Slasher Films Without the Slaughter? 'Black Phone 2' Dares to Break the Mold
Major spoilers ahead for 'Black Phone 2'—proceed with caution!
In a genre notorious for its escalating body counts and over-the-top gore, Black Phone 2 emerges as a bold outlier. Director Scott Derrickson and writer C. Robert Cargill, reuniting with Blumhouse and Universal Pictures, have crafted a sequel that defies the slasher film trope of "bigger is better." But here's where it gets controversial: despite its chilling atmosphere and heart-pounding tension, the film’s kill count in the present timeline is a shocking zero. Yes, you read that right—no one dies on-screen in the here and now. And this is the part most people miss: it’s not just a creative choice; it’s a statement about what truly terrifies us.
The story picks up years after the events of the first film, with The Grabber—Ethan Hawke’s haunting masked killer—returning from beyond the grave to seek vengeance on Finn (Mason Thames) and his younger sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw). Finn, now 17, grapples with the trauma of his past captivity, while Gwen, 15, begins receiving eerie calls from the titular black phone in her dreams. These calls lead her to visions of three young boys being stalked at a winter camp called Alpine Lake. Convinced they must act, Gwen persuades Finn to investigate during a raging winter storm. What follows is a spine-tingling blend of dreamscape horror and real-world dread as the siblings uncover the camp’s dark secrets, hoping to solve cold cases and put an end to The Grabber’s reign of terror.
What makes Black Phone 2 truly stand out is its restraint. While the film is undeniably scary—and at times, viscerally violent—The Grabber’s inability to claim new victims in the present timeline is a refreshing departure from slasher norms. All the deaths we see are relegated to flashbacks, revealing The Grabber’s past atrocities, including the murder of Finn and Gwen’s mother, which was staged to look like a suicide. This narrative choice forces the audience to confront the psychological horror rather than relying on gratuitous gore.
But let’s address the elephant in the room: Can a slasher film truly succeed without a high body count? Films like April Fool’s Day have famously pulled off the "no kills" gimmick, but they’re the exception, not the rule. Slashers like Halloween Kills, where Michael Myers racks up 30 on-screen deaths, thrive on their brutality. By contrast, Black Phone 2’s approach feels almost revolutionary. It’s a risky move, but one that pays off by prioritizing tension and character development over shock value.
Derrickson and Cargill are no strangers to subverting expectations. Their earlier collaboration, Sinister, similarly relied on past atrocities—via chilling "kill tapes"—to build dread, saving its present-day carnage for the finale. With Black Phone 2, they double down on this strategy, proving that horror doesn’t need a body count to be effective. In an era where franchises often play it safe, this sequel takes a bold swing, leaving room for growth should a Black Phone 3 ever materialize.
Consider this: Jason Voorhees has killed over 180 people across the Friday the 13th franchise, yet at some point, the escalating violence becomes numbing. Black Phone 2 avoids this trap by focusing on psychological terror, leaving audiences to wonder what’s scarier—the killer in front of you or the one lurking in your memories?
Now, here’s the question for you: Does a slasher film need a high body count to be effective, or is Black Phone 2 onto something by prioritizing psychological horror? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s spark a debate!
