This is quite a decent icy thriller, but is hasn’t anywhere near the claustrophobic intensity of the first film from 2021. It is still Mason Thames who portrays the now seventeen year old “Finn”, convinced that he seen the last of the “Grabber” but still having nightmares about a phone ringing. To add to his sleeplessness, his sister “Gwen” (also still Madeleine McGraw) is having some fairly torturous nightmares that, coupled with some sleep-walking, are unsettling both of them. Determined to find out what is causing these traumas, they hook up with her fellow Duran Duran fan “Ernesto” (Miguel Mora) and head to the very Christian fellowship camp where their mum was a counsellor. They arrive just as the mother of all blizzards sets in, and so up to their elbows in snow and ice they have to piece together just what happened to half a dozen children reported killed at the place but never found, and establish whether or not the dastardly “Grabber” is still something to be reckoned with. The cold and frosty environment and half decent efforts from Thames and McGraw do help to keep this mystery rolling along, but despite some curious and menacing flashbacks that fill us in with what did and might happen, the story here just isn’t very solid or original. It takes far too long to get going, and the denouement - though quite action-packed, is all just too rushed and disappointing. I did quite like the barbed remarks aimed at the god-fearing/adoring “Barb” (Maev Beaty) and it’s all perfectly watchable, but it could easily lose twenty minutes to condense the plot and get us to the snowy sharp-end a bit more swiftly. Worth a watch, but not as good.

Black Phone (2025) shifts its horror focus from confinement to lingering trauma, revealing that Finn’s past terror never truly faded with time. As supernatural threats blur with internal fears, the film explores grief, denial, and inherited wounds rather than pure physical danger. While solid in character development and atmosphere, its reduced focus on the phone itself and unanswered questions leave the story feeling more like a bridge than a full reckoning. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com) and (English version : uwiepuspita.com)

Typically horror film sequels tend to err on the unnecessary side but that is not the case with this one. I appreciated how it “closed the loop” on such a sad storyline. Creative plot devices built an interesting story that was enjoyable and didn’t feel stretched. While a few seemed typical, the majority were creative in my opinion. Outstanding performances from such young actors with Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw! TLDR: same but better.