The Reel Rejects - BLACK PHONE 2 (2025) IS FREAKY AS HELL!! MOVIE REVIEW!!

Starting point is 00:00:00 This week's videos are sponsored by Price Picks, the easy-to-use fantasy sports betting app. More on them in just a bit. Anyway, I think that's all the housekeeping. It's horrors. Thursday. Let's jump into the Blackbone 2. Black phone 2 in a 3. Two and a 1.

Starting point is 00:00:27 Amazing. Not bad, gang. If you are here at this point in the video, we have just completed Tyler Perry's The Black Phone 2. If you've made it to this point, if you could leave a like, if you could leave a like on the video, that would be much appreciated. Also, subscribe and hit that notification bell so you can be notified when Black Phone 3 comes your way here on this channel, reaction highlights with watchalongs included. also big thanks to the folks at for chopping these highlights down it's a task and we very much appreciate them

Starting point is 00:01:07 especially in a movie like this there's some pulp in this movie there's some icky gore there's some colorful turns of phrase for adult audiences we don't like censoring things but we have to do a little bit of that to get things here up on the YouTube so we appreciate them mightily for grabbing those choice clips

Starting point is 00:01:28 Sorry, gang. I'm going to crawl into this table really quick and turn the volume down, but... I don't care, John. Just real, real brief thoughts, just real brief first impressions, Aaron. I'm going to come to you first. How are you feeling Blackphone, too? Feeling good, man. I'm happy that we arguably got a more...

Starting point is 00:01:50 I don't know if it's like to say more, but the story was just as satisfying as the first one. ending was just a satisfying a character if not even a little more because Finney got to get in that ass and got to grab her got to grab up in that ass

Starting point is 00:02:09 he did I especially enjoyed the moment where he got up specifically in that ass he'll rule that ass and the grabber's butt cheeks had a little sad mask on them too sad mask quiver

Starting point is 00:02:25 but no I think this a movie did a great job of justifying its own existence by exploring these characters not only as they're a little bit older, but how they feel about their experiences that they went through in the last one and also got to resolve that that relationship they had to their mother's death, but also got to really examine their trauma. and yeah I think that them creating a second one was smart like I feel like the story is concluded I don't know what the story would be if they did a lot a grabber black phone three but yeah

Starting point is 00:03:09 I think the way that they were able to expand upon what they did with the first one and have it still be unique and visually interesting was really great I thought this was a very entertaining time two thumbs up for me and Jusif What do you think about? I agree with everything you're saying. The only thing I could think of just off the top of my head

Starting point is 00:03:29 if they didn't end up going with a black phone three is you could get into the backstory, although I don't know if that's something I'd want to see. Dude, there's so many different kinds of phone. You've got a white phone, there's the red phone. Yeah, what am I saying? Courtesy phone. Let's diversify.

Starting point is 00:03:43 I really enjoyed this film a great amount. Yeah, it doesn't go for the spectacle, but it goes for the character-driven drama, and I think this film really exceeded when it came to that, it was very well executed. I would agree that while Finn is a very big, contentious point in this film, that the film really did focus on Gwen a lot, which I'm glad, because she was the emotional pivot point in this film.

Starting point is 00:04:09 And I think that she adds so much a great level of depth, of human depth, as well as Finn, and as well as the dead. There's so many characters that add so many levels of depth. and those are my favorite kind of horror films when you really give a shit about the characters the example I would always use of course as everyone knows is Jaws you really when we get onto the adventure

Starting point is 00:04:34 of hunting the shark down you really care about those characters that when we're in tension and suspense you don't want anything to happen to them same thing with these characters and I was thinking as well like I have no idea where we're going to go with the storyline before we got into the film

Starting point is 00:04:50 I truly did not know anything. And I wasn't sure if, like, are we going to repeat the tropes of the first film? We're going to go down to a basement, just do the same thing over, and I'm so happy that they decided to go in the direction because I think the first film did this brilliant job of blending supernatural with a grounded reality that they did. And to have... This work may not be used to train A.O.

Starting point is 00:05:14 And how they had Ethan Hawks' character, and how they brought Ethan Hawke's character, I thought was done in such an intellectual. intellectual way and I thought it was executed again so fantastically to have him be able to because they are especially with Gwen's character as clairvoyant

Starting point is 00:05:30 and to have him come back that way and to expound upon his past without going too much into the backstory while connecting it to their mom it really immersed us as an audience and just was very interesting as a storyline as well but it really

Starting point is 00:05:46 also gets into why their father was the way he was in the first film and in the drunk stupor that he got. Of course, if the mom had just taken her own life, that could drive a man to do that, but the fact that we now find out

Starting point is 00:06:01 that's not the case, and she was taken from them, just even a worse case scenario, but I thought, such rich characters, awesome storyline, Scott Derrickson, the direction he gave.

