Black Phone 2 is 'more violent, scarier, more graphic'

'Black Phone 2' is "more violent, scarier" and "more graphic" than the original film, according to director Scott Derrickson.

The first movie - starring Mason Thames and Ethan Hawke - was based on a short story by Stephen King's son Joe Hill and was released in 2021 with the second instalment now due for release in October - and Derrickson has now told fans they can expect more gore in the follow-up.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: "It is certainly more violent, scarier, more graphic. And part of that is because of the age of the kids."

The first film followed the story of a teenage boy Finney Shaw (Thames) who is abducted by a serial killer called The Grabber (Hawke) and thrown into a soundproof basement.

The youngster then finds out he can hear the voices of the villain's previous victims through a disconnected phone and they try to help him escape.

Thames is back for the second film, and Derrickson revealed he wanted to make a follow-up quickly before the young castmembers aged too much.

He added: "I thought if I go make another movie first and don’t make a sequel now like you’re supposed to, then by the time I finish, these kids are all going to be in high school."

The second film was helped along by Hill, who sent the director some ideas, and Derrickson is convinced having a slightly older cast gives the film a different feel.

He said: "A middle school coming-of-age horror movie is a different animal than a high school coming-of-age horror film ... There’s a ratcheting up of intensity because of that."

Derrickson previously admitted making a sequel “wasn’t a foregone conclusion".

When Screen Rant asked the director what fans could expect from ‘Black Phone 2’, Derrickson said: “A lot of surprises, for sure. I just finished shooting ‘Black Phone 2’, and what I can tell you is that I didn't feel obliged to make a sequel. It wasn't a foregone conclusion that I would make a sequel."

On a production budget of roughly $18 million, ‘Black Phone’ grossed $161.4 million at the box office.

Before his return for ‘Black Phone 2’ was confirmed, Hawke - who had previously worked with Derrickson on the 2012 horror flick ‘Sinister’ - said he would happily reprise his role as The Grabber in the sequel.

The ‘Before Sunrise’ actor told Collider: “I had a really wonderful experience making my first scary movie with him. We did a movie called ‘Sinister’, and he's just a real filmmaker.

"I love the way he thinks about film and storytelling. And as I get older, I really enjoy working in different genres as an actor. It's a way to shape [and] change yourself as a performer.

“By trying to learn the math of what makes a great romantic comedy, what makes a great art film, what makes a great horror film, what makes a great Western, you know, there's a certain geometry to all that and Scott is brilliant at that.

“And so, basically, if he wants me to be in ‘Black Phone 2’, I'm gonna do it.”

'Black Phone 2' is due for release on 17 October 2025.