Why ‘Black Phone 2’ Is So Similar to ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’

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Beware, this article contains spoilers for Black Phone 2. It’s been fifteen years since Freddy Krueger last appeared in a movie – the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Since then, the rights to the character have returned to the estate of the original director, Wes Craven, and there’s been debate about whether another actor could successfully take on the role made famous by Robert Englund. While Freddy Krueger has been absent, many other horror villains have emerged, attempting to capture the fear he once inspired.

While Chucky has consistently seen new movies, reboots, and even a TV series, and Pennywise has evolved into a reality-bending monster in the *It* films, *The Black Phone 2* is clearly trying to create a new iconic horror villain like Freddy Krueger. Ethan Hawke’s character, The Grabber, is a truly terrifying threat that young characters can only confront in their nightmares. With its focus on a signature villain, *The Black Phone* franchise now feels like the most likely successor to *A Nightmare on Elm Street*.

‘Black Phone 2’ Turns The Grabber Into Freddy Krueger


Universal Pictures

The announcement of *Black Phone 2* surprised many, as the villain from the first film seemingly died. Fans wondered if the sequel would introduce a copycat killer, like in *Friday the 13th Part V: The New Beginning*, or if Finney (Mason Thames) would become a killer himself, a path hinted at but never fully explored with Jamie Lloyd in *Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers*. However, the trailers for *Black Phone 2* revealed the film’s inspiration: *A Nightmare on Elm Street*.

I loved the first *Black Phone* because it had this creepy supernatural vibe with the phone letting you talk to ghosts, but the villain, The Grabber, was still a real person, which made it even scarier. But *Black Phone 2*? It goes all-in on the supernatural! Even though Finney stopped him in the first movie, The Grabber is back to haunt Finney and Gwen. Only now, he’s not a man anymore – he’s a seriously scary spirit who’s come back from, well, you can imagine! A lot of the scares happen in nightmares, and it’s terrifying because if he ‘kills’ you in a dream, someone actually dies in real life. It’s a pretty familiar setup, but it works so well!

The sequel essentially transforms *The Black Phone* into an origin story for the killer’s powers, much like if Wes Craven had shown Freddy Krueger’s early crimes before his death. Now, we get an entire movie detailing The Grabber’s first series of murders – events that were only hinted at in *A Nightmare on Elm Street*. *Black Phone 2* functions as both a reboot of *A Nightmare on Elm Street* – bringing a supernatural killer back to haunt people’s dreams – and a continuation, like *A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors*, where the killer’s previous victims confront him again, and a character demonstrates unique abilities within dreams.

The Uncomfortable Similarities Between The Grabber and Freddy Krueger


New Line Cinema

Content Warning: This article contains discussions about sexual assault.

The Grabber, the villain from the movie *The Grabber*, shares similarities with Freddy Krueger, particularly the version portrayed by Robert Englund in the original *Nightmare on Elm Street* films. Both characters are known for killing children and have a distinct calling card – The Grabber’s mask and Freddy Krueger’s glove. Although never directly stated in the movies, there are hints that both characters were originally intended to be depicted as sexual predators.

The 2010 remake of *A Nightmare on Elm Street* officially added details to Freddy Krueger’s history that were only hinted at in the first film. Shortly before the release of *The Black Phone 2*, C. Robert Cargill responded to a fan on Bluesky who asked if the villain, The Grabber, had a more complex backstory than simply being a child serial killer, saying:

Joe Hill’s character, The Grabber, draws inspiration from John Wayne Gacy, though this connection isn’t explicitly stated in the story. The character Naughty Boy represents the allure of forbidden actions, and this extends to deeply harmful acts like sexual violence.

The fact that both Freddy Krueger and The Grabber were monstrous people *before* gaining powers makes them feel more realistic and terrifying. This differs from many horror movies where audiences sometimes find themselves sympathizing with the villain. While adding The Grabber as a playable character in *Fortnite* is a strange choice and could damage Freddy Krueger’s reputation, it does create a stronger link between these two horror franchises and their iconic villains.

Can ‘The Black Phone’ Films Be ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ for a New Generation?


Universal Pictures

Both *Black Phone 2* and *In a Violent Nature* feel like spiritual sequels to classic horror franchises – *Black Phone 2* echoes *Nightmare on Elm Street*, while *In a Violent Nature* feels like a *Friday the 13th* movie. *Black Phone 2* specifically borrows a lot from *Friday the 13th*, with the story taking place at a summer camp connected to the killer’s abilities, much like Jason Voorhees and Crystal Lake. The snowy setting also recalls several unmade *Friday the 13th* ideas. The film reveals the killer, ‘The Grabber’, used to work at the camp, a backstory element similar to an early concept for a *Freddy vs. Jason* movie, which would have shown Freddy Krueger as a camp counselor involved in the events that led to Jason Voorhees’ death.

While the filmmakers of *Black Phone 2* didn’t intentionally set out to create a new Freddy Krueger, the influence of *A Nightmare on Elm Street* is definitely noticeable. It’s difficult to introduce a terrifying, supernatural killer in a horror film without drawing comparisons to Freddy Krueger. Both *A Nightmare on Elm Street* and *Black Phone 2* (and the first *Black Phone* movie) seem to be satisfying a craving audiences have for this type of frightening villain.

It’s been a long time since a new *Nightmare on Elm Street* film played in movie theaters – a whole generation has grown up without that experience. Now, *The Black Phone* films are stepping in to deliver a fresh wave of scares for today’s audiences. Just as Freddy Krueger haunted the 1980s and 90s, the villain from *The Black Phone* could become the defining horror figure for the 2020s and beyond. With the success of this new monster and New Line Cinema’s strong lineup of horror movies planned for 2025, a reboot of *Nightmare on Elm Street* might finally happen. *Black Phone 2* is currently playing in theaters.

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2025-10-19 00:50