Returning after 4 years, "Black Phone 2" attracted attention with a completely new setting. That is the Alpine Lake winter camping area, where the cold, darkness and crime blend into a real nightmare.
The film quickly took the North American box office with 26.5 million USD, reaching 84% of Fresh Sour Chicken on Rotten Tomatoes.
One of the scariest scenes of the film is when the female lead Gwen is trapped in a phone room in the middle of an ice age, the most horrifying climax of the film.
Possessing the ability to see illusion through dreams, Gwen became the target of the evil name The Grabber. He took advantage of that ability to lock the girl in a phone room in the snow, turning the small space into a cold hell. In panic, Gwen faces bloody illnesses, blood splashed all over the phone room, and the girl's body is dyed red.
This "blood bath" scene shows the absolute cruelty of The Grabber - now become a supernatural being that controls Gwen like a puppet. He wanted to use her as a target to lure Gwen's brother, Finney, to "go to the village" of Alpine Lake.
To achieve a realistic visual effect, director Scott Derrickson's crew set a real scene in the snow, using dozens of liters of fake blood fired from many directions.
Head of makeup Colin Penman revealed that the group had learned the classic "blood bathing" scene in "Carrie" (2002), adjusting each layer, from the drops to the strong flow to gradually increase the feeling of horror.
Actress Madeleine McGraw (as Gwen) born in 2008 had to film continuously in a tight space, spinning around for hours in the cold. To ensure safety, her outfit is integrated with a heated lining to keep her body warm.
With heart-stopping acting and elaborate staging techniques, "Black Phone 2" not only expands the horror world of the first part but also bears the personal mark of director Derrickson - who was inspired by Joe Hill's short story and his haunting childhood memories to create an attractive horror film.
