Dead is just a word. That haunting message is at the center of The Black Phone 2, the chilling sequel to 2022’s surprise horror hit, and it arrives with its first trailer, released at CCXP Mexico over the weekend.
A Twisted Return
The new trailer, premiered by Universal and Blumhouse, brings back Ethan Hawke’s terrifying villain, the Grabber, despite his apparent death at the end of the first film. The original Black Phone, based on a short story by Joe Hill (son of Stephen King), made waves with its blend of supernatural horror and gritty emotional storytelling, grossing $161 million worldwide on a modest $18 million budget.
That film followed Finney (Mason Thames), a teen kidnapped by the Grabber and trapped in a basement. There, an old rotary phone connects him to the spirits of the killer’s past victims, guiding him toward a desperate escape.
But now, the Grabber is back.
The trailer builds to a chilling moment where Finney receives another call, this time, from the Grabber himself.
“You of all people should know that dead is just a word,” he says ominously, before the screen erupts with flashes of disturbing imagery.
Ghost Stories, But Not the Usual Kind
Director and co-writer Scott Derrickson, who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter before the trailer dropped, was careful not to reveal too much, especially how the Grabber returns.
Still, he did hint at a darker shift in tone.
“The first movie was a ghost movie but all the ghosts were victims, which is typical, a ghost story,” Derrickson said. “But in this one, you’ve got a ghost that is a villain.”
That twist — a ghost as the primary threat — marks a departure from the first film, where supernatural elements offered guidance and protection. Here, they might offer terror instead.
Growing Up Means More Horror
The sequel also brings a natural progression in the story’s tone. While the original was framed around middle school trauma and suburban dread, this chapter jumps forward to high school.
“A middle school coming-of-age horror movie is a different animal than a high school coming-of-age horror film,” Derrickson explained. “There’s a ratcheting up of intensity because of that.”
Derrickson drew from his teenage years for inspiration, specifically memories of winter camps in the Rocky Mountains. He says the harsh weather and isolation of that environment helped shape the film’s tone, colder, darker, and more intense.
A Sequel That Almost Didn’t Happen
Derrickson admits he hadn’t planned a follow-up. But shortly after the first film’s success, Joe Hill sent him ideas that sparked something.
“I thought if I go make another movie first and don’t make a sequel now like you’re supposed to, then by the time I finish, these kids are all going to be in high school,” Derrickson recalled.
In the interim, he directed The Gorge, a big-budget Apple TV+ sci-fi romance starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller. But the timing lined up just right to return to Black Phone, with the characters aged into a new phase of life — and new horrors.
What to Expect
Derrickson is clear: The Black Phone 2 isn’t just more of the same. It goes harder.
“It is certainly more violent, scarier, more graphic,” he said. “And part of that is because of the age of the kids.”
That added intensity, combined with the psychological horror of a returning killer who may not be bound by the rules of life and death, sets the stage for a sequel that pushes past its predecessor’s limits.
Stay tuned for the official release date and more updates as Universal and Blumhouse gear up to unleash The Black Phone 2 on the world.
