Coming
to theatres this Friday from writer/director Scott Derrickson, Blumhouse and
Universal Pictures is the return of terror in BLACK PHONE 2.
It is the 1980s and has been several years as Finn (Mason Thames) and sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) have grown up quite a bit and taking on the challenges in a town where everyone knows about the Grabber (Ethan Hawke). Finn is trying to hide what happened to him in a constant flow of marijuana to ignore the ringing of phones. Gwen tries to talk to him about it but Finn is closed off. What he does do is protect his sister from her constant sleep walking. Nightmares have become more frequent lately and have become so dangerous, he found her in the Grabbers old house.
Gwen is having visions of children under a frozen lake and sending her signals which she believes are a cry for help. She also begins to hear the same phone ringing as Finn. When she realizes that a camp in Alpine Lake might have answers, she enlists the help of her friend Ernesto (Miguel Mora) under the guise of being a camp counselor-in-training. Finn is against going but he can’t let his sister investigate on her own.
Arriving during a snowstorm, they are greeted by Mando (Demian Bichir) and niece Mustang (Arianna Rivas) and two employees who don’t much care for Gwen and her infamous mouth. When Gwen begins to get stuck in her nightmares, it is the Grabber’s opportunity to continue his reign of terror that affects everyone in reality. Mando learns what Gwen knows and realizes they are all there for one thing – to find missing kids from years past and do it before the monster finds ways to destroy them all.
Thames returns as Finn but much taller and moodier (teenagers, go figure) either fighting those who know or avoiding his time with the Grabber. What he doesn’t want to accept is that there is no way to get away from it and the telephones ringing are a constant reminder. Even if Thames gives his character moodiness, he does realize that he must gut up in order to help his sister, decent performance actually.
McGraw as Gwen is in the Grabbers sites this time around. She is less hesitant to answer ringing phone and begins to piece together what is happening at the Alpine camp. McGraw gives Gwen more strength and makes us remember that she has a pretty intense mouth on her. The dreams are what bring her to the one person her family has been trying to forget but Gwen refuses to give up until she helps Mando. This is the sisters side of the horror!
Bichir as Mando took over the Alpine camp with the sole purpose of finding a little boy. Once he understands what Gwen has been dealing with, he is all about trying to do the right thing. Bichir is such a marvelous actor and here he gets his chance to dive into the horror genre and does it splendidly. Rivas as Mustang is the quiet voice behind her uncle but doesn’t hesitate to speak up when she needs to.
Welcome back to the mask Ethan Hawke! There would be no way this film would have worked without him. He is the Grabber, he is the evil and he is the evil that needs to be dealt with. Thanks for showing up to remind us that horror wears many faces but for the Grabber, all of them are evil.
Shout out to Davies returning as Dad Terrence and more into soda than alcohol with Gwen putting into place the last piece of a puzzle that has tortured him.
Other cast include Simon Webster as Felix, Jacob Moran as Billy, Maev Beaty as Barb, Shepherd Munroe as Cal, Graham Abbey as Ken, Chase B. Robertson as Spike, Anna Lore as Hope and Jeremy Davies as Terrence.
Universal Pictures has an amazing film library with films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.
Blumhouse Productions is known for producing horror films such as PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, INSIDIOUS, SINISTER, THE PURGE, THE GIFT, GET OUT, HAPPY DEATH DAY, SPLIT and M3GAN 2.0. The films from Blumhouse have become instant classics and they continue to give us something to scream about! See more at www.blumhouse.com
BLACK PHONE 2 did a few things right and it includes bringing back the original cast because nothing says ‘stay in the story’ like familiar faces. Thames and McGraw together again feels like we are picking up where we left off accept this time, it’s Gwen’s turn to be at the mercy of the Grabber. Also, staying in the era because there is something creepy about the way the 70’s and 80’s are portrayed. Makes me wonder what else I missed during that time that could have been more fun (yes, spooky film fan here). Finally, staying true to the story and not going overboard in changing the history that BLACK PHONE laid out.
A few things I have to think more about is the dream sequences as director Derrickson and cinematographer Par M. Ekberg decide to use the grainy-aged effect to separate it from the waking world. It’s cool but I think a tad overplayed. Does it affect the story being told? Not at all, so perhaps it’s just something that had me overthinking. The original BLACK PHONE was more of a thriller because it made the audience think about the horrors that happened, BLACK PHONE 2 decided to delve into a more delicate world of showing what happened to kids. This film also has more bloodiness to it which is fine but I’m still a thriller kind of gal.
Fans of the first film won’t be disappointed one bit, heck, neither am I actually. The film offers twists, turns, secrets and mysteries that are unexpected and, in the middle, Ethan Hawke and black ringing phones freaking everyone out. One thing is for sure; this is the new fright in the night brought to you by the Grabber!
In the end – dead is just a word!
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