More people really should know who Joe Hill is. Son of famed author Stephen King, Joe’s real name is Joseph King, but he writes under a pen name so as not to gain the recognition of being related to such a famous horror writer. Hill is responsible for the fantastic Locke & Key comic series, Horns, as well as the short story for The Black Phone which the original movie is based on. Needless to say, with that being such a huge success, studios were eager to tell more stories that would bring audiences back to theaters. The problem is that this new tale, as fun and scary as it is, doesn’t feel like it exists in the world Hill built. In fact, you could say that it owes more tribute to other horror franchises than allowing it to live on its own.
Years after Finny Blake (Mason Thomas) escaped The Grabber (Ethan Hawke), he still struggles with the trauma, leaving him angry and withdrawn. His sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), whose psychic powers have been growing stronger, is tormented by visions and blood-soaked nightmares. When she receives a call from their deceased mother on a mysterious black phone, the message leads Gwen, Finny, and their friend Ernesto (Miguel Mora) to a previously abandoned youth camp tied to a string of past murders. As they begin to investigate, they find that ghosts of murdered children still haunt the grounds, unable to find rest. Not only that, The Grabber’s vengeful spirit manifests and is determined to destroy Finny and everyone he holds dear.
There are some things that are quite hard to discuss without going into spoiler territory. In fact, when asked for comments, almost all of us said that it felt like an updated sequel/reboot to a very well-known horror franchise. And that is both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because it’s a well enough told story that it keeps you interested in this world and what could happen next. The Grabber’s story isn’t done, and neither, would it seem, are Finny and Gwen’s. The Grabber could easily become a mainstay series villain popping up as often as Michael Meyers or Jason, but that’s where we run into what doesn’t work.
As fun as this is, it feels incredibly diluted from the first film. Sure, we have ghosts, The Grabber, the black phones, and psychic abilities, but it is trying to do its own thing and create its mythos which doesn’t quite have the kick it used to. We don’t have a chance to get emotionally tied to the ghosts in this one, and to me, that was a hugely important part of the original. Without that, it degrades into another simple genre film that follows all the others beat-for-beat. In fact, once you finally figure out what movie it’s inspired by, you will know exactly how the story is going to play out until the very end. Again, not a bad thing when it’s done with a high level of execution, but it’s merely ok with this.
You also don’t feel that invested with the main characters. It’s not that they’re not likable or that you’re not rooting for them, but as stated before, they almost become relegated to the stereotypical tropes we have come to grow and love (or not). They’re not nearly that bad, but they don’t resonate as much as they should especially with the backstory and setup we’ve been given.
Black Phone 2 had a lot to live up to, and while we can tell that the filmmakers did their homework, it doesn’t quite ace the exam. It passes with a B- but should have been a lot more. That said, there is hope for what could evolve into a long-running and interesting series so long as it doesn’t forget its roots and try to become something it isn’t. The scares are there, and the creep and blood factor run high, but it takes more than just that to make a good horror film. The next one – which will most likely happen – needs to learn a few things from this and add to the worldbuilding instead of trying to almost completely redo it.
Source link
-
-
-
-
-
