Lede
A horror sequel that confuses blur with depth and dreams with drama. The phone rings. The edit snoozes.
Black Phone 2 (2025): Roast movie synopsis
Four years after the basement, Finney is 17 and still jumpy. Gwen’s dreams start ringing again. A winter church camp, a dead payphone, and the Grabber calling from the other side. The siblings follow visions into a blizzard, digging up old murders and awkward family secrets. The dream logic leans on a grain filter. It all builds to a frozen-lake face-off that tries to hang up on sense.
Black Phone 2 | Official Trailer
What does not make sense
- A third of the film looks like a VHS fever. Grainy equals dream, apparently. It mostly equals squint.
- If the rules are dream rules, write them. Do not improvise mid-scene. The stakes slip when logic does.
- The Grabber from beyond. Elm Street vibes without Elm Street wit. Referencing is not replacing.
- Two hours for this pace. A loo break becomes a plot break. The couch wins.
Sense check / The numbers
- UK release: 16 Oct 2025. Runtime: 114 minutes. Certificate: R in the US. [Vue, The Numbers]
- Opening weekend US: 27.3m dollars. Worldwide to 28 Oct: 85.8m dollars on a 30m budget. [Variety, The Numbers, Wikipedia]
- Second weekend in North America: 13.0m dollars, behind Chainsaw Man. [AP]
- CinemaScore: B. The first film got B+. [CinemaScore, Wikipedia]
- Critics pick at the grainy dream look and muddled rules. [The Guardian]
Cast and credits
Director: Scott Derrickson. Writers: Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill.
Main cast: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Demián Bichir, Jeremy Davies.
Composer: Atticus Derrickson.
Production: Blumhouse, Crooked Highway. Distributor: Universal.
Runtime: 114 minutes. Release year: 2025.
The sketch
Scene 1: Projection booth. A slider labelled Graininess sits at 30%. Tech whispers, Dream mode on. Audience blinks.
Scene 2: Living room. The phone rings inside the telly. Viewer stands up, says: Hold that thought, kettle and loo.
Scene 3: Frozen lake. A payphone under ice glows blue. Muffled voice: Can you see me now? Gwen: Only the noise.
What to watch, not the show
- Style over sight. The 8mm look kills clarity and suspense.
- Franchise treadmill. Safe IP beats new scares. Box office says steady, not storming.
- Audience barometer. B at CinemaScore means fine, not fierce.
- Marketing vs mood. Trailer promised menace. The cut delivers mist.
The Hermit take
Horror needs rules or rhythm. This wobbles between both.
Phones ring. Fear should answer. Not film grain.
Keep or toss
Verdict: Toss.
Keep: the central idea of grief calling back.
Toss: the grainy dream crutch and the baggy second act.
Sources
IMDb page – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29644189/
The Numbers – box office, runtime, credits – https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Black-Phone-2-%282025%29
AP News – second-weekend box office – https://apnews.com/article/873214f375dfc69ed1e392b8a9524e6c
CinemaScore – title grade – https://www.cinemascore.com/
The Guardian review – visual style and rules critique – https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oct/16/black-phone-2-review-horror-sequel-ethan-hawke
Decider – release plan and windows – https://decider.com/2025/10/16/watch-black-phone-2-movie-streaming-netflix-amazon-prime-peacock/
People – trailer summary – https://people.com/ethan-hawke-black-phone-2-trailer-11695245
Cineworld – UK release date and running time – https://www.cineworld.co.uk/films/black-phone-2/ho00013444
Rotten Tomatoes overview – https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/black_phone_2
Wikipedia overview and roll-up refs – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Phone_2
