“Black Phone 2” Rings A Little Long But Still Delivers the Chills.

Following a foray into the world of streaming, director Scott Derrickson returns to the realm of mysterious phones in “Black Phone 2,” produced by Universal Pictures and Blumhouse. Derrickson co-writes the screenplay with C. Robert Cargill, expanding on the 2004 short story of the same name by Joe Hill.

It has been four years since Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) defeated and killed The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). While his father, Terrence (Jeremy Davies), is successfully recovering from alcoholism, his sister Gwen (Madeline McGraw) is plagued by nightmares and becoming increasingly aware of her psychic abilities.

Wanting to learn more about their mother’s suicide, Gwen and Finney decide to visit Camp Alpine Lake, where their mother once attended. Along with their family friend Ernesto (Miguel Mora), they head to the camp, where they meet Armando (Demian Bichir), his niece Mustang (Arianna Rivas), and the overly religious Kenneth (Graham Abbey) and Barbara (Maev Beaty). However, the trio soon discovers that sometimes evil doesn’t stay buried, and they fall back into the grasp of The Grabber.

Scott Derrickson is one of the best directors working in the horror genre today. Instead of taking the traditional horror sequel route with new teen characters and increased body counts, Derrickson builds on the strongest themes from the first film. Cinephiles will appreciate what he accomplishes with the dream sequences from a technical standpoint.

The returning cast from the first film delivers strong performances, effectively conveying the stress they are experiencing. Mason Thames taps into the PTSD angle, and it never feels forced. Madeline McGraw stands out as a different kind of scream queen. The new characters also add depth to the narrative. Ethan Hawke remains delightfully evil without resorting to one-liners.

It’s worth noting that Derrickson’s script unfolds at a deliberate pace, and the film does have some dragging moments. However, when the scares happen, the film truly shines. Horror buffs will genuinely appreciate the callbacks to beloved eighties classics. As with the first film, I wanted to keep my review brief so that audiences can experience the movie fresh.

Despite its longer run time, Scott Derrickson continues to impress as a horror director. By avoiding sequel clichés, “Black Phone 2” offers just enough to warrant a recommendation.

Final Grade: B

“Black Phone 2” opens in theaters tomorrow.