It’s a dark story to be sure but despite the grim nature of the plotting, it has earned a lot of fans during its theatrical release. Reviews about this movie have largely been strong, with special attention given to Hawke who turns in an uncharacteristically chilling performance. If you have seen the end of The Black Phone, you might assume a sequel isn’t a possibility. However, both the star and director seem open to a follow-up movie.
What happens in The Black Phone?
We aren’t going to give you a blow-by-blow account of what happens in the movie as that would give away too many spoilers. For a little more insight, you should read our Ending Explained article. But if you have seen the trailer for The Black Phone, you will know that it largely focuses on 13-year-old Finney Shaw who is abducted by the sadistic killer. The luckless teen is taken to a house in an unknown location and is locked in the basement. He seemingly has no way to escape a tragic end at the hands of this masked psychopath but then the black phone, conveniently placed in his dark room, starts to ring. Who is on the other end of the phone? As the trailer gives this away you will know it is the victims of The Grabber! With their help, Finney does what he can to escape the clutches of the deranged madman. And that’s all we’re going to tell you here.
Will there be a sequel to The Black Phone?
At present, there is no confirmed news of a sequel. But when speaking to Comicbook.com, Ethan Hawke had this to say. Hawke never returned to the sequel to Scott Derickson’s Sinister, presumably because the script for the follow-up was terrible and probably a cash-in on the first. But as the director is interested in returning to this one (he wisely bowed out of Sinister 2) and as Joe Hill has an idea for a continuation of the story, it might be that Hawke does return if the sequel is given the greenlight. This is what Derickson had to say during his interview with Comicbook. If Hill, Hawke and Derrickson do collaborate on the sequel, The Black Phone 2 could be a movie worth seeing. The first movie is mostly excellent and while the ending doesn’t suggest a follow-up could happen, it would appear that Hill already has something in mind.
What could ‘The Black Phone 2’ be about?
As we haven’t received a phone call from Joe Hill (or anybody from the spirit world who might know the answer), we cannot say for sure. A prequel story could be interesting as we didn’t get to know much about The Grabber in The Black Phone. The scarcity of plot regarding this character was the only flaw in an otherwise excellent horror movie. The prequel could concentrate on his backstory, the relationship he had with his brother (who is featured briefly in the first movie), and the terrible incidents that eventually warped his mind. If Derickson decides to do a direct sequel to the first movie’s plotline, it could focus on a new protagonist coming face to face with The Grabber. If this is the case, it would be a very different movie from the first (we are trying to avoid spoilers). But as many other horror titles in the past have managed to find new ways to bring back their featured killers, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Hawke could don his terrifying face mask once again.
When could The Black Phone 2 be released?
As the first movie has been popular, we imagine it won’t be too long before the sequel/prequel hits the screens, as the studio will be keen to capitalize on the success of the original. If it is given the greenlight, we imagine 2024 or 2025 could be likely. But as we said, nothing has been confirmed yet. While we hope a follow-on movie will happen (as long as it’s not a cash-grab), it might be a while before we hear any definite news. Read More: The Black Phone Movie Review
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