Black Phone 2

As far as improbable sequels go, "Black Phone 2" isn't too bad. Revive a deceased bad guy you would have thought was done with and craft a tale that feels somewhat like the first film, blended with an almost "Nightmare on Elm Street" premise. I have to say these elements combined with a dash of nostalgia from the 80's works, quite well. Sure its not A grade horror but its still creative, creepy and above all, entertaining. In summary, a not unfamiliar but still well crafted tale of revenge from beyond the grave. Worth a look.

**One of the best horror sequels that will go down as an instant classic in a couple of years** I already feel like this film doesn't get enough praise for blending multiple horror franchises together, but still delivering something brand new that fits in the same world as the original film. It takes the classic camp setting but sets it in a blizzard (Friday The 13th meets The Shining). It explores dreams, the spiritual realm and the afterlife (A Nightmare On Elm Street meets Insidious meets Poltergeist). The story and tone are also much more in line with modern storytelling (Terrifier meets Hereditary). The soundtrack is also incredibly retro with a hint of child-like wonder. (Sinister meets Five Nights At Freddy's). I generally cannot express how well it all blends together to deliver a realistic portrayal of a spirit that escaped from hell. If you think The Grabber is just a Freddy Krueger rip-off, then you completely missed the point of the film.

This is quite a decent icy thriller, but is hasn’t anywhere near the claustrophobic intensity of the first film from 2021. It is still Mason Thames who portrays the now seventeen year old “Finn”, convinced that he seen the last of the “Grabber” but still having nightmares about a phone ringing. To add to his sleeplessness, his sister “Gwen” (also still Madeleine McGraw) is having some fairly torturous nightmares that, coupled with some sleep-walking, are unsettling both of them. Determined to find out what is causing these traumas, they hook up with her fellow Duran Duran fan “Ernesto” (Miguel Mora) and head to the very Christian fellowship camp where their mum was a counsellor. They arrive just as the mother of all blizzards sets in, and so up to their elbows in snow and ice they have to piece together just what happened to half a dozen children reported killed at the place but never found, and establish whether or not the dastardly “Grabber” is still something to be reckoned with. The cold and frosty environment and half decent efforts from Thames and McGraw do help to keep this mystery rolling along, but despite some curious and menacing flashbacks that fill us in with what did and might happen, the story here just isn’t very solid or original. It takes far too long to get going, and the denouement - though quite action-packed, is all just too rushed and disappointing. I did quite like the barbed remarks aimed at the god-fearing/adoring “Barb” (Maev Beaty) and it’s all perfectly watchable, but it could easily lose twenty minutes to condense the plot and get us to the snowy sharp-end a bit more swiftly. Worth a watch, but not as good.