Starting point is 00:06:15 These actors are just so fantastic. Mason, how do you say Mason's last time? Mason Thames. He is, I really think Koi has made such a great, and like, I can't unsee it too, as Aaron said earlier. I would love to see him as Dick Grayson. He's a phenomenal actor. I will watch anything he's in. He's great. As well as Madeline McGraw. She's terrific as Gwen. She really is the heartbeat of the film, I feel like, as well as Ben. But this was incredible. I did not feel the pacing in any way in terms of dragging. I was literally invested. it didn't feel when it did feel slow I didn't mind because I was so invested

Starting point is 00:06:55 in what was happening deliberate yeah for sure and I don't mind deliberately slow when I'm so enthralled by what is happening and I thought it was a great film

Starting point is 00:07:06 what about you, Donald yeah I really like the way this built on the first one you know I wasn't sure either what to expect and I didn't really even watch trailers for this so I just knew that

Starting point is 00:07:16 it would be cold because of all the posters but yeah As far as sequels go, this felt, and it's funny that this is based on a short story because it felt like a, you know, completing sort of companion chapter. Yeah, what happens? Like, it feels almost like there's a chapter break in the middle of the Black Phone to Black Phone 2 transition. And yeah, I really liked the way that this built on that and used both of their unique gifts. Obviously, Joe Hill, son of Stephen King.

Starting point is 00:07:46 There's a lot of Stephen Kingy kind of stuff in here. and yeah like I really liked how they built on the sort of you know airy cold sort of quietly desolate tone of the first movie and then made it even more punishing in this movie with the mountain landscape and all that stuff and yeah just the way that they used I think it's really smart the way they built out this world because it's not like oh we need another grabber adventure like we do get a grabber centric installment but it's It's clear here that they recognized that he's not the main motif of this world. He's just one of the motifs of this world.

Starting point is 00:08:27 And so, yeah, having it be that, you know, we get this link to her mother and the dreams are becoming more vivid and she's sleepwalking now. And, yeah, Finn having his own sort of journey toward acceptance of what happened and letting go of the fear and the trauma of that and the struggle. Like, I thought this just did a really nice job to, like, hone in on the drama. and take a conscientious look on where they would be after the first movie without making it too

Starting point is 00:08:54 melodramatic or too over the top I thought their responses felt very natural and at first when you've come in on Finn beaten that kid to a pulp I'm like oh damn this is gonna be a rough journey for Finn and it is but he's not as abrasive

Starting point is 00:09:09 as that opening moment would have you maybe expect and yeah the growth with the dad I thought their family unit was great I really liked having Ernesto in here as a link to Robin from the past. And, yeah, this felt like the rare sequel that, you know, probably was just looking back on the first movie and going, what else could we do here? But it really feels like this was planned out all along. And for an arguable retcon with the mom, I feel like that actually works really well.

Starting point is 00:09:40 And the reason they came up with is to how and why the grab her would be there, how he would know her, what the significance was, and a way to get us on another journey. similar to the first one where there's a mystery of some sort about these other boys, these ghosts, you know, communicating through the phone. I said that, yeah, they built really nicely on the supernatural. They built really nicely on the tone. Then all the visuals and the music to go along with that.

Starting point is 00:10:02 It just had such a vivid style. And yeah, I really like these one to the next. Like, you know, at the moment, I might prefer this one a little bit just because it's more indulgent of tone and style. And I'm a sucker for old you know, celluloid

Starting point is 00:10:17 and stuff like that and strange soundscapes. So this definitely appeals to me in a lot of ways. I like this one more too. And I like a grounded sort of, yeah, like the first one is supernatural, but it is definitely like a psychological serial killer thriller of sorts. Yeah, I was going to say these are more supernatural thrillers and horror movies. Yeah, and I like the way that this one brought in a very defined horror element with, you know, how much of a physical transformation.

