is a massive step down. Just another example that shows not every successful movie needs to be a franchise.

2½ out of 5

Cast:

Mason Thames as Finney

Madeleine McGraw as Gwen

Ethan Hawke as The Grabber

Demián Bichir as Mando

Miguel Mora as Ernesto

Jeremy Davies as Terrence

Directed by Scott Derrickson

Screenplay by C. Robert Cargill and Scott Derrickson