Stephen King's Two-Sentence Black Phone 2 Review Should Have Horror Fans Excited

It's been a big year for horror, with movies like "Sinners," "Final Destination Bloodlines," and "Weapons" having dominated water cooler conversations for much of the past several months. Be that as it may, one of the genre's biggest, most anticipated offerings of 2025 is still on the horizon: "Black Phone 2." A sequel to the smash hit "The Black Phone" (which hit the film festival circuit in 2021 before opening theatrically in 2022), the movie brings Ethan Hawke back as the nefarious child-killing Grabber. And if one horror maestro is to be believed, audiences are in for a pleasant surprise.

Indeed, Stephen King has now shared his bright thoughts on director Scott Derrickson's "Black Phone 2," which has shades of the filmmaker's "Sinister" in its marketing. King, one of the most prolific authors of our time and the mind behind horror classics such as "Salem's Lot" and "It," had high praise for the sequel. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), here's what he had to say about it:

"It's not as good as the first one. IT'S BETTER."

Again, high praise. The first "Black Phone" is based on the short story of the same name by Joe Hill, who also happens to be King's son. And while yes, King may be a bit biased here because of that, he's not the only one heaping praise on the film. Reviewing Derrickson's follow-up for /Film at Fantastic Fest, Rafael Motamayor similarly described "Black Phone 2" as a "fantastic sequel" that's "bigger" and "adds to the experience of the first film."

For whatever it may be worth, I too was at the premiere screening of the movie at Fantastic Fest, and I also enjoyed the sequel quite a bit. The reaction in the room was overflowing with positivity, and although Rotten Tomatoes (as of this writing) has yet to tabulate enough reviews to give the film an official score, the critical reactions currently listed on the website are overwhelmingly positive.

The "Black Phone" sequel once again centers on Finn (Mason Thames), who's now 17 and struggling with life after being kidnapped and nearly murdered by the Grabber. Meanwhile, the now-15-year-old Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone, in addition to seeing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake. Determined to solve the mystery, Gwen convinces Finn to visit the camp, only for the pair to discover they must confront the Grabber once more, with the killer having only grown more powerful in death.

"I had to ask myself the question: Is 'The Black Phone 2' a movie that I'm willing to make if it's the last movie I ever get to make?" as Derrickson said to /Film last year. "I spent some real time thinking about it. When I came up with a story or a take on that movie, it got me so excited. I was like, absolutely, that is the next movie I want to make."

It appears that was a wise move. In addition to directing, Derrickson also co-wrote "Black Phone 2" with his frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill (who produced the sequel as well). For Blumhouse Productions, this may well come as a welcome win. Blumhouse has been having a rough year, with "M3GAN 2.0" and "Wolf Man" both falling well short of expectations critically and commercially. Hence, at this stage, the studio could seriously use a hit. If audiences are motivated by critical opinion, though, it looks like this could be the success that Jason Blum's production company needs.

"Black Phone 2" opens in theaters on October 17, 2025.