Starting point is 00:10:47 the grabber undergoes and how he slowly onsets into the story and yeah the sharing of the perspective between yeah focusing more on Gwen but having Finn be a strong part of it going back to solve this mystery of their mother like and these other kids like it seems like they really conscientious

Starting point is 00:11:03 and really like it seems like they really just took their time and pounded and folded this thing until it was really tight for sure I think the drama too in this film was so handled so delicately and so beautifully like how thin used this facade of anger

Starting point is 00:11:20 and was really in a place where this trauma had built up from the events of the first film and he was really hurting and he was not feeling his feelings understandably so and he could not embrace that and couldn't speak to anyone about it

Starting point is 00:11:37 and he numbed himself through Ganja and his sister also because of the thing she was experiencing with this clairvoyance because her brother was not opening up to him she could not really open up to him as well about the thing she was dealing with and I love this catharticness

Starting point is 00:11:55 towards the end of the film that by the end of it they're like hey look it's always you and me we have each other for life no matter what shit we are going through whether it be a clairvoyant thing or whether it be about this awful experience that I dealt with we have each other no matter what we're binded with each other for life

Starting point is 00:12:13 sibling bonding is here and we will always be here for each other to self-heal. And I think that was a beautiful delivery of that. And I think those two actors have such incredible chemistry. You really feel the history dynamic between the two of them, whether it be that they are struggling to tell each other things or whether they finally get that cathartic release to finally embrace,

Starting point is 00:12:36 embrace that to finally share with each other. And I thought that was just, like, that's why I love these movies. Like, they're not just horror films. No, they're also the dramatic, the dramatic stuff. too is really immersive and it's really beautiful. Yeah, it's pretty grounded. Touching.

Starting point is 00:12:52 Like, yeah, it's really well acted, really well written out, and they only have as many characters as they need. And it's weird, because it's like this movie in some ways gets bigger and more indulgent in some aspects, but it still feels restrained and it still feels like you're isolated and you're in

Starting point is 00:13:08 this sort of small-knit situation. I was also delighted to be wrong by the fact that even though I guess it's technically a horror movie, outside of the people that were dead before the movie started nobody died we didn't have any little cannon fodder yeah everyone's death is in the past yeah did those just about freeing

Starting point is 00:13:24 souls did the two christian people did they not die the two christian people no i think they got they got slicing on the head up okay yeah they got they got ghost whooped but they didn't get actually i think they would have made a moment out of that but i appreciate it because it doesn't need it and it feels like there's a lot of carnage still and i mean yeah like the the the fate of each of the boys in the 50s is really

Starting point is 00:13:45 striking and unsettling and the gore gags. It's a great example to me of a movie that really knows how to have its cake and eat it too. It's like you have some really striking, icky horror movie gore gags but they're used in just the right places

Starting point is 00:14:02 and you have a lot of like really cool stylistic elements that are motivated by aspects of the story and things like that. There's not a lot of waste here and I really appreciate it. And I would say they are paying homage to quite a few horror films of the past.

Starting point is 00:14:19 I would say they are paying homage to Nightmare and Elm Street to Friday the 13th, to Poltergeist, to The Shining. So I appreciate that. Yeah, and I like that that stuff's in there for you to be like, oh, it's reminiscent of this or that, but they're not really doing any of that like, ah, we're making a reference. Of course not. No, no, no, totally. It's not doing its own thing. It's not the kind of movie. It's not the kind of tone that supports doing that.

Starting point is 00:14:42 And I appreciate that they didn't. And I also appreciated it It does what a good sequel does It respects the lore of the first movie While doing its own thing And being very ambitious Yeah And I appreciated that about this movie

Starting point is 00:14:55 Absolutely well gang We got some feedback from our Lovely Royal Rejects over Patreon If you want to submit a question For the next review slash post react discussion Head on over to patreon.com Slash the Real Rejects

Starting point is 00:15:11 Jaden Rhodes kicking us off. This is the same question I asked yesterday. And by the way, Roxy and Greg reacted to the Black Phone if you didn't hear it in the intro. Black Phone, too. Yeah, Black Phone. Black Phone, too. Both of them streaming now on the channel. So go

Starting point is 00:15:25 check out their video. But yes, this is the same question I asked yesterday. But do you all have a favorite performance? And do you like this one more than the first one? Because I think I liked it better by a mile. Oh. Favorite performance? God, dang.

