Breaking Down the Hauntingly Emotional Ending of Black Phone 2

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In the 2022 film *The Black Phone*, 13-year-old Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) defeats a child kidnapper and murderer called the Grabber (Ethan Hawke). He receives help from the ghosts of the Grabber’s previous victims, who communicate with him through an old-fashioned rotary phone in the basement where he’s held captive.

The new movie, *Black Phone 2*, now playing in theaters, quickly reveals that the villain, known as the Grabber, still poses a danger even after his death. Taking place in 1982, four years after the first film, the story follows Finney, now 17, and his psychic younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) as they investigate the roots of the Grabber’s crimes. Their search leads them to a remote Christian winter camp in the Rocky Mountains, where they discover their family’s tormentor may not be truly gone.

So, I recently learned the fascinating origin of the idea for the *The Black Phone* sequel. Apparently, it all started with a suggestion from Joe Hill, who originally wrote the short story the first film was based on. He’s Stephen King’s son, by the way! According to co-writer C. Robert Cargill, Hill simply proposed a chilling scenario: the Grabber calling Finney from Hell via the black phone. Talk about a terrifying concept! Director Scott Derrickson and Cargill really ran with that seed of an idea, and I’m already intrigued to see where they take it.

Director Scott Derrickson revealed the chilling concept of the Grabber’s Hell – a frozen wasteland instead of a fiery one – was inspired by Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, *The Divine Comedy*. He explained to *Bloody Disgusting* that the idea of a cold Hell comes directly from Dante and classic literature. Derrickson felt that portraying the Grabber, a truly evil character, as originating from the ninth circle of Hell – a place of icy imprisonment – was particularly impactful.

After Gwen begins experiencing visions of three boys murdered years ago, her siblings travel to Alpine Lake, the site of the tragedy. But a snowstorm traps them, and they soon discover the killer, known as the Grabber, has returned as a powerful, supernatural being. He feeds on the fear of the boys’ trapped spirits and attacks Gwen through her dreams, creating widespread chaos. To finally stop him, the siblings must find and recover the bodies of his first three victims from the frozen lake and give them a proper burial.

How does Black Phone 2 end?

I was absolutely floored to learn the truth about Gwen and Finney’s mom! It turns out she didn’t take her own life – the Grabber killed her because she *knew* what he was doing, using her psychic abilities. It was such a shocking twist, and honestly, it made me understand why they’re so fiercely determined to send him back where he belongs. Apparently, that reveal was the key to getting the sequel going, and I can totally see why – it completely changes everything!

I was really surprised, but also intrigued, by the idea of how the Grabber factored into the story of Finn and Gwen’s mother, as I shared with the Hollywood Reporter. It sparked a lot of creative possibilities that I couldn’t shake. Now that we’ve finished the movie, it feels like a significant reveal, especially considering the film doesn’t rely heavily on twists. It’s pretty much the main twist, if you can call it that. Knowing this reveal was coming allowed us to build the emotional core of the entire movie around it.

With help from their friend Ernesto, their father, and some camp staff, the siblings tried to retrieve the boys’ bodies from the lake. However, when Gwen fell into a dreamlike state, the attacker nearly ruined their plan. Gwen discovered she had powers within this dream space and used them to fight him off just long enough for the bodies to be recovered. The spirits of the boys then assisted in finally defeating the attacker, sending him back to where he came from.

Back at the campsite, Gwen got a call from her mom on an old pay phone. Her mom told her she was finally at peace and encouraged Gwen to see her psychic abilities as a gift, not something to fear.

Director Derrickson explained that the sequel focuses more on Gwen than Finn because her struggles are far more complex. While Finn faces fairly straightforward challenges, Gwen is grappling with the loss of her mother, a newly inherited spiritual ability, and feelings of being different, awkward, and out of place. To explore these issues properly, the story needed to be told from her perspective.

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2025-10-18 14:06