‘Black Phone 2’ trailer goes “full-on ‘Nightmare On Elm Street’” with Ethan Hawke returning

Black Phone 2 has released its first trailer, with fans comparing the horror to A Nightmare On Elm Street as Ethan Hawke returns.

• READ MORE: ‘The Black Phone’ review: Ethan Hawke smashes it as a masked bogeyman

The follow-up to the 2021 supernatural horror hit is due for release later this year, and also sees the return of Mason Thames as Finn, who killed captor The Grabber (Hawke) at the end of the first film.

However, the terrifying child serial killer is back, as his sister begins to experience terrifying calls in her dreams and visions of three boys being stalked in a winter camp. They journey to the camp, where they learn the killer has grown more powerful in death.

The trailer gives fans a taste of what to expect, as Finn speaks to The Grabber on the phone and tells the killer that he is dead. “You of all people should know that dead is just a word,” Hawke’s character replies, as we see a series of terrifying images.

Fans have since shared their reactions to the preview, one writing on YouTube: “WOW! We’re going full on Nightmare on Elm Street and I’m here for it.”

“This feels like a mix of Sinister and Nightmare on Elm Street, and I’m HERE for it,” another added, while a third wrote: “This is a movie I did not think would ever need a sequel based on how the last one ended, but just the fact that this trailer was so well-made, I’m now intrigued!”

“A winter setting, small-town vibe, paranormal murders… I’m sold man. Need more of this,” a fourth said, a fifth adding: “The Grabber now being the one to haunt the phone is a neat idea!”

Teasing the film, director Scott Derrickson told The Hollywood Reporter: “The first movie was a ghost movie but all the ghosts were victims, which is typical, a ghost story. But in this one, you’ve got a ghost that is a villain.”

He explained that he didn’t originally plan for a sequel, though original short story writer Joe Hill pitched ideas.

“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,” he said. “And I can return to these characters in this different stage of their lives.”

He further teased that Black Phone 2 is “certainly more violent, scarier, more graphic” than its predecessor, which is partly “because of the age of the kids”.

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