Starting point is 00:15:41 dude Gwen was unbelievable and they were both so good if I had if I had the grabber holding my neck and saying you have to pick one I might just edge Gwen by a little but they were both so damn good like it was like hit for tat when I'm picking one of those I do agree I like this one a bit more than the first one although I love the first one as well but the it's not just the emotional places and the depth that where Gwen was able to go I love her quick one wit and her lines. They're so freaking funny, like the F-Wod and all the other stuff and her

Starting point is 00:16:17 foul mouth. Like, I just, I love it. And so, like, one of the reasons why I love Deb so much in Dexter, I love characters who can wear their heart on their sleeve, but also can be very direct as well. So, I would slightly edge Gwen, but I truly love Gwen and Finn so much

Starting point is 00:16:33 together. They're, like, my favorite characters by far. I think that's the easy choice, but I would say that. Yeah, I'd say, Oh, that's tough because I think of both of their monologues, both of their scenes. You know, the Gwen's scene talking to her mom and just that one shot was so powerful. But then also, when Gwen was calling Fini on his BS and he just had a confession about how he's always scared, that was also a really powerful scene. So I'm kind of tossed up.

Starting point is 00:17:01 And they both really bother. I'm saying it's hard. So it's really tough. It's really tough. So I probably have to go on this one. Just buy a hair. By a hair, literally. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:17:10 And I think now that I'm thinking about it I really, really did like this movie. I feel like I like the first one slightly more because there are just some things that I don't know, felt like a little convenient or not not fleshed out but you know like freaking Gwen got sliced the hell up

Starting point is 00:17:27 and she was just fine like the next day as if it never happens. Just the post you wound. You know, so like small stuff like that or like a homeboy getting tossed to the ice and him just like kind of being fine. Fair enough. So I felt like physical stakes are on the lower side.

Starting point is 00:17:40 but obviously the emotional stakes were really high. So I feel like as far as the tension and scariness goes, I feel like the first one edged out for me, but I appreciate the unique storytelling and expansion that this one had to offer. To Aaron's point, when Gwen was whipped and spun into like four circles, I'm like, I thought she was dead for a moment. I was like, how is she fine, bro?

Starting point is 00:18:03 I'm glad she was fine. I'm like, oh, my God. Thank God. But I'm like, how is she fine? Yeah. It's tough. It's tricky. You know, I always have trouble picking between things like this. I mean, I think they're both really good, and I think part of the charm is that they are a bit different of disposition, and they are certainly cut of the same cloth. But, you know, from one to two, there's certainly some element of stylistic leap. And I like that. It's like they both need each other for me to like that. So I don't know. I think second, this one has slightly more things that just naturally appeal to my direct.

Starting point is 00:18:40 taste in terms of horror and stuff like that. Just you know, gags and you know things you know, the style and the tone and the use of the horror elements are very much for me in this movie. They were for me in the first movie. This one just has more

Starting point is 00:18:56 of that kind of stuff so maybe by that margin I would say this one but I really love them both as one big story. And as far as performances I would just, I guess for me because I agree you know with your guys assessments and I mean Mason's Thames and

Starting point is 00:19:11 Madeline McGraw are terrific in those roles and I love their grounding and centering of the movie but I would guess want to highlight I loved Ethan Hawke's evolution in terms of in the first movie he's a very sort of

Starting point is 00:19:27 eerie strange but also human adversary whereas in this movie he's like a hell demon thing and you know both in the way he delivers and the way he just feels like he's becoming more and more monstrous as his visage becomes bloodier and more disheveled.

Starting point is 00:19:47 I really love just what he brought to that, even though he's not as much the focus of this movie. And I really liked, yeah, I don't know, the inclusion of the grabber and his whole treatise on hell and what it is to be in hell and they take all the good parts of you and they just leave sin and I am just an endless pit of sin and hell isn't fire, it's up.

Starting point is 00:20:10 Like all that stuff, I really, was some of my favorite stuff. And that was some of my favorite dialogue. And if I have one minor gripe, it's that I really liked the Gwen, I really like the Gwen character. Her dialogue at times veers out into like, okay, you're the character who talks cool and says fun insults, which is good, which is the thing I like. It didn't like detract, but there were moments where I'm like, okay, I can feel you feeling the script. But yeah, I really loved what Ethan Hawke did here. And Damian Bashir, I thought had a really, really great warm, natural presence. And for, again, a high-profile actor who doesn't really need to be in a movie like this,

Starting point is 00:20:54 I just love the credibility he brought to that and the, you know, inclusion of his character. This episode is brought to you by prize picks. The app that made me finally understand my wife's obsession. with fantasy sports. She's been obsessed with fantasy sports the entire time I've known her. And I'll be honest, I would sometimes zone out

Starting point is 00:21:18 whenever she would talk stats. She'd kill me for a minute of that recorded. But until now, now I get it. Because prize picks makes it simple and fun. And no, it's not gambling. It's daily fantasy sports. You're not betting against other people or the house. It's just you versus your predictions.

