‘Black Phone 2’ –Terror on the telephone

Horror sequels are hardly ever worth anyone’s time. The novelty of the initial scary thing fades away the more you see it, and the situations are usually a pale imitation of the original. Yet, still, with Black Phone 2, director Scott Derickson and writer C. Robert Cargill rejoin forces to continue the story of a child predator, focusing on the survivors of his terror.

Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw also return, as does Ethan Hawke as The Grabber. Adorned in his familiar face mask, Hawke’s performance is reduced to physical and vocal elements, but he’s still able to manifest a threatening presence.

It’s helped in part by his newfound abilities from beyond the grave, as Black Phone 2 ramps up the supernatural elements of the first film.

Despite the changes, the film remains a story about a family reconciling their shared trauma. McGraw in particular, takes more of a central role in the story, giving her character Gwen more dimension. In a rare feat for a horror sequel Black Phone 2 ups the spectacle, while also staying true to its characters.

Where the movie falters is in the thrills. Perhaps it’s because I’ve seen too many horror movies, but nothing in the film kept me up at night after seeing it. There’s plenty of frightening imagery, especially to anyone sensitive to the suffering of children, but more often than not I found myself pondering the practicality of the production than being immersed in the moment.

The performances are solid, and the isolated winter cabin setting creates an adequately spooky atmosphere. Some of the dialogue is a little pointed and expository, but it comes with the lovely trade-off of moving the plot along and skipping any obligatory scenes of convincing disagreeable characters that something is afoot.

A few minor characters appear seemingly just for punishment, but they’re inconsequential to the actual plot development.

Black Phone was a film I enjoyed, yet still frustrated me with its lack of explanation for its ghostly elements. The sequel satisfies many of the burning questions I had, and offers up a continuation worthy of its strong characters and the terror of the original. It’s a suitable sequel that might in fact exceed its predecessor.

Rating: Big screen watch

Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com