I haven't done a movie review in a while, been working on writing other things (DEFACER and DEFACER II: BLOODLUST). But I did make it out to the theaters this week and saw a new horror film that I felt compelled to talk about.
I did not review THE BLACK PHONE here, but I did watch it and I did enjoy it. I didn't feel the need to buy the blu-ray though, but I flirted with the idea of buying it multiple times. I like how the plot unfolded, I liked the acting, I generally liked everything about the movie. But it didn't blow me away, the reasons for which I can't quite articulate. And in general, I like Scott Derrickson's work, going back to THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE.
Unlike the first film, THE BLACK PHONE 2 really hit for me.
I came out of the movie theater on a high that I haven't felt at all this year (truthfully, I haven't seen a whole lot of movies in the theaters this year). Here's what I've seen this year in theaters:
NOSFERATU (January 2nd of 2025)
MICKEY 17,
THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE,
UNTIL DAWN,
FIGHT OR FLIGHT,
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - FINAL RECKONING,
28 YEARS LATER,
JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH,
SUPERMAN,
WEAPONS,
THE NAKED GUN,
THE CONJURING: THE LAST RITES
BLACK PHONE 2
And then the others I caught on streaming from this year:
BETTER MAN,
WEEKEND IN TAIPEI,
HEART EYES,
DEATH OF A UNICORN,
NOVOCAINE
and K-POP DEMON HUNTERS (because who hasn't?)
Some I liked, some I really liked, and some just didn't land for me. Of the horror films this year, NOSFERATU was fantastic and felt like an elevation of the genre and the Dracula story, but technically it's a 2024 film. Still, I didn't buy it for the home video collection. I wanted to like WEAPONS more than I actually did, but I feel split on that one. 28 YEARS LATER was another film I was super excited for but the movie felt plotless, all style and no substance. Both Weapons and 28 Years Later left me disappointed. THE CONJURING I quite enjoyed, not as good as the first two Conjurings, but quite good nonetheless.
But BLACK PHONE 2 landed with me nearly perfectly.
I loved the plot, expertly weaving together the first film's loose ends with this new plot, in unexpected ways that felt natural rather than contrived.
The characters felt spot on from how they were in the original, their continued character arcs and progression making sense. And the new characters were welcome additions, enhancing the plot rather than subtracting from it like so many new characters in sequels tend to do. Finney, Gwen, their Dad, and the Grabber were all handled very well. And I thought Ernesto, Mondo, and Mustang were welcome additions.
The blood and gore were ampted up to satisfying levels, the scares well crafted too, enhanced by grainy dreamlike cinematography that made the scenes all the more unnerving (and reminding me of Scott Derrickson's earlier film SINISTER, which I absolutely love). And the soundtrack added greatly to the terror (I want to buy the soundtrack). And the climax delivered an epic bloody conclusion that left me on a high after the movie finished.
In short, I loved BLACK PHONE 2.
8 out of 10
I recommend you all go out and see it.
Long live horror!