Starting point is 00:21:35 You pick more or less on two-player stats. Like, well, Steph Curry hit more than five threes tonight? Or will Patrick Mahomes throw less than three TDs? It's touchdowns for you un-initiated. And if you're right, you get paid. And I'm a man all about efficiency and speed. So what hooked me is how fast it is. You can make a lineup in under a minute in over 40 states, and it gives every game that extra level of excitement when you're right. That feeling can be addicting in the best kind of way. So, Reject Nation, if you're ready to join the Alba household, you can download the Price Picks app today and use code rejects to get $50 in lineups

Starting point is 00:22:09 after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code rejects to get $50 in lineup after you play your first $5 lineup prize fix. It's good to be right. Dark Knight 2709.02. Is that 7 digits or how many digits is that? I don't know.

Starting point is 00:22:27 Trying to make a black phone reverence. Six digits. We need one more. We needed one more. Thank you so much for being Royal Reject. We're asking a question. We appreciate you so much. What did you think of Mason's performance? being able to move aside and let Madeline take the lead. I'd like to hear how you feel about their potential for the future,

Starting point is 00:22:46 knowing Mason, has just hit a milestone of three films hitting number one in the box office in one year, which has not been done since 1994 with Jim Carrey and The Mask, Dumb and Dumber and Ace Ventura, three of Andrews' favorite movies from 1994. That was the perfect question for you to read. Yeah, it was the perfect question for you to read. Damn, so what this, how to train your dragon, and what?

Starting point is 00:23:08 What's the other one? I saw he was with with McKenna Grace Unfortunately I don't think it's that It's not the McKinna Grace I don't think it's broken any records But it could have I do I will tell you guys

Starting point is 00:23:27 I often have conversations with people About Jim Carrey's 1994 year And saying he might have had The Greatest Year ever for an actor in 94 Being in the Masked Ace Ventura And dumb and dumber so oh okay well regretting you was number one for a weekend why didn't you listen to me john i shouldn't have doubted you so i i don't know i thought he was in that movie i didn't know you could

Starting point is 00:23:51 make four movies in one year and still be able to get some sleep but although i don't know if gwen would want some sleep after this movie never sleep again i think mason is a true professional and the fact that he probably read the script and said this is fantastic this is deep i love where we are exploring the character, especially after the events of the first film, and also Madeline is my friend. And I think this gives a chance for her to really explore her acting abilities.

Starting point is 00:24:19 And as I just pointed out, as a professional, I want to do what's best for the project. So I'm still going to get to shine a light on what my character needs to do and also on what I need to do as an actor. So I think he read the script and went, I'm on board. Let's do this with Scott Derrickson

Starting point is 00:24:37 and see Robert Cargill? Gargill. God, damn. Will I ever be able to pronounce names properly? I think he read the script and went, this sounds fantastic. And I'm sure Scott and C. Robber, like, sweet, glad you're on board. Let's go.

Starting point is 00:24:50 And the fact that he was able to have a Jim Carrey type of year, I don't take that kind of shit lightly because that's the only name I ever mentioned when I talk to people about an actor ever having the greatest year ever. Let me mention, he followed up that 1994 year and 95 with two little films called Ace Ventura When Nature Calls and Batman Forever. nice follow-up year by the way i can't wait to see what mason does next year he's going to be nightwing now right he has to after batman uh when he followed up with jim carrie with batman it would be sick now coy let's make it happen my fellow geek check let's do it for mason

Starting point is 00:25:24 what do you guys think uh yeah i thought he was great that monologue he had you know as i was watching i was like this kind of reminds me of like andrew garfur from the social network a little bit but yeah I think he did an amazing job and you know we also reacted to the live action how to train your dragon which he was also really great in I got to watch that it's good it's a fun expansion of the OG movie but yeah I'm excited to see whatever he does next he's a captivating performer he's very believable he's very grounded when you're watching him and I feel like he has versatility to still offer Hollywood that we have not yet seen and I'm excited to see you what other types of roles that he takes on next,

Starting point is 00:26:08 hopefully Nightwing being one of them. That would be awesome. Absolutely. I'd also be down if you ever wanted to play Terry McGinnis as Batman Beyond. I'd be cool with that as well. Either of them works for me. That would be cool. I know we're all like, let's get them on the DC payroll.

