The Grabber is coming home on Jan. 16 as “Black Phone 2” becomes available to stream on Peacock.
Blumhouse’s sequel to the 2021 Scott Derrickson-directed horror film hit theaters last October. It saw Derrickson’s return to the director’s chair as well as Ethan Hawke’s reprisal of the villainous Grabber, haunting protagonists Finney and