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Video courtesy of Universal Pictures. Includes Red Band trailer footage.
Release (UK/US): October 17, 2025 (Only in cinemas) | Director: Scott Derrickson | Production: Blumhouse | Distributor: Universal Pictures
Preview (Spoiler-Light): The Phone Is Ringing Again
Somewhere between a whisper and a warning, the black phone starts to trill—and with it, the past claws its way back. Black Phone 2 reunites director Scott Derrickson with the chilling world he helped build, as Ethan Hawke’s unforgettable boogeyman drifts at the edge of every hallway. This time, the mythology that flickered in the first film steps closer: the phone isn’t merely a lifeline—it’s a conduit. Voices we thought were stilled may have more to say.
The featurette above—cut from Universal’s official materials—sets a tone that’s colder and more deliberate. The camera lingers on textures: basement concrete, a frayed cord, the soft scuff of a shoe past a threshold we begged the character not to cross. It’s sensory storytelling that hints at rules we don’t fully understand while making every sound in the theater feel like part of the threat.
What to Know (Facts First)
- In cinemas: Friday, October 17, 2025 (UK & US).
- Studio & release: Universal Pictures (distributor) with Blumhouse producing.
- Creative lead: Director Scott Derrickson returns to steer the sequel.
- Returning faces: Expect key cast carryovers led by Ethan Hawke; the story expands the folkloric rules around the phone and its ghostly network.
- Red Band trailer: Teases a nastier edge while keeping major plot turns obscured.
Why It Matters (For Horror Fans)
The original Black Phone worked because it married old-school dread to a fresh mechanic: spectral collaboration. The sequel doubles down on that idea without defanging it. Instead of explaining everything, the materials suggest a subtler escalation—shifting from isolated survival to a chorus of unfinished histories. It’s the difference between a lone SOS and a switchboard of the dead.
On the big screen—especially with a Friday-night crowd—this franchise thrives on rhythm: a hush, a scrape, the ring. If the sequel keeps that musicality of fear, you’ll feel the theater lean forward together—and jump together. Bring friends; bring nerves; leave your ringtone on vibrate.
Spotlight: Style & Sound
Editing leans on negative space and micro-motions—hands hesitating at doorframes, eyes adjusting to the dark. Sound design does the heavy lifting: the hollow tap of a receiver, the sub-bass growl you only notice when it stops. Rather than chasing gore, the materials promise suffocating atmosphere—the kind that lingers during the walk to your car.
Bottom Line
Black Phone 2 aims to be the October scare that gets people talking again—not through cheap shocks, but through a story that treats fear like a relay signal. If Derrickson keeps the mystery taut and the phone a little too eager to ring, this could be the season’s most satisfying scream.
Movieversalfilm — Your AI-powered entertainment magazine for the UK & US.
Video and press materials courtesy of Universal Pictures. AI images are clearly labelled above.