Starting point is 00:26:22 Let's do it. Come on, Gun. Got to get everyone into a franchise. Yeah, I mean, big respect. You know, I mean, that's part of being professional, is, you know, sharing the spotlight and supporting your scene part. and whatnot. And, yeah, I mean, big respect to him. I mean, you know, that's what this story seemed to call for. And by my, you know, assessment of the movie, it felt like a very natural

Starting point is 00:26:45 thing to, yeah, spread the focus between Gwen and Finney. And I mean, he's still a very prominent part of the movie and his story and his, you know, the motifs that come with his involvement are still very much a prominent and important part of it. So, yeah, I think just big respect on him for sharing the spotlight with such grace and for really, again, showing up for the whole thing and really bringing a lot of great emotional layers. I thought

Starting point is 00:27:12 you could really feel the different shades as he would expand and contract from being the most guarded version of himself to being, you know, maybe humbled or, you know, shaken to having, you know, a renewed sense of clarity. I just thought he really did a great job

Starting point is 00:27:29 and he managed to stand out as a completely, you you know, plugged in part of the story, even if his, you know, direct focus and screen time is, you know, balanced differently than in the first movie. Sure. And I love when actors do that as well. Since we're talking about the year 1994, I'll just share a little trivia with you guys.

Starting point is 00:27:49 Arnold Schwarzenegger, in one of my favorite films of his, I would call it Top Five. John will be my witness, as I just mentioned. This True Lies, which came out in 1994. He did not see Jamie Lee Curtis's name was going to be on the poster with him. And he told you, James Cameron in the studio, I want

Starting point is 00:28:04 her name on the poster. She's a very integral part of this film, and I want it to happen. And he did, or it was either on the poster or it was before the True Lies title sequence came up before the movie. It's one of those two, but he made sure it happened. And I think, like, that's very professional and very awesome

Starting point is 00:28:20 to do to take care of your co-stars like that. I think that's awesome of Arnold. And just someone like Mason as well to do when you were a team professional like that. Yeah, I mean, I don't imagine he really had a big say in like the script and stuff but uh i i understand and i mean i could not make a problem is all i'm saying on mason's end like no i need more screen time i

Starting point is 00:28:43 need more line and he could have done that and been you know negatistical yeah yeah yeah for sure but yeah i mean it seems like his star is definitely on the rise and you know with these three successes that you've just pointed out it seems like the sky is the limit and it seems like he's certainly poised for you know only more success down the line so you know keep kicking ass out there, Mason, if you're watching to this point in the video. We see you. We love you, Mason. You're awesome. You're turning excellent work. You and the whole gang.

Starting point is 00:29:10 All right, Maple Mory. A lot of what made the first Blackphone work for me was how little we actually knew about the grabber and his motive behind why he was kidnapping and killing. Blackphone 2 goes more into his quote origin story, which is, in my opinion, takes away from the uncertainty and the

Starting point is 00:29:26 psychological fear that came from not fully understanding him. Do you think giving him more of a backstory helped or hurt the sequel. Well, I feel like they give us just enough to know where he came from, but not enough to unveil the entirety of what he's about. I feel like

Starting point is 00:29:42 there's still a lot of error of mystery around the guy, just knowing, you know, what he did 20 years prior to the event of the story. It doesn't really change much. But I think that it is interesting how they were able to tie that back into Finney and Gwen's story, having a connection

Starting point is 00:29:58 to the bomb, even all those years prior to the events of the first movie so yeah it didn't really bother me all that much i don't know i thought it was cool we learned his name was wild bill that's yeah i was gonna say you know yeah we know we went to the camp i feel like we didn't learn a ton about him other than he went to the camp his name was wild bill and he killed the mom yeah and he killed the mom so it didn't take away the mystery from me and there's times where i don't i'm i love mystery and i'm like okay he's just a straight-up cold stone killer and then there's other times from like i like exploring the backstory it doesn't

Starting point is 00:30:31 give a justification for why this character is doing the things that he or she is doing but it gives some exploration of why you know so it gives perspective from us the audience and can we have an understanding and those are the

Starting point is 00:30:47 scariest types of villains right when you have an understanding of why they are doing so I still feel like we've got that mystery if they ever wanted to do a third film or we could always just have Rob Zombie reboot the series and have Wild Bill you know have long hair again and do all

