Four years after escaping the Grabber’s basement, Finney Shaw is trying to do what every traumatized teen in an ’80s horror sequel does: pretend he’s fine. Set in 1982, The Black Phone 2 catches up with Finn and his younger sister Gwen as they try to rebuild some semblance of normal life after surviving a literal kidnapping. This time around, Gwen’s psychic abilities (first hinted at in the original film) have grown stronger and far more unpredictable.
Scott Derrickson, who directed the first film (and co-wrote this one with his frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill), knows better than to mess with a good haunt. The sequel keeps the same eerie intimacy that made The Black Phone a breakout hit, but this time the horror gets colder, more psychological, and—dare we say—feminine. Ethan Hawke is back as the Grabber, now operating as a ghostly menace who refuses to let death stop him from tormenting teens. Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw return as Finney and Gwen, their sibling dynamic now the emotional backbone of a story that’s as much about family as it is about fear.
The story shifts to Alpine Lake, a remote mountain camp that becomes the center of Gwen’s increasingly vivid visions. She dreams of three missing boys and a black phone that will not stop ringing. When those dreams begin to echo in real life, Gwen convinces Finn that something sinister is happening at the camp and that their family’s history may once again be entwined with the Grabber’s.
Turns out, the Grabber’s energy didn’t die with him. His ghost has been hanging around the frozen lake, feeding on fear and trapping the souls of his victims like some unholy snow globe. The production, shot in Utah, leans into the stark winter palette with white snow, black coats, and just enough red to remind you that yes, this is still a Blumhouse movie.
As Gwen’s psychic strength grows, she stumbles on the kind of family secret that would make even the Warrens say “yikes.” Their late mother, long thought to have died by suicide, was actually one of the Grabber’s earliest victims. She shared Gwen’s abilities, and that connection made her a target. The revelation reframes the story entirely. It’s no longer about one bad man, but about generational trauma, inherited gifts, and the daughters who have to clean up after their parents’ ghosts.
So, how does it end?
The Black Phone 2 wraps in spectacle. By the time the third act hits, the movie goes full spiritual showdown. Gwen faces off against the Grabber in a dreamlike battle that plays out somewhere between a séance and a snowstorm. Meanwhile, Finney and his allies work to pull the victims’ bodies from beneath the ice in a literal unearthing of everything the Grabber buried.
With help from the boys’ spirits, Gwen finally breaks the Grabber’s hold on the living world. The moment his icy grip melts away, she gets one last call on the infamous black phone. This time, it’s not the villain on the line, but her mother, calling from beyond to tell her that her power isn’t a curse but a gift.
The movie closes on a quieter note than expected. The Grabber is gone for good (we think), but the scars remain. Gwen and Finney return home older, wiser, and just haunted enough to guarantee a third installment. The final ring of the black phone lands like a soft echo, a reminder that sometimes the past won’t stop calling until you finally pick up.
