From new threats to returning characters: Here’s everything fans need to know about Black Phone 2

Black Phone 2 is all set to take fans back to the unsettling universe of Scott Derrickson’s 2021 horror movie The Black Phone. Instead of continuing Finney’s story from the first movie, the sequel takes the saga into a darker and more supernatural realm.

The follow-up continues to center on the lives of Finney and his sister Gwen. The siblings were able to beat the villain in the last movie: Ethan Hawke's character, The Grabber, who was the masked killer.

The villain has now returned to haunt the brother and sister beyond the grave. The cast for Black Phone 2 includes Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Davies, and Demián Bichir. It is scheduled to hit theaters on October 17, 2025.

A chilling return to the past

Set in 1982, Black Phone 2 is coming four years after the first movie. Finney is now a teenager, still coping with the trauma he experienced from being kidnapped. Gwen, Finney's sister, has had strange dreams before that helped save her brother. She begins dreaming again, but this time, in her waking state, connects with The Grabber's previous victims as well as connecting with her late mother, who appears to be trying to warn her.

The siblings discover other clues that lead them to a winter camp called Alpine Lake, where new horror awaits.

Ethan Hawke returns as the spirit of The Grabber, whose ghost continues to haunt the living. Derrickson creates a combination of ghost story and psychological horror and combines grief, guilt, and supernatural mystery. The film further highlights the Blake family's struggles after the death of the mother and the father's continued struggles with alcoholism.

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A darker, more emotional sequel

Director Scott Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill develop the premise beyond a simple slasher. The movie centers on the unending trauma of surviving, while Gwen’s psychic dreams exemplify how the past cannot be buried in the past.

Using an analog, 1980s milieu, with defining art direction, eerie sound design, and dreamlike visuals, Black Phone 2 proceeds methodically, diffusing unsettling horror within a profound exploration of the psyche.

With haunting performances, scary visuals, and a retro aesthetic, Black Phone 2 deepens and expands the core premise of The Black Phone - now that the killer is gone, the call is from the killer’s ghost.

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FAQs

When does Black Phone 2 come out?

It will be released on October 17, 2025.

Who returns from the original cast?

Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke, and Jeremy Davies return.

What new threats await in this sequel?

The Grabber returns from the dead with supernatural powers and begins haunting Gwen and Finney again.