Synopsis:
As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, his sister 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.
Affiliate Links:
- 4K UHD: Buy on Amazon
- Blu-ray: Buy on Amazon
- DVD: Buy on Amazon
- Digital: Buy on Amazon
Official Trailer:
Movie Info:
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Year of Production: 2025
- Rated: R
- Run-time: 1H 54M
- Genres: Horror
- Director: Scott Derrickson
- Stars: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Demian Bichir, Miguel Mora, Jeremy Davies, Arianna Rivas
Review Video:
Written Review:
Hello Movie Lovers! Is it all worth seeing?
Today I’m talking about Black Phone 2 on 4K UHD.
Huge thanks to Universal Pictures for sending over a copy for review.
4K Video & Audio Quality
The 4K UHD includes Dolby Vision, and visually this one looks very good. The movie has a consistently dark appearance—either taking place at night or bathed in that cold, snowy overcast look. Colors are muted across the board, but that feels intentional rather than flat. Despite the darker palette, the image remains clear and detailed, with solid contrast and good depth.
Audio-wise, this release includes a Dolby Atmos track, and it sounds strong when it needs to. This isn’t a constant system-tester, but when the movie leans into tension or big moments, your speakers definitely wake up. Atmos effects are used sparingly but effectively—no cheap noise, just purposeful chills.
The Review
And now the big question hanging on the line like… well… a black phone: was this story necessary to continue?
Finn is still dealing with ghostly phone calls, while Gwen begins dreaming about murders. Unfortunately, the dream and flashback sequences really got under my skin—and not in a good way. They’re overloaded with grain, damaged-film effects, odd music cues, random jump cuts, and chaotic sound design. Instead of being unsettling, they felt messy and honestly kind of cheap. I think we could’ve understood these dream sequences without turning the style knob to eleven and snapping it off.
The mystery leads the characters to a Christian winter camp, which raises more questions than it answers. A teenage counseling camp… in winter? At Christmas? I kept wondering if I missed a calendar page or if this camp exists purely in horror-movie logic.
When the villain finally enters the picture, things start to feel very familiar. The idea of a killer haunting dreams where injuries carry over into the real world feels pulled straight from A Nightmare on Elm Street—and not subtly either. Some scenes are so close they feel like they’re one striped sweater away from legal trouble. Instead of feeling inspired, it felt borrowed… maybe even dialed.
Most of the dialogue works, but some lines are so awkward they accidentally become funny—and not in the fun horror way. The upside? The movie moves at a solid pace. It never drags, never feels boring, and it does stick the landing with an ending I genuinely enjoyed.
There are things here that work—but many of them feel like echoes of better ideas we’ve already seen, making this one feel more like déjà -boo than déjà vu. 👻📞🎬
Final Thoughts
Black Phone 2 has solid technical presentation and a few moments that genuinely land, especially toward the end. Unfortunately, too much of the story leans on familiar territory, and the over-stylized dream sequences pulled me out more than they pulled me in.
For me, this one rings in at 2.5 out of 5.
News & Future Releases
4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD Release Date: 12/23/2025
