The Black Phone 2 Trailer Shows the Sequel to 2021’s Underrated Horror Movie

Scott Derrickson’s biggest film is Marvel’s Doctor Strange, but the director is arguably best-known for his offerings in the horror genre. Derrickson made a name for himself helming projects such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, and Deliver Us from Evil. After taking a detour into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Derrickson returned to his horror roots in 2021 to make The Black Phone, an underrated film starring Ethan Hawke as a serial child killer known as The Grabber. Earning positive reviews, The Black Phone proved to be a commercial success, grossing $161.4 million worldwide against a small $16-18 million production budget. Unsurprisingly, Derrickson moved forward with a sequel, and now a new trailer for Black Phone 2 is available to watch.

Today, Universal Pictures released the latest Black Phone 2 trailer, laying the groundwork for Finney Blake’s next terrifying encounter with The Grabber. Though Finney killed The Grabber in the previous film, the villain is back and seemingly more horrifying than ever, luring Finney and his sister Gwen to Alpine Lake Youth Camp by invading their dreams. Check out the trailer in the space below:

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Can Black Phone 2 Continue Horror’s Strong 2025?

Horror movies are typically reliable at the box office, and this has been a banner year for the genre so far. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners became a phenomenon over the spring and is earning Oscar buzz. Legacy sequel Final Destination Bloodlines brought one of horror’s signature franchises back in a big way (and a follow-up is already in development). Most recently, Weapons parlayed its strong word of mouth into an impressive run that’s seen it nearly $240 million worldwide to date. It dominated the box office in the late stages of summer; only Kpop Demon Hunters prevented Weapons from winning four straight weekends.

Derrickson has already had one well-received horror film in 2025. The Gorge didn’t get a theatrical run, but it earned generally positive reviews and scored the biggest launch for an Apple TV+ original movie. The Gorge earned praise for its ability to blend genres, combining a sweet love story with the usual genre thrills horror fans expect from a Derrickson movie.

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The pieces are certainly in place for Black Phone 2 to continue this hot streak. It looks to be another chilling offering from Derrickson, with Ethan Hawke delivering another terrifying performance as The Grabber. The supernatural element involving Gwen’s dreams also gives Black Phone 2 its own twist on the classic Nightmare on Elm Street formula, which will ideally make the sequel an even more tense experience. There’s also potential for Black Phone 2 to tell a powerful story about overcoming trauma; the trailer establishes that Finney is still haunted by his experiences in the first film, and perhaps defeating The Grabber again will help him move on with his life.

Universal is smartly releasing Black Phone 2 in the middle of October, when Halloween and spooky season will be at the forefront of viewers’ minds. As this year has shown, horror films can hit during any time of year, but hitting theaters in this window should give Black Phone 2‘s prospects a boost. Enough time will have passed after The Conjuring: Last Rites that horror fans will be in the mood for a new offering, so if word of mouth is positive, Black Phone 2 should be another big hit.