Black Phone 2 Review & The Latest Horror News
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We break down Black Phone 2 from the characters and actors, the setting, the homages and influences, and what’s next for the franchise.
We then touch on the latest from the 31 Days of Halloween, horror news, and our Physical Media Showcase.
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Chapters
00:00:00 Introduced
00:00:09 Episode Overview
00:00:27 Black Phone 2 Review
00:00:35 Writer/Director Scott Derrickson, Writers C Robert Cargill & Joe Hill, EP Maggie Levin, Composer Atticus Derrickson
00:02:14 Budget & Box Office
00:04:10 Reviews (IMDb), Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, Cinemascore, Threads/Instagram
00:09:02 The Cast - Ethan Hawke (Daybreakers, Sinister, The Purge, The Black Phone), Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies (Ravenous), Demian Bichur (The Nun, The Bridge, The Hateful Eight)
00:14:58 Dan’s Review
00:15:05 Is it a Nightmare on Elm Street Rip-off?
00:17:15 The Isolated Camp and Winter Setting
00:21:19 Dan’s Final Thoughts
00:21:52 Finney & Gwen’s Family Dynamics with their Father
00:26:53 The Super 8 Dream Sequences
00:28:11 What’s next for the franchise?
00:35:34 A Few Small Gripes
00:38:29 Final Thoughts & Ratings
00:39:37 31 Days of Halloween Special Episode Teaser
00:42:52 News
00:42:56 Osgood Perkins’ Next Film, The Young People, and Possible Lovecraft Connections
00:45:05 Asmodee Acquires Cthulhu: Death May Die Board Game Brand from CMON
00:47:18 New Horror Anthology Series Announced, Produced by John Carpenter titled “John Carpenter Presents”
00:49:20 Melissa Barrera joins John Travolta in Renny Harlin Orca horror movie
00:51:29 Physical Media Showcase - Cabin in the Woods 4K Steelbook
00:53:00 Episode Wrap
Patrick is a podcaster, marketer, physical media enthusiast, and lifelong film obsessive who hosts The Bark Knight Podcast, where he dives into everything from creature features to cult classics. He writes about movies with an eye for atmosphere, storytelling, and the strange corners of genre cinema. When he’s not discussing films, he’s diving into board games, video games, or attending industry events.