Can You Handle This Horror Movie?

It’s October, and you know what that means: it’s spooky season. Halloween is just around the corner, and though this month is lighter on traditional, splashy horror movies, Blumhouse has seen fit to give us one two weeks ahead of the big holiday: Black Phone 2. As the sequel to a movie with an 81% Rotten Tomatoes score, it comes with some high expectations.

Now, when it comes to the films I make sure to watch every October, I tend to stick to cozy classics like Halloweentown, Hocus Pocus, and Practical Magic. Recent years have seen me branching out towards more traditional horror — Scream, It, Ready or Not, etc. However, Black Phone 2 feels like quite the step-up for my spooky season viewing.

If you’ve been following along with me on this journey, you’ll understand how significant it is when I say that Black Phone 2 is the scariest movie I’ve watched so far for the Scaredy Cat’s Guide. The last entry, The Long Walk, was more tense than outright scary, and Weapons had enough mystery and humor to distract from the frights.

Though Black Phone 2 isn’t without some unexpected laughs, it is the most straightforward horror movie I’ve tackled for this project. One look at Ethan Hawke’s The Grabber will give you an indication of what we’re dealing with here — he is definitely not to be underestimated. It didn’t help that I had to see this movie alone, when normally I’d bring a buddy.

Breaking Down The Scares & Gore Of Black Phone 2

If you’re not familiar with the original Black Phone movie, be warned that getting into the basic premise of the sequel comes with spoilers. This is a film where it’s good to watch the first one ahead of time. I myself caught up last weekend, so really I’ve watched two scary movies for this. Be proud!

Four years after The Black Phone, Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) must again confront The Grabber when he returns to torment them — this time from beyond the grave. Gwen’s prophetic dreams bring them to a snow-shrouded sleepaway camp, which holds devastating ties to both The Grabber and Finney and Gwen’s family.

The biggest content warnings for this movie pertain to the gore and the jump scares. With the former, there are a number of bloody images thanks to Gwen’s visions, which involve murdered children. In general, if the idea of dead kids is too much, this is not the horror franchise for you.

Beyond that, there’s blood once The Grabber enters the picture — and his own appearance can be gross to see — but it largely plays out through action scenes. The most intense instances of gore come through the victims, and the same is actually true for the scares.

Director Scott Derrickson is skilled at ramping up tension without forecasting exactly when a jump scare is coming. It’s often abrupt — as jump scares usually are — and at a point when you were already stressed about what was happening. If suspense in general is upsetting for you, there’s a lot of that in Black Phone 2, so be aware.

As previously mentioned, there is some humor in the film, mostly through one-liners. However, it’s not quite as much of a comedy as Weapons turned out to be, so don’t expect too much levity. The most uplifting aspect of Black Phone 2 is the relationship between Finney and Gwen, as well as their bonds with other characters. There’s an underlying message about grief and fear here that many might find impactful.

The Final Verdict On Black Phone 2

With only two movies, The Grabber has become a formidable horror villain who could be counted among Ghostface and Michael Myers in terms of notoriety. He’s a fascinating character, and Hawke gives a brilliant performance that’s worth checking out. However, The Grabber definitely isn’t for everyone.

My most extreme fellow scaredy cats likely won’t have a good time with Black Phone 2. I came out of it okay, but there were several scenes where I wished I was watching something much, much lighter. Anyone with a lower tolerance than me, particularly when it comes to blood, will want to stay clear.

However, if you’re uncertain about where you might stand, watching the first movie is a good way to gauge it. The Black Phone is currently streaming on Peacock, which means you could watch it from the safety of your couch, and with all the lights on if needed. Derrickson’s style of horror is on display there and will give you a clear idea of what to expect.

More robust horror fans will have a good time with the sequel, especially since it takes a different approach to its story this time around. It’s not like Scream or Halloween, which tend to have a formula; The Grabber is in a different realm now, and so too is his movie.

If you’re looking for genuine frights on the big screen this Halloween, Black Phone 2 is the way to go. For everyone else, the whole Halloweentown franchise is on Disney+ — enjoy!