Starting point is 00:31:03 that, have him be a child. He has longer, longer, longer hair. And, you know, we could put a white horse in there and do all that fun stuff. But I think again, the air of mystery is still completely there. I still don't know a ton about him, so. Yeah, I don't think it, I think they

Starting point is 00:31:19 were smart in how they handled it, at least for my taste, because I, it's not like they went and did a whole like prequel, you know, Bill origin movie showing you, Yeah, doing as much as I love the Rob Zombie Halloween. They didn't do that thing where it's like, oh, we got to go see his childhood,

Starting point is 00:31:36 and we got to see what made him this way, and we've got to see all the, where do you get the hat, where do you get the math? I wouldn't want to do that. But I do feel like this, yeah, I managed to give you a bit of a glimpse further into his past, but only insofar as it pertained to the mom and the camp and other aspects already pertinent to the story. So it's like you get glimpses of him as a young man, and you get glimpses of certainly what happened truly with. their mom so you have like other little parts of the map sort of illuminated but you don't have

Starting point is 00:32:08 the full picture of this guy you haven't done a full deep dive and i think there's still plenty to wonder about in terms of yeah what created you how did you come to be who and what you are what informs your specific emo i feel like there's still a bunch of that stuff that you can you know ponder and you know fill in with your own nightmares the only question i i have leaving this movie and you guys can correct me if they didn't answer it but obviously there's a three year time jump between Black Fun 1 and Black Phone 2. Did they

Starting point is 00:32:38 narratively justify within the story why it takes place three years later? I think it was four years right 7882 is that what it was something like that yeah um I don't know I mean to me it just sort of seemed like they've been trying to shut it out for so long or Finn

Starting point is 00:32:55 has been trying to shut it out for so long while Gwen's dreams are gradually getting stronger and you know it's these boys it's the mom to me in my head canon it just yeah as a long gestating sort of like you need the right amount of both trauma and

Starting point is 00:33:11 clairvoyance to kind of unlock what is happening here and obviously I have never been through a traumatic experience like Finn has and maybe at first when you were done experiencing what he went through with the grabber life maybe just goes

Starting point is 00:33:27 back to normal and everything is all rainbows and sunshunds shines for a little bit and then as gradually time goes on it just gets worse and worse and worse and I like that

Starting point is 00:33:36 we had a little bit of time in between so we could see what this character was feeling right from the get-go and I mean everything you get

Starting point is 00:33:44 with the grabber is still pretty mad pretty nightmare all right Jay Dell if you were the one holding the black phone or do you want

Starting point is 00:33:53 to read this one I feel I realize we were starting to share the mic but yeah if you were holding the black phone in the black phone

Starting point is 00:34:00 too call from your future self during a terrifying nightmare what advice would you hope they gave you and would you actually follow it uh it would stick in my mind i would certainly be superstitious enough to be like should i be following yeah i don't know the signs are there don't text and drive i would need to follow that one very low stakes premonition that's low stakes i feel like that's high stakes it's dangerous it is i would say uh continue your art to mind your health quick quick easy to the point and if it was me you'd have to verify with some facts that only me would know and I'd be like okay I'll trust you and I'll listen to you because you're me from the future why would I have cause not to listen to you you're telling me good things if I received a call for myself during a terrifying nightmare I guess I would hope that my future self had some kind of advice about how to escape the nightmare or how to alleviate the circumstances that the nightmare might be a premonition of right yeah agreed don't tell anyone you won the lottery i don't know what's

Starting point is 00:35:07 specific advice i guess you know maybe you could just tell me how to you know whatever i'm struggling with here in the moment just give me some hints on how to deal with yeah curtis okerman last question of the day what's up rejects i really enjoyed the first black phone for similar reasons you spoke about during your watch along i loved the sequel in a world where horror uh in a world where horror Equals typically cannot hold up compared to their original, would you say it was as good, if not better? It was good. Final verdict? I enjoyed the first one slightly more.

Starting point is 00:35:42 I felt like that one was a more, it was like a thriller mixed with a coming of age story. Yeah. And I really appreciated that. And granted, is there some of that here? Kind of, but I feel like that specific thing was more prevalent in the first one. And I'm just a sucker for coming of age story. so that's why I go with that one But this one's also great

Starting point is 00:36:03 Just when you thought it was safe To go back in the theaters again I'm telling you Jaws the Revenge It's one of the best horror sequels ever I actually like you know I like Jaws too It's a fun Slasher

Starting point is 00:36:15 Teen Slasher film You guys didn't have seen that one yet have you No that's a fun one It's not as good as Jaws I'm actually trying I'm actually trying to think of some good horror sequels right now some of the nightmare ones

Starting point is 00:36:29 are really actually a lot of fun. Nightmare 3 is really good. Fire 2 is a good horse as cool. Obviously those ones but I'm glad you Saw 2.

