“Dead is just a word.” Universal and Blumhouse have unveiled the first official trailer for Black Phone 2, the highly anticipated sequel to 2022’s hit horror-thriller. Watch the trailer above and get more info below.
Returning to the director’s chair is Sinister and Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson, with four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke once again donning the chilling mask of The Grabber—this time, as a ghost with unfinished business. The trailer teases a darker, more violent chapter that builds on the supernatural foundation of the first film, with The Grabber demonstrating some almost Freddy Krueger-like abilities, while shifting focus to a high school setting.
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The Grabber isn’t done yet
The first film saw Mason Thames’ Finney escape the clutches of The Grabber thanks to help from the spirits of previous victims—communicating through a disconnected rotary phone. But in the sequel, the nightmare isn’t over. The trailer reveals that Finney is still haunted—literally—when The Grabber’s voice returns with a chilling reminder: “You of all people should know that dead is just a word.”
This time, the threat extends to Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), Finney’s younger sister, as The Grabber’s ghost seeks revenge from beyond.
A villainous ghost and a colder world
“The first movie was a ghost movie but all the ghosts were victims, which is typical, a ghost story,” Derrickson told The Hollywood Reporter. “But in this one, you’ve got a ghost that is a villain.”
Derrickson drew on his own high school experiences attending winter camps in the Rockies for the new setting. “A middle school coming-of-age horror movie is a different animal than a high school coming-of-age horror film,” he explained. “There’s a ratcheting up of intensity because of that.”
More violence. More scares. And a deeper dive.
While the first film leaned into eerie suspense with supernatural elements, Black Phone 2 looks to be cranking up the horror and carnage to more visceral levels.
“It is certainly more violent, scarier, more graphic,” said Derrickson. “And part of that is because of the age of the kids.”
The returning cast includes Jeremy Davies as Finney and Gwen’s troubled father, alongside new cast members Demián Bichir, Arianna Rivas, Miguel Mora, Maev Beaty, and Graham Abbey.
Written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill and based on characters created by Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son), the film is produced by Jason Blum, Derrickson, and Cargill.
Black Phone 2 opens in Australian cinemas on 16 October and in U.S. cinemas on 17 October.
