In Black Phone 2, Finney and his younger sister, Gwen, fight for survival when the ghost of a serial kidnapper and murderer, rises from the grave to enact his revenge. There are some earnest and interesting spiritual themes here, but they’re wrapped up in a grisly tale full of vulgar language and gory violence—most of that perpetrated against children.
It’s been four years since Finney escaped from the serial kidnapper and murderer known as “The Grabber.”
He did more than just escape, actually. With some supernatural help from The Grabber’s past victims—via a mysterious black phone with a direct line to the afterlife—Finney killed his kidnapper. And the spirits of The Grabber’s victims finally found peace.
Finney has found it harder to set his own spirit at rest. The trauma from his experience lingers. He retreats inward, trying to numb the pain and ignore the voices that he still hears coming from the supernatural realm.
But he’s not the only one in the family with a supernatural connection. Finney’s younger sister, Gwen, sees things in her dreams. These visions helped the police find the remains of The Grabber’s victims four years ago.
Now, Gwen is seeing new visions—glimpses from the past of young boys meeting grisly ends at a snowy alpine youth camp. A camp that might have a connection to Gwen and Finney’s deceased mother.
And The Grabber.
The black phone is ringing again. But on the other line is an old adversary, back from the grave and looking for revenge.
Finney and Gwen have been through a lot in their young lives, but those difficulties have brought them closer together. They support one another: Finney helps Gwen work through her disturbing visions, and Gwen serves as Finney’s one real outlet to process his past trauma.
The siblings have also salvaged a relationship with their father, Terrence, forgiving him for his formerly abusive behavior and encouraging him in his sobriety.
Mando, a youth camp director who had a rough upbringing, provides Finney with some hard-earned wisdom about facing fears and not becoming consumed by anger. His advice, paired with Gwen’s support, allows Finney to find healing.
Characters band together in the face of a supernatural threat. It’s alluded that Finney and Gwen’s mother was a kind person. A man has dedicated his life to finding three boys who disappeared from the camp.
The Grabber has returned from the grave to torment Finney and Gwen. And the film makes it clear that this villain, now existing in spirit instead of flesh, is a real threat. Likewise, it’s communicated that the spiritual world is very real, too.
The Grabber says that, after Finney killed him, he went to hell—a place not of flames but ice. (This seems to be a nod to the punishment suffered by treacherous souls in Dante’s The Divine Comedy.) He describes it as a place that took all but the worst parts of him, turning him into a “bottomless pit of sin.” It’s an interesting detail, one that could be seen as a reference that in eternal separation from God, only sin remains. The Grabber also quotes directly from Dante’s epic poem, saying, “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”
As mentioned, Finney and Gwen have a supernatural connection with the souls of the dead—at least those whose spirits have not been “put to rest.” Gwen has visions and we hear (and see through flashbacks) that her mother had the same ability.
Gwen prays to Jesus on a few occasions, asking Him for help and protection, and it seems her prayers are answered. She tells someone that her Christian faith was passed down to her from her mother. When a woman uses a truncated version of Philippians 4:8 to admonish Gwen, the teenager gives the context of the full verse. Later, Gwen quotes 1 Corinthians 15:55.
Finney talks about his certainty of a spiritual realm, though he’s not exactly sure what it is or if it’s even good. And while hell is more frequently mentioned, the film does eventually give us a pretty strong indication that there’s a heaven as well.
Though the spiritual worldview in Black Phone 2 hews more closely to Christianity than one might expect, it’s still far from a theologically perfect film. Gwen shows an interest in tarot-like cards. The film draws inspiration from ghostly superstitions and folklore. And The Grabber seems to derive spiritual power from the “lost” souls of his victims—those who have yet to be avenged.
When a few characters (who profess to be Christian) refuse to help Finney and Gwen, another character tells them that’s not any kind of “true Christian behavior.” Mando flips through a Bible. Terrence is clearly uncomfortable with religion. We see crosses and a glimpse of a worship service. Graffiti reads “The Kingdom of God is near.”
The Grabber’s mask has been modified from the first film to look even more devilish. A girl is called a “witch.”
Gwen and her friend, Ernesto, are interested in each other. At one point, they sleep in the same bed. Although the initial reason for this is safety, their subsequent conversation takes a romantic turn. (It doesn’t go anywhere physically, though.)
Terrence asks Finney about a “cute” girl. Two characters kiss. Some crude terms are used for sexual function. A liquor store ad features a scantily clad model.
Much of the violence found in Black Phone 2 happens during grainy scenes doubling as Gwen’s psychic visions. But the picture isn’t muddled enough to obscure the gore the movie is all too eager to show us.
The victims of The Grabber’s crimes are almost exclusively children, and scenes frequent depict their grisly deaths, accompanied by a fair amount of blood. In one particularly graphic moment, a boy’s head is split in half, and the camera lingers on the resultant carnage. People are stabbed, burned and frozen.
The Grabber is effectively a ghost, but he has plenty of effect on the corporeal world, hacking, slicing, bludgeoning and strangling his victims while blood spatters.
Finney beats a bully bloody to send a message.
We see a woman hanged by the neck, an apparent suicide. A group discovers the decomposed remains of children. A character is nearly thrown into a flaming oven. Someone’s face is smashed into a pulp. The aftermath of a car crash is seen on an icy road.
Nearly 15 uses of the f-word and six of the s-word. God’s name is abused eight times, paired once with “d–n.” Someone takes Jesus’ name in vain. Additionally, we hear uses of “h—,” “a–,” “tw-t,” “d–k” and the c-word.
Finney smokes marijuana throughout the film as a way to numb his emotional pain. Gwen knows this but promises not to “narc” on him to their father. Mando refers to marijuana as “the devil’s lettuce” and confiscates Finney’s supply.
Terrence is nearing three years of sobriety. At one point, he is tempted to drink again, but he resists. Finney (who is underage) somehow purchases beer from a liquor store.
Terrence blames himself for his wife’s death.
In Black Phone 2, director Scott Derrickson continues the series’ ponderings on faith and spirituality. Christianity is presented earnestly here: While some sanctimonious characters are at play, there are just as many faithful believers (if not more) trying to do what is right. Evil is acknowledged. The effects of sin are considered.
That said, the film’s ruminations are still wrapped up in a disturbing story filled with grotesque violence, most of which is perpetrated against children. More than a few times, the film’s spiritual worldview strays from the path, leaning more folkloric than theologically sound. And vulgar language peppers the dialogue in between screams.
In his review for The Black Phone, Plugged In’s Paul Asay described the film as “a horror flick with heart.” That’s true here, too, and will likely remain the case as long as Derrickson is at the helm of the franchise. But, as Paul also said, that heart “doesn’t make it any less horrific.”
When the black phone rings, Finney doesn’t really have a choice but to answer. Fortunately, families don’t have the same hang up and should be comfortable leaving Black Phone 2 permanently on hold.
Bret loves a good story—be it a movie, show, or video game—and enjoys geeking out about things like plot and story structure. He has a blast reading and writing fiction and has penned several short stories and screenplays. He and his wife love to kayak the many beautiful Colorado lakes with their dog.
