The Black Phone 2: A Snooze-Fest Horror Sequel That Fails to Deliver
After the surprise success of its predecessor, The Black Phone, which was based on a short story by Joe Hill, fans were eagerly anticipating the sequel. Unfortunately, Blumhouse's attempt at creating another horror franchise falls flat, bogged down by convoluted plotting and an inability to craft a genuinely frightening villain.
The Grabber, played with a certain swishy flair by Ethan Hawke, returns as a supernatural force, but his character remains unoriginal and humorless. Unlike Freddy Krueger, who has been expertly crafted over the years, The Grabber feels like a generic horror icon. The film's attempt to tap into the mythology of both Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger falls flat, resulting in a mess that struggles to find its footing.
The sequel follows Finn and his sister Gwen as they become trapped at an alpine Christian camp for kids, where they encounter their tormentor once again. However, the script is overly reliant on contrived scene-setting, clumsily attempting to explain the backstories of both protagonist and antagonist. The addition of a religious element, pitting good against evil in a battle between faith and darkness, feels like a calculated attempt to appeal to a wider audience.
Visually, the film's 8mm texture effect is an attempt to mirror the unpredictability of nightmares, but it comes across as too self-aware and constructed. The setting is at times atmospherically grand, but the consistently un-scary set pieces feel marred by this stylistic choice.
Ultimately, The Black Phone 2 feels like a low-lift effort from Blumhouse, struggling to find its footing in the horror genre. With an already over-stuffed plot and an inability to craft a genuinely frightening villain, it's little wonder that the film feels like a snooze-fest. Unless you're a die-hard fan of the franchise or have a fascination with obscure Stephen King stories, it's hard to see why anyone would want to watch this one.
The Black Phone 2 is set to hit cinemas in Australia on October 16 and in the US and UK on October 17. If you're looking for a compelling horror sequel, you may want to keep looking.
After the surprise success of its predecessor, The Black Phone, which was based on a short story by Joe Hill, fans were eagerly anticipating the sequel. Unfortunately, Blumhouse's attempt at creating another horror franchise falls flat, bogged down by convoluted plotting and an inability to craft a genuinely frightening villain.
The Grabber, played with a certain swishy flair by Ethan Hawke, returns as a supernatural force, but his character remains unoriginal and humorless. Unlike Freddy Krueger, who has been expertly crafted over the years, The Grabber feels like a generic horror icon. The film's attempt to tap into the mythology of both Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger falls flat, resulting in a mess that struggles to find its footing.
The sequel follows Finn and his sister Gwen as they become trapped at an alpine Christian camp for kids, where they encounter their tormentor once again. However, the script is overly reliant on contrived scene-setting, clumsily attempting to explain the backstories of both protagonist and antagonist. The addition of a religious element, pitting good against evil in a battle between faith and darkness, feels like a calculated attempt to appeal to a wider audience.
Visually, the film's 8mm texture effect is an attempt to mirror the unpredictability of nightmares, but it comes across as too self-aware and constructed. The setting is at times atmospherically grand, but the consistently un-scary set pieces feel marred by this stylistic choice.
Ultimately, The Black Phone 2 feels like a low-lift effort from Blumhouse, struggling to find its footing in the horror genre. With an already over-stuffed plot and an inability to craft a genuinely frightening villain, it's little wonder that the film feels like a snooze-fest. Unless you're a die-hard fan of the franchise or have a fascination with obscure Stephen King stories, it's hard to see why anyone would want to watch this one.
The Black Phone 2 is set to hit cinemas in Australia on October 16 and in the US and UK on October 17. If you're looking for a compelling horror sequel, you may want to keep looking.
I mean, The Grabber's character felt kinda generic to me too, idk if he'd be more terrifying with some depth or what. And the plot was so convoluted! I love a good mystery but this one had me scratching my head way too much 
8mm texture effect is cool and all, but sometimes it feels like they're winking at you instead of letting you just feel the scare 
it was like they took every bad horror movie cliche, threw 'em in a blender, and hit puree 
. Convolted plotting, unoriginal villain, and a storyline that's more cringeworthy than creepy 
. Ethan Hawke just doesn't bring the same level of menace as Freddy or Jason, feels like they're phoning it in 
. And don't even get me started on the 8mm texture effect, it's like they're trying too hard to be artsy and end up looking like a mess 
.
! I mean, people paid good money for this... Snooze-fest horror movie? 
. And now we're getting another Black Phone installment in the near future 
? Blumhouse is either playing us like a fiddle or just not understanding what makes a compelling horror story 
.
but at the same time i can see why they'd wanna try something new with this sequel... all those horror franchises kinda feel like they're running out of steam 
but still, ethan hawke's character felt super generic 
The 8mm texture effect is kinda cool, but honestly, it feels like it's trying too hard to be artsy and self-aware. Just make a good ol' fashioned scary movie, ya know? 
... I mean, i was hyped for this one after the first movie, but honestly, The Black Phone 2 feels like they took all the good parts of horror movies and mashed them together into a messy paste. Ethan Hawke's character is so boring, like a wannabe Freddy Krueger without any of the charm 
... and don't even get me started on the plot. It's like they threw in every cliche from the horror genre and hoped for the best.
. If you're a fan of the genre, there are better horror movies out there. This one's just a skip 
. The Black Phone 2 is like they took every bad horror cliche, threw them in a blender, and hit puree. Ethan Hawke's character is literally the most basic horror villain ever - no depth, no motivation, just a bunch of gruff lines to spout while being all creepy 
. And don't even get me started on the Christian camp setting... who thought that was a good idea? 
. And don't even get me started on the plot - it's all over the place and tries to explain too much backstory for both Finn and The Grabber 
. The only cool thing about this movie is that 8mm texture effect, but even that feels like they're trying way too hard to be artsy 
.
. I'm not buying the whole "Faith vs Evil" thing, that sounds too convenient to me 
. And have you noticed how many times Ethan Hawke has played the same old role in different movies? Coincidence? I think not 
. It's all just a distraction from the real issue: Blumhouse is trying to cash in on the horror genre without putting any actual effort into it 
.
