‘The Black Phone 2’ Trailer Arrives, and Yes, Hawke’s Back From the Dead

With the tidal wave of sequels crashing into theaters this year, I’m trying to channel my inner Dr. Strangelove: stop worrying and learn to love the sequel. Surely one of them has to be worth the ticket price, right?

Scott Derrickson is back in business. Blumhouse greenlit “The Black Phone 2” two years ago, a sequel to Derrickson’s 2022 surprise horror hit, and for what it was, that was a fairly decent movie.

A trailer has just been released for the film.

While specific plot details remain under wraps, early reports suggest that the film will explore the lingering presence of The Grabber (Hawke) beyond the grave, potentially haunting new victims through the mysterious black phone.

Pretty much the entire original cast is coming back for more: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, and Miguel Mora will all reprise their roles. Derrickson is once again co-writing with longtime collaborator C. Robert Cargill.

If you need a refresher, “The Black Phone” was a tight little horror flick about a kidnapped boy who communicates with the ghosts of his captor’s past victims through a disconnected phone. Shot for just $16M, it scared up more than $160M at the global box office—a no-brainer for Blumhouse to keep the phone ringing.

Derrickson, whose résumé includes “Doctor Strange,” “Sinister,” and “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” is coming off his streaming dud—“The Gorge.”

Universal has planted a flag for “The Black Phone 2” on October 17, 2025.