Starting point is 00:36:37 Saw 2 yes. Saw 6. Yeah. Saw 10. Yeah. Yeah. I adore the first one. I think it's great.

Starting point is 00:36:46 I really like the exploration of the characters in this one. As Aaron just pointed out I love a good coming of age story. It's one of the rare few things I like in the amazing Spider-Man one into the chemistry

Starting point is 00:36:58 between Andrew Garfield. Field and Emma Stone had a blank there. I think that was executed so well in this film. I love a good sibling bonding story as well. And the drama that comes with the horror in this film, the supernatural that's blended in with the groundedness, I think it was done really well. The visuals, the synthetics, the direction, the performances.

Starting point is 00:37:21 There's just so much I can praise about the film. I do also agree with that there was some convenience when it comes to the stakes. uh the physical stakes rather so i i do agree with that having said all that i'm more forgiving of it because i was so immersed and so invested in the characters i can be a slight bit more forgiving so but i i would pick this one slightly over the first one uh yeah uh you know it'll depend on the day honestly like we're we're here in the afterglow and i'm like i feel like for my money for my taste they're probably right about on par with each other because

Starting point is 00:37:59 they're a little bit different from each other and I like each of the things that each is doing like I would kind of agree that you know if I'm wearing my critic hat at this moment my brain says that maybe the first movie is a bit more refined and a bit more you know it's a little this certain movie certainly goes bigger in the second one um but yeah I think it flows really nicely from one to the next and I was really chuffed with what they chose to do here contextually and in how they chose to realize it visually and orally and all that stuff and through the acting so I mean I would say that this is definitely a rare horror sequel that carries the torch of its original valiantly. It seems like you said to justify its own existence really nicely, and it did a lot of things that, yeah, you know, enriched the story for me. So, yeah, I mean, on any given day, I might say that I prefer this one. But, yeah, I think they're both really great. And it's neck and neck for me. But yeah, gang, we did it. This was a good one. This lived up to the hype. This has been doing real well. Blumhouse out there getting chilly.

Starting point is 00:39:03 Killing the game. Y'all guys, any got them, any mother, stray thoughts? As Blumhouse, totally off topic and then I'll be done. Has Blumhouse done? When am I ever done, right?

Starting point is 00:39:16 Has Blumhouse done any nightmare in Elm Street films or no? I would love. No one's done nightmares since Platinum Dunes in 2010. And I think that predates Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes partnering up for stuff. I would really love for them to tackle nightmare or numstry.

Starting point is 00:39:31 I think that would be... I know Halloween kills and Halloween ends was not everyone's favorite films. I did like the 2018 version, but I... Well, there was the Exorcist Believer. Yeah. Well, I still would be fascinated for them to tackle. Although I do like them doing original stuff as well.

Starting point is 00:39:46 But I think that'd be fascinating to attack. But you've got to have Robert and Glenn do a cameo role. Those are my final thoughts. And Blackphone, too. All right. Well, get that Blumhouse, Freddie. You heard it here. Maybe go back to some...

Starting point is 00:39:59 you know old-fashioned movie magic practical scares either way gang thank you for answering the call it's not Ghostbusters it's Black Phone 2 terrific sequel terrific chilly spooky time at the cinema some nightmarish imagery some oppressive tones some beautiful film grain crazy ass soundtrack I gotta get on vinyl as soon as possible leave us your thoughts on the Black Phone 2

Starting point is 00:40:24 do you want a Black Phone 3 please don't unless you have someone kind of I do appreciate that for black phone too they really like seem to think okay what's the furthest extent we can take this leave nothing no stone unturned for sure i don't know how you would do a third one and i don't want them to at the moment they call the third the first one black phone the black phone this one's black phone too the third one be black phones oh hey you know what i want to hear or and and the the phones will have a three last thing i want to hear the music in this by atticus ross i want to hear that and teach

Starting point is 00:40:59 music that's come on go check out Michael Jekino's that would be good exotic themes so the silver screen or whatever it's called it anyway thank you guys for joining us we'll catch you on the next one much love people cheers this

The Reel Rejects - BLACK PHONE 2 (2025) IS FREAKY AS HELL!! MOVIE REVIEW!!

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.