Review: Black Phone 2

Image courtesy of Universal Pictures.

So many horror movie sequels exist to simply make more money, often overstaying their welcome and continuing stories that could have ended after the first entry, so it's refreshing that Scott Derrickson's "Black Phone 2" mostly avoids those pitfalls. Those who have seen the trailer might wonder why the sequel is set in wintry environs and why the sinister Grabber (Ethan Hawke) appears to be skating around with a hatchet like he just finished watching the forgotten '80s horror movie "Curtains."

The film is set in 1982 - four years after the original - and Finney (Mason Thames) is still obviously struggling after having survived The Grabber's killing spree of young boys in suburban Colorado. Finney's sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), takes center stage in this sequel after visions she has in her dreams involve phone calls placed to her from the 1950s from a secluded church camp. The girl who she speaks to during these calls ends up having a close personal connection to her.

Once The Grabber begins taunting Gwen in her dreams - the film unapologetically riffs on "A Nightmare on Elm Street" without the picture ever feeling like a ripoff - she convinces Finney and a young man who is interested in her romantically, Ernesto (Miguel Mora), to pose as counselors-in-training at the camp, located in the snowy mountains of Colorado, to investigate.

Not surprisingly, the camp's history and The Grabber's own backstory are to be discovered by the trio, who learn of the violent deaths of three young boys at the site in the 1950s. While the first "Black Phone" movie was atmospheric and creepy, it wasn't particularly violent. Although the body count in this film is surprisingly low for an R-rated horror movie, there are a few gruesome moments, all involving children, that might catch fans of the original by surprise.

Speaking of atmosphere, Derrickson and company have made interesting stylistic choices for this sequel. The picture has a low budget, grainy visual style that makes the movie look as if it's a bootleg you might have discovered of something horrific at your favorite video store in the mid-1980s. Rather than be distracting, the film's look and feel gives it the vibe of a spooky artifact.

Once the film kicks into gear, there's not much in the way of surprises - you'll likely see some of the plot twists coming - but it's a solid sequel to a very good horror film that probably would have been just fine as a standalone. So, no, "Black Phone 2" might not have needed to exist - but it does and it's mostly an enjoyably eerie film for the Halloween season.