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Black Phone 2
Movie

Black Phone 2

2025 • Horror

Woke Score
6
out of 10

Plot

As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, his sister begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake.

Overall Series Review

Black Phone 2 shifts the narrative focus from the first film, centering on the sister, Gwen, as she uses her spiritual gifts to confront a supernatural killer who has become more powerful in death. The movie takes its setting in a Christian winter youth camp and explores themes of trauma, faith, and generational guilt. The central conflict is driven by the corruption and cover-up within this institution. The female lead is portrayed as the only competent figure able to fight the evil, while the male protagonist is largely defined by his ongoing trauma and passive role. The film is structurally woke due to its high score in Feminism and its critique of Western institutions under Oikophobia and Anti-Theism. Gwen's individual, intuitive spirituality is elevated as the solution, contrasted sharply against the failure of organized, male-coded religion. The plot does not lean into overt identity politics concerning race or explicit LGBTQ+ themes, but its thematic interpretation of faith as a vehicle for 'acceptance' and its framing of institutional corruption contribute to a higher overall woke rating.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The narrative centers on the established white protagonists, Finney and Gwen, with supporting roles cast colorblindly. The plot does not use race, immutable characteristics, or intersectional hierarchy as a factor in the conflict, nor is there any overt political lecturing on privilege or oppression. Characters are judged based on their actions and trauma.

Oikophobia6/10

The central location of the horror is a Christian youth camp with a history of brutal corruption that the institution, and its members, are shown covering up. This frames a Western institution and an element of American cultural heritage as fundamentally corrupt and responsible for enabling evil, which aligns with the deconstruction of heritage.

Feminism8/10

The female lead, Gwen, is the primary driver of the plot, possessing the spiritual vision and power to solve the mystery and confront the killer. The male lead, Finn, is depicted as struggling with trauma, numbing his pain, and being a passive participant. Commentary highlights that the 'good men' seeking justice are 'powerless to do so until Gwen shows up,' which clearly positions the female character as the powerful and essential 'Girl Boss' while emasculating the male hero.

LGBTQ+4/10

The core plot focuses on supernatural horror and a serial killer, not sexual ideology or family deconstruction. However, one thematic interpretation suggests the film uses its religious framework to promote 'acceptance and love of people who may have once have been considered to be outcasts,' explicitly mentioning the LGBTQ+ community, implying a subtle push for modern sexual politics within the film's moral framework.

Anti-Theism7/10

The movie contains elements of strong, individual faith (Gwen’s belief, prayer, and connection to a higher moral good), which is a positive portrayal of transcendent morality. However, it contrasts this individual spirituality with the failure of organized, traditional, and male-coded Christian institutions (the camp and church), which are shown to be corrupt, cover up evil, and be completely powerless against the spiritual threat. This selective vilification of institutional religion pushes the score high.