Sequels are often seen as a “cash grab,” made not because of the plot’s need for a continuation, but because the original was profitable. At the end of Black Phone, we saw the protagonist “Finney Blake” finally kill his kidnapper, leading many to believe the storyline was over. Accordingly, people were shocked at the announcement of “Black Phone 2.”

The sequel continues the storyline of the ending of the first film flawlessly, making it easy to pick right back up. Finney’s sister Gwen has further character development in the sequel, continuing her dreams as they have a much bigger role in the plot of the second film. The concept of liminality is brought back through Gwen’s psychic dreams as life, death, dreams, and reality begin to fade together. The space between what is a dream and reality is confusing, as the events taking place in Gwen’s dreams leave physical marks on her body when she wakes up, mirroring her late mother’s psychic dreams. The plot continues to develop the protagonist’s family as the viewer learns twisted truths about the mother’s death and her shared feature of psychic dreams. 

Overall, Black Phone 2 was an incredibly engaging watch. The storyline continues the same idea as the first; however, it adds so much to the plot to the point that it is still interesting and new. I do believe the movie’s intent is not to be “scary” as most horror movies are out to be, but instead to tell a sinister story, developing a highly interesting and unique plot. Different from the original, I found there to be more gore and jump scares, but not to the extent of other modern horror movies. Will there be a third film in this series? Who knows, but as The Grabber says, “Dead is just a word.”