“Black Phone 2” is a superlatively frightening and eerie horror film. More than that, it is that rarity where the sequel outshines the original and by a long shot. The sound effects used enhance the intriguing plot.

The first movie was set in 1978. Now it is four years later. In a flashback, we see a young Hope (Anna Lore), the mother of Finn (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), in 1957. Hope is at a remote phone booth in the middle of winter at a place called Alpine Lake. She talks to the person on the other line but seems confused during the conversation.

Back in 1982, Finn is fighting a student and winning in a brutal fashion. His sister Gwen shouts at him and the fight breaks up. Gwen counsels Finn to control himself. But Finn is tired of people teasing him about his notoriety regarding the Grabber (Ethan Hawke) case and his role in it.

As they are talking a car pulls up. Driving is Ernesto (Miguel Mora), who has a crush on Gwen. He suggests getting tickets for both of them to the Duran Duran concert. Gwen is thrilled.

Gwen also has her difficulties at school. Other students are aware of her weird dreams and ostracize her. In the library, researching dream theory, Gwen is approached by Ernesto. He tells her that he does not think that she is weird and shows her the Duran Duran tickets.

At night at home, Finn sneaks out to smoke a joint. He sees the Grabber, whom he killed, staring at him silently. Finn also hears phones in booths ring when others do not. He tells off the entity on the other end and hangs up.

Gwen has a habit of sleep-walking in her dreams. One night she sneaks into the basement window of the house where Finn was held captive. She answers the phone and speaks to her mother. Gwen sees letters of the alphabet in the ice whereas her mother sees the phone number to dial Gwen.

Finn is out of work so Gwen suggests that they become counselors-in-training for Alpine Lake, where their mom worked, during its winter season. It is a Christian facility, which is a turnoff for both Finn and his father Terrence (Jeremy Davies).

Ernesto and Gwen decide to volunteer. Finn goes along to check up on his sister and make sure that Ernesto does not go too far. Finn is worried about his father’s sobriety failing. Terrence is nearing his third-year chip and assures Finn that he will be fine.

On the trip to Alpine Lake, they encounter a serious snow storm. Finn gets out in front of the car to keep an eye for where the road is. They meet Mustang (Arriana Rivas) on a horse. She guides them to the gates. They are snowed in.

Once in camp, they meet Armando Reyes (Demian Bichir), the supervisor of Alpine Lake. He informs them that the two boys will sleep in one bunkhouse and Gwen will be by herself in the other one.

There is a mystery at Alpine Lake. Three children were murdered there. By whom? How is this connected to Gwen’s dreams or Finn’s sighting of the Grabber?

The brilliance behind the script of “Black Phone 2” cannot be understated. The first film revolved around a child predator and his victims in a single house. I found that premise creepy since it was real world and involved minors.

The Grabber is still an unsettling villain to say the least. The idea of resurrecting him from the dead as a tangible evil who needs to be destroyed and who can enter the world through dreams gives a darker feel to this second feature. When the Grabber appears, he is completely frightening with his mask covering his now decaying visage.

There also is a theme of what constitutes the source of the Grabber’s power in this world now that he is dead. This takes a while to be revealed but adds another needed dimension to the finale of the story.

The link between Gwen and her mother is movingly portrayed. The question of what happened to her mother becomes a focal point for the Blake family.

Then there are the dream sequences. These are superbly created. There is a sense when they are going on that feels like the air has been sucked out of the room. The grainy cinematography that is a key to the fact that these are dreams is perfectly designed and enhances the eeriness of the experience. Not only that, but you have instances where Gwen the sleeper is in the same frame as Gwen the dreamer.

The fine line of how the dream world can affect the real world is well-balanced here. There is no real exposition of how this is done. But the naturalness of how the action plays out is utterly believable.

The violence that occurs is bloody and scary in a visceral way. Seeing bodies hurled around by an invisible force and being cut via a dreaming Gwen is brutally portrayed.

The sound effects throughout the movie are both grindingly unsettling and haunting. The depth which they add to the scares is phenomenal.

There is a nice subplot where two allegedly “Christian” camp workers are convinced that Gwen is the devil’s child. What they endure as the action gets more frenetic is alternately amusing and pitiful.

The dark scenes at the lake are beautifully filmed. The finale is a tour de force of editing and effects.

The actors are fully committed to their roles. Bichir is excellent as always. I especially liked the realism of the chemistry between Gwen and Ernesto. Madeleine McGraw is one of the most effective sobbers I have ever seen—you truly believe her sorrow and fear.

I came in with low expectations. I didn’t care for the premise of the first film, based as it was on reality. This sequel, by taking the jump into the supernatural, elevates the franchise to a new height.

I believe that it is very difficult to make a great horror movie. In this respect, “Black Phone 2” ranks up with the best.

Five out five stars

Four years ago, 13-year-old Finn killed his abductor and escaped, becoming the sole survivor of The Grabber. But true evil transcends death … and the phone is ringing again.

As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, the headstrong 15-year-old Gwen begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake.

Determined to solve the mystery and end the torment for both her and her brother, Gwen persuades Finn to visit the camp during a winter storm. There, she uncovers a shattering intersection between The Grabber and her own family’s history. Together, she and Finn must confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine.

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Demián Bichir, Miguel Mora, Jeremy Davies, Arianna Rivas
Director: Scott Derrickson
Written by: Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill, based on the short story ‘The Black Phone’ by Joe Hill