'The Black Phone 2' Director Teases Main Difference Between Original and Its “More Graphic” Sequel

The Black Phone

By Makuochi Echebiri

Published Feb 11, 2025

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Image Via Universal Pictures

When The Black Phone premiered in 2022, very few quite envisioned the impact the Blumhouse horror movie would have on the genre. By the time the film had done the rounds, terrifying audiences all around the globe, The Black Phone had firmly established itself as one of the best movies in its genre, at least in the past decade. Ethan Hawke expertly brought to life the maniacal and sadistic killer, The Grabber, whose modus operandi entailed the abduction and killing of children. Not long after, Scott Derrickson made it official that he had picked up The Black Phone 2.

The Black Phone ended with the demise of The Grabber at the hands of his would-be victim, Finney (Mason Thames), who used the same phone used to communicate with The Grabber's previous victims. Many elements of the upcoming sequel will seem familiar with main characters returning, including the protagonist under new circumstances, with exact details still under wraps. Speaking in an interview with GamesRadar+, Derrickson revealed the main difference between the original and the upcoming sequel, The Black Phone 2. The director confirmed that the sequel will move from middle school to high school, necessitating the need for a darker, more adult storyline than the original.

Derrickson's comments read:

"The main difference is that it's a high school coming of age movie, in the same way that the original movie was a middle school coming of age movie, but those are two very different sorts of things. You know, a high school coming-of-age movie demands more. It has to be more visceral. It has to be, I think, more graphic, scarier.

I think that the change that occurs in human beings between middle school and high school, that's some of the biggest change you go through in your life. And so to be able to revisit these characters who've really developed as people in the four years between the movies was also very interesting to me."

'The Black Phone 2' Was Not Always a Foregone Conclusion

Ethan Hawke wearing The Grabber mask and making jazz hands in The Black Phone — Image via Blumhouse Productions

With a modest $16-18 million budget, The Black Phone went on to become a significant box office success, earning $161.4 million at the end of its run. The upcoming sequel will likely lean further into its supernatural elements to further explain the return of The Grabber. Besides Hawke and Thames' return as Finney, the sequel will also see Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), Terrance (Jeremy Davies), and Robin (Miguel Mora) returning. Despite the incredible box office success, and the clear interest from the cast to return. Derrickson revealed recently to ScreenRant, that The Black Phone 2 was not always a foregone conclusion, saying, "A lot of surprises, for sure. I just finished shooting Black Phone 2, and what I can tell you is that I didn't feel obliged to make a sequel. It wasn't a foregone conclusion that I would make a sequel."

The Black Phone is available to stream on Hulu. The Black Phone 2 will arrive in theaters on October 17, 2025.