Since the 2022 release of “The Black Phone” in mid-2022, fans have been wondering what director Ethan Hawke was planning for the long-awaited sequel. Now, in 2025, with the original cast, including Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw, the story returns to the big screen with a new plot and surprising twists. Though with such a sudden sequel being released, fans are left with one question: Is the movie a money grab or a true sequel they deserve?
Since the sequel was announced in mid-2025, many members of the cast have gone on record to explain the vision behind it. Mason Thames, the main character of the film, says, “I mean, it goes for the first movie as well. Every single one is its own story, and I think if there’s another story to be told, and you know, I don’t think we just do it for a cash grab. I mean, I thought about it for the first movie. I didn’t know how they were going to continue the story, but Scott (writer) called me and said, “I have an idea,” and I was fully in.” Mason also describes the setting and theme of the movie, saying, “And then we just went to this random campout in Toronto, and it was crazy. It was really, I mean, there’s not one piece of fake snow in this movie. It’s all real. We felt that cold, and it helped the characters. So it was fun to do that.”
One main question fans had was about how the movie would actually work. Seeing as the death of The Grabber closed out the first movie, it only made sense that he wouldn’t appear in the sequel. In a new twist revealed by Ethan Hawke, The Grabber would return in a Freddy Krueger-like fashion: Appearing in dreams to haunt his victims. According to TheDirect.com, Thames expressed his excitement for the way The Grabber was included. “I had no idea how they take it from the first movie, because the first movie is such a—it ends, and you leave the theater feeling fulfilled, and I didn’t know how they’re going to take it from there.” Also from TheDirect.com, co-star Miguel Mora shares his input on how the sequel would work. “I was trying to put it together, man. I mean, ‘Black Phone ended off in a way where, how does a sequel even happen? You know, it just kind of ended there. And a lot of people were wondering, how are we gonna even make a sequel? How are they gonna go about doing this?
As for the actual plot/story of the film, HollywoodReporter.com does an excellent job at summing it up. “Black Phone 2‘s story resumes four years later in 1982, and while Finney, now Finn, is relatively famous for being the kid who killed The Grabber, it’s brought him a lot of unwanted attention that he’s had to resolve with his fists. Psychologically, he’s an even bigger mess, and he routinely numbs himself with some of North Denver’s finest low-grade cannabis.” The site goes on to explain the shift of focus onto Finn’s sister, Gwen. “Meanwhile, Gwen (McGraw) is dealing with her own issues. She’s being bullied at school because her psychic gifts that helped solve the Grabber case are no longer a secret. She’s also sleepwalking and having vivid dreams about The Grabber and a winter camp called Alpine Lake.”
In today’s age, movies like this seem to provoke one question among film enthusiasts worldwide: Is this just a cash grab? While many sequels prove the “cash grab theory” true, Black Phone 2 refuses to be one of those movies. With many exciting twists and a full resolution to the reign of The Grabber, Ethan Hawke’s “Black Phone 2” is the perfect horror sequel to watch this year.
