One of the genres of movies that have always had the most derivative sequels are horror films. With the success of The Black Phone back in 2021, a return to that world was inevitable, and now that follow-up has arrived. With an actor of Ethan Hawke‘s calibre still attached to the series, one would hope for something of quality. 

In a somewhat surprising move, the focus this time has been shifted from the now-teenage brother Finney (Mason Thames) to the sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw). They take full advantage of McGraw’s pluck and give her some great comeback lines. They are ribald and very funny.

This shift brings the world of The Black Phone back to life with a fresh feel amid the new horrors. Having Hawke return as The Grabber is also intact, but the story focuses more on Gwen and her family. The story evolves out of the dreams that Gwen has and the revelations they bring.

Mixing humour and horror has always been a stock in trade for fright films, and it’s used to full advantage here. The laughs are frequent and relax you nicely before the horror puts you back on the edge of your seat. And in a break from tradition at the film’s end, there is a lovely coda that doesn’t feel like an ad for part 3.
Rob Hudson
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Four years ago, 13-year-old Finn killed his abductor and escaped, becoming the sole survivor of The Grabber. But true evil transcends death … and the phone is ringing again.

Four-time Academy Award® nominee Ethan Hawke returns to the most sinister role of his career as The Grabber seeks vengeance on Finn (Mason Thames) from beyond the grave by menacing Finn’s younger sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw).

As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, the headstrong 15-year-old Gwen 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.

Determined to solve the mystery and end the torment for both her and her brother, Gwen persuades Finn to visit the camp during a winter storm. There, she uncovers a shattering intersection between The Grabber and her own family’s history. Together, she and Finn must confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine.

From returning visionary writer-director Scott Derrickson, Black Phone 2 is written again by Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill, based on characters created by Joe Hill. The film is produced by Jason Blum, Derrickson and Cargill. The executive producers are Joe Hill, Adam Hendricks and Ryan Turek.

The cast includes Oscar® nominee Demián Bichir (The Nun, A Better Life) as the supervisor of the camp, Arianna Rivas (A Working Man) as his niece, Miguel Mora (The Black Phone) as the brother of one of The Grabber’s victims, and Jeremy Davies, returning as Finn and Gwen’s father, Terrence. Other new cast members include Maev Beaty (Beau is Afraid) and Graham Abbey (Under the Banner of Heaven).

Universal Pictures and Blumhouse’s horror phenomenon The Black Phone, released in 2022,received widespread critical acclaim and earned more than $160 million worldwide.

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Four-time Academy Award® nominee Ethan Hawke returns to the most sinister role of his career as The Grabber seeks vengeance on Finn (Mason Thames) from beyond the grave by menacing Finn’s younger sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw).

As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, the headstrong 15-year-old Gwen 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.

Determined to solve the mystery and end the torment for both her and her brother, Gwen persuades Finn to visit the camp during a winter storm. There, she uncovers a shattering intersection between The Grabber and her own family’s history. Together, she and Finn must confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine.

From returning visionary writer-director Scott Derrickson, Black Phone 2 is written again by Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill, based on characters created by Joe Hill. The film is produced by Jason Blum, Derrickson and Cargill. The executive producers are Joe Hill, Adam Hendricks and Ryan Turek.

The cast includes Oscar® nominee Demián Bichir (The Nun, A Better Life) as the supervisor of the camp, Arianna Rivas (A Working Man) as his niece, Miguel Mora (The Black Phone) as the brother of one of The Grabber’s victims, and Jeremy Davies, returning as Finn and Gwen’s father, Terrence. Other new cast members include Maev Beaty (Beau is Afraid) and Graham Abbey (Under the Banner of Heaven).

Universal Pictures and Blumhouse’s horror phenomenon The Black Phone, released in 2022,received widespread critical acclaim and earned more than $160 million worldwide.
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We are given few details about the actual cause but as the story progresses, small details coalesce into a narrative of a person so broken she feels she must retreat into absolute solitude. She does this by uprooting what is left of her life and moving to an isolated cabin deep in the woods of Wyoming, the least populated state in America.

Once there it becomes quickly obvious that she is almost completely unprepared for a life in the wild. There is a stark contrast between the stunning beauty of the land and the woeful condition of the cabin she has chosen. Once there, things turn bad, leading to a near-death experience when she is discovered by Miguel (Demián Bichir).

Their emerging relationship is beautifully rendered. Miguel also has a dark secret at his core but he is a practical man whose outdoor skills are well developed. The two connect on a teacher and student level. You become close to Edee and the fright of her inexperience. You also revel in the emergence of her climb from the darkness. This satisfying journey is conveyed with consummate skill.

Rob Hudson
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Edee (Wright), in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, finds herself unable to stay connected to the world she once knew and in the face of that uncertainty, retreats to the magnificent, but unforgiving, wilds of the Rockies.

After a local hunter (Demián Bichir) brings her back from the brink of death, she must find a way to live again.

Wright directs and stars in the film written by Jesse Chatham and Erin Digman. Co-starring with Wright is Oscar and ALMA nominee Demián Bichir. Joining them in the cast is Kim Dickens.

Land is produced by Allyn Stewart, Lora Kennedy, Leah Holzer, and Peter Saraf. Wright is an executive producer alongside Big Beach’s Marc Turletaub, John Sloss & Steve Farneth of Cinetic Media with Nomadic Pictures’ Chad Oakes & Mike Frislev and Eddie Rubin.

Land is coming to Australian cinemas soon!
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The film shares a storyline with the Japanese horror film Ju-On: The Grudge and the 2004 America remake of the same name. At its most basic, it’s based on a house that becomes attached to and haunts all those that enter it. This time there are individuals whose connection only become apparent as things progress.

Not short of star power, Demián Bichir, John Cho, Betty Gilpin and Jacki Weaver are just a few of the actors involved. Andrea Riseborough plays the lead character Detective Muldoon and she tries hard to hit most of the right notes to build the terror. The movie’s structure limits what she can do.

Building a scary experience on things jumping out of the darkness at you and drilling your ears with crescendo after crescendo of eerie sound design only takes you so far. After that there is a need for the story telling to buttress those feeling of unease. The Grudge succeeds at establishing an unsettling feeling but falls short of delivering the big scare.

Rob Hudson
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Producer Sam Raimi brings us a twisted new take of the horror classic.

Directed by Nicolas Pesce, The Grudge stars Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, John Cho, Betty Gilpin with Lin Shaye and Jacki Weaver. With a screenplay by Nicolas Pesce and a story by Nicolas Pesce and Jeff Buhler, The Grudge is based on the film “Ju-On: The Grudge” written & directed by Takashi Shimizu.

The Grudge will be released in Australian cinemas January 30!
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Directed by Nicolas Pesce, The Grudge stars Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, John Cho, Betty Gilpin with Lin Shaye and Jacki Weaver. With a screenplay by Nicolas Pesce and a story by Nicolas Pesce and Jeff Buhler, The Grudge is based on the film “Ju-On: The Grudge” written & directed by Takashi Shimizu.

After a young mother murders her family in her own house, a single mother and young detective tries to investigate and solve the case. Later, she discovers the house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death. Now, she runs to save herself and her son from demonic spirits from the cursed house in her neighborhood.

The Grudge will be released in Australian cinemas January 30!
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But the participants didn’t know that their VR experience would be cut inexplicably short – when they came face to face with a group of terrifying “nuns.”
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The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.

Directed by Ridley Scott and staring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollet, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby. Opens in cinemas MAY 18 2017