Stephen King Says This Horror Sequel To a Popular Hit Surpasses the Original Movie

Stephen King is already praising the upcoming horror film Black Phone 2, calling it even better than the first movie.

The sequel, directed by Scott Derrickson and co-written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, is set to hit U.S. theaters on October 17, after premiering at Fantastic Fest on September 20.

Black Phone 2 continues the story of Finney, the only known survivor of the Grabber, a serial killer, and his sister Gwen.

Ethan Hawke returns as the Grabber, with Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw reprising their roles. New additions to the cast include Demián Bichir as Armando, the supervisor of Alpine Lake camp, and Arianna Rivas as his niece, Mustang. Jeremy Davies and Miguel Mora also return.

The project was inspired by Joe Hill’s original 2004 short story from 20th Century Ghosts. Hill suggested ideas for a sequel after Derrickson expressed interest, provided the first film was a success.

Derrickson said that the financial success of The Black Phone helped push the sequel forward. Principal photography for the follow-up, originally under the working title Mysterium, ran from November 4, 2024, to January 23, 2025, in Toronto, with Pär M. Ekberg as cinematographer.

Stephen King, who often comments on movies he watches, recently shared his thoughts on the sequel. “It’s not as good as the first one. IT’S BETTER,” he wrote, showing his excitement for the upcoming release.

The first film, The Black Phone, premiered at Fantastic Fest in September 2021 and was released in U.S. theaters on June 24, 2022. It earned $161.4 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews for its performances, though critics were divided on its concept. Its success led to the short film Dreamkill, directed by Derrickson and written with Cargill, which was part of the anthology V/H/S/85 in 2023.

What do you think happens when you die? Black Phone 2 only in theaters October 17. pic.twitter.com/b7OGcL6nf8

— Black Phone 2 (@UniversalHorror) September 4, 2025

Black Phone 2 has already earned generally favorable early reviews. Metacritic gave the film a score of 73 out of 100 based on four critics. Fans are eagerly awaiting its October release, excited to see the continuation of the chilling story.

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