Black Phone 2 (2025)

The phone is back, and now it’s tangled up with dreams, ghosts and a family secret, which is a lot of jobs for one payphone. It’s 1982. Finney survived the Grabber four years ago and is still carrying it, and now his younger sister Gwen is dreaming about Alpine Lake, a winter camp, back in 1957. She convinces Finney and their buddy Ernesto to drive up there, a blizzard traps them with the camp’s owner, Armando, and his niece Mustang, and then the dead payphone on the wall starts ringing. Finney knows exactly who’s calling. Madeleine McGraw makes Gwen the real lead this time, fierce and stubborn, and the snowbound setting gives everything a cold, eerie hum. The dream rules get fuzzy, though, and the film’s heavy turn toward faith sits oddly next to the scares. It made $132.2 million worldwide on a reported $30M. A 5.8 because Gwen carries it further than the story does. $669.76 says you check the forecast, see snow, and decide any winter camp trip can wait a few more years.

What works: Madeleine McGraw is a strong lead, and the snowed-in camp gives the sequel a chilly, isolated mood all its own.

What doesn’t: The dream logic gets muddy, and the heavy religious themes sit awkwardly beside the horror instead of deepening it.

Who it’s for: Fans of the first film who want to see Finney and Gwen again, as long as they’re old enough for an R-rated scare.