Fantastic Fest 2025 Review: Black Phone 2

Ethan Hawke reprises his role as the Grabber in Black Phone 2, a surreal horror sequel that premiered at Fantastic Fest 2025.

When The Black Phone hit in 2021, it became an unexpected genre hit, though not without its critics. Now, The Black Phone 2 returns to Denver with Ethan Hawke reprising his role as the Grabber, alongside the returning young cast led by Mason Thames as Finn and Madeleine McGraw as Gwen. The sequel leans harder into nightmare logic, dreamscapes, and psychological battles, creating something more akin to A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Warriors than a traditional abduction thriller.

Set several years after the first film, Finn is now 17 and Gwen is older, too. Their family bond remains central, but this time the story pivots toward Gwen’s visions and the strange legacy of premonitions that seems to run in their family. That supernatural angle gives the sequel more room to explore surreal imagery and dreamlike confrontations, expanding the world beyond the confines of a basement.

Ethan Hawke’s Grabber continues to loom large, though the film makes bolder choices in deepening his mythology. Whether or not audiences wanted more of him is debatable, but the film certainly doesn’t hold back. The dreamscape aesthetic gives the filmmakers freedom to push reality to extremes—sometimes haunting, sometimes outright funny, always leaning into spectacle.

Where The Black Phone 2 still falters is in its depiction of childhood. Once again, the kids are written as hyper-adult—stoic and brutal in ways that feel forced, with constant scenes of schoolyard violence meant to telegraph toughness. That tonal imbalance, paired with the heavy-handed religious undertones, remains jarring. For a story meant to spotlight vulnerability, these choices make the kids feel more like archetypes than real teens.

Still, this sequel is far more entertaining than expected. The performances are strong across the board, the dream-fight sequences embrace their own absurdity, and the pacing holds tighter than the original. While it won’t convert everyone into a fan of the franchise, it does carve out an identity beyond the first film’s straightforward dread.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

Stylish, surreal, and unexpectedly funny, The Black Phone 2 improves on the original by embracing nightmare logic. The flaws remain, but it’s a livelier and more entertaining watch than its predecessor.