New horror sequel The Black Phone 2 called "tremendous", "nightmarish", and "better" than the original in first reviews – and even Stephen King is a massive fan

Despite many of this year's best horror movies releasing earlier in the calendar, it looks like spooky season 2025 is saved as upcoming horror sequel The Black Phone 2 has debuted to stellar first reviews, and even Stephen King is a fan.

Following Scott Derrickson's anticipated follow-up premiering at Fantastic Fest 2025, horror legend King took to Twitter to praise the sequel, writing, "It’s not as good as the first one. IT’S BETTER."

But King isn't the only fan, as Bloody Disgusting's Meagan Navarro similarly said, "Black Phone 2 surpasses its predecessor in just about every way," and Germain Lussier from Gizmodo echoed, "The first film was certainly solid, but this one is excellent. The rare sequel that outshines its predecessor."

Many critics have been celebrating the film's dream-like visuals, which we get a taste of in The Black Phone 2's eerie trailer. Rocco T. Thompson from Slant Magazine said, "Derrickson collapses dreams, reality, past, and present sidelong into a singular cinematic haunted space," and Slashfilm's Rafael Motamayor added, "The Black Phone 2 avoids retreading the first movie, pivoting to an awesome Dream Warriors-esque story."

As for the cast, many reviews highlight the cast's performances, including Ethan Hawke's child killer, The Grabber, who we all thought had died at the end of The Black Phone. Roger Ebert's Brian Tallerico compares Hawke's The Grabber to Freddy Krueger, and Mama's Geeky writer Tessa Smith said, "Madeleine McGraw & Mason Thames deliver career-best performances."

However, not everyone is a fan, as Sean Boelman from FandomWire said the sequel is "unlikely to be as memorable as its predecessor."

The Black Phone 2 picks up four years after The Black Phone and follows a now 17-year-old Finn (Thames) and his psychic 15-year-old sister, Gwen (McGraw). But when Gwen starts to see disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp, the two are drawn to a snowy setting, and The Grabber.

The Black Phone 2 slashes into theaters on October 17. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies, or keep up with upcoming horror movies heading your way.