A Grabb-ing Sequel: The “Black Phone 2” holds more plot than horror

Ring. Ring. Ring.

The ominous tone of a ringing phone pierces the silent, pitch-black Cinemark theatre as an image of a single phone booth in the middle of a snow-white wintry wasteland appears across the screen. 

The smell of buttery popcorn fills my nose as adrenaline races through my body in anticipation of the fear that is sure to fill the next 115 minutes as “The Black Phone 2” begins to play.

The first “Black Phone" horror movie was set in the late 1970s and followed a young boy named Finney, played by Mason Thames, who was kidnapped by the local serial killer, The Grabber. In the first movie, Finney used his unique ability to communicate with the dead through a black phone to escape from The Grabber. His sister, Gwen, also had paranormal abilities and was shown images of the past by the dead in hyper-realistic dreams. 

The first movie left me absolutely terrified and unable to sleep. The horror junkie in me couldn’t wait to see the the “Black Phone 2”

The second movie is set four years later and, rather than the first, focuses on Gwen as she fights The Grabber in her psychedelic dreams. The Grabber attacks Gwen in search of revenge against Finney escaping in the first movie. 

The combination of jump scares, gore, music, setting and suspense made “Black Phone 2” an unsettling watch. I found myself reaching for my friends’ hands in anticipation of the flashing jump scare I knew was coming and screaming more times than I’d like to admit. 

Gwen and Finney’s late mother had the same psychic abilities as Gwen, and these abilities led to a brief communication between her and her daughter. This conversation sends Gwen, Finney and Gwen’s friend, Ernesto, to a Christian youth camp in the mountains of Colorado in search of answers.

While the scares were definitely R-rated, I was disappointed there weren’t more of them. About halfway through, the scare scenes mellowed out substantially and were no longer terrifying, and jump scares disappeared entirely. The lack of fear was caused by an increased familiarity with The Grabber which took away any suspense in the movie. 

The only thing left in the last hour of the movie was boring gore and a plot that was more emotional than I expected, something I found I didn’t mind.

I’m not sure I’d trade a sentimental message for stomach-turning scares, but the plot was complex and entertaining. I was drawn in as the movie began to resemble a murder mystery, and every scene left more questions than answers in my mind as I pondered the nature of Gwen and Finney’s abilities and the suspicious past of their mother.

The biggest mystery, though, was why there wasn’t more character development for a plot so complex. With such an in-depth and thought-provoking storyline, the characters should have at least a little growth. But almost every character was exactly the same at the beginning as they were at the end. 

However, I could overlook the lack of character development if the rest of the movie is well-done. What can’t be ignored are the numerous overused and worn-out clichés that saturate every sorry attempt at symbolism.

The movie relied heavily on the good-versus-evil and God-versus-devil dynamics that have been used for decades. With a Christian camp setting, where The Grabber is the devil and the main characters are sent by God, this dynamic was a given. However, it took up too much screen time and is an overused cliché in too many horror movies, adding nothing to the plot.

The main symbolism used was scenes of contrasting red and white. This colorful contrast added some depth to the movie; however, when it appeared in every other scene, it became boring. At some point, you have to say, ‘We get the point,’ and move on.

There were many many scenes of red and white and my eyes grew tired of seeing blood stains in snow and the somewhat more creative but also confusing scene of red and white feathers falling from the sky.

While the movie was a watchable cliche and disappointed the horror junkie within me, I found myself leaving the theater with a surprising sense of satisfaction from the cheap entertainment I had just witnessed.

I won’t be watching “The Black Phone 2” again anytime soon, but if someone were to ask me, I would recommend they watch it for the sake of entertainment and the feeling of sentimentality the ending gave.