Why 'Black Phone 2' misdials and fails to connect as well as the original

Finney should have learned from his experience, as a young boy abducted by a serial killer, that a person should be wary when answering the phone. Sometimes, the dead can place a call. Maybe they want to help you. Maybe they don't.

"Black Phone" was a surprise success in 2021. Despite being well told as a single tale, tied up nicely in the end, Hollywood rarely lets that kind of success stand alone and often calls up a sequel. Forcing a sequel can be risky and result in a bad connection if the movie misdials. Such is the case with "Black Phone 2," which will have audiences responding: "Wrong number. Who's this?"

When "Black Phone" hit movie screens in 2021, not only did it prove financially successful amid sluggish pandemic movie traffic, the creepy tale of a disconnected ringing phone and a child abductor won over horror audiences. And hey, it had Ethan Hawke in it after all. "Black Phone" came across like an adult story for kids who grew up reading "Goosebumps." It was original, it was simple, and it proved that telephones have now joined the likes of porcelain dolls, clowns, or even old tube TVs — items that seemed normal during their prime time, but now feel super creepy to modern generations.

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The sequel uses these same elements, but in its attempt to expand the Black Phone lore, it strays from the vibe that made the first movie so appealing.

"Black Phone 2" starts out strong, updating us on the lives of Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw). We are charmed by this brother and sister duo all over again. It's four years later and these kids are now old enough to drive and can even score some weed. Gwen still has her psychic dreams that she doesn't fully understand. She thinks someone is trying to send her a message. The siblings form their own Scooby gang to investigate a paranormal case that leads them to a snowed-in church camp, setting the chilling stage for terror and chaos.

Gwen is at the center of this stage, which was a good choice to move this story to the next level. As was the addition of schoolmate Ernesto, and staff they find at the church camp, Armando and Mustang, as well as the annoying couple Kenneth and Barb (yes, like, ya know, Ken and Barbie).

Of course, Ethan Hawke is back as the evil Grabber, though he's not in it as much as one would like. This film could have benefited with a lot more Grabber scares.

Gwen uncovers a hidden history, prayers are answered, people are lectured about what it means to truly be a Christian, and a black phone keeps ringing. If they could only learn to embrace their supernatural gifts, and the Bible, perhaps then they can face the return of the Grabber. Sure, we may have thought that this murderous villain was gone, but he still has his desire to kill and access to a phone. Also, he now has ice skates.

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With this sequel, "Black Phone" not only moves into franchise territory, it shifts the film's general genre into creepy Christian horror. Just as movies like "The Omen," "The Prophecy," or anything in "The Conjuring" universe rely on Biblical elements, "Black Phone 2" unexpectedly does the same. This shift ultimately fails. It's not that playing around with scary Biblical plot points isn't fun in horror movies (it is). In this case, randomly quoting scripture, and other instances, comes off more like subtle sermons than a horror story.

While it starts off strong and brings back Finney and Gwen for another scary call, "Black Phone 2" doesn't ring through as well as the first movie and could have fans hanging up.

“Black Phone 2"

2/5 stars

Screen or stream? Stream. Unless you want to commiserate with other audience members, there is little here to justify a big screen viewing. It's worth watching if you want to stay up to date on "Black Phone" lore and see where the story goes, but watching at home should suffice.

Rated R: All the usual bloody gore from a slasher film, plus some bad language that is actually quite impressive. Also, some drug use.

Good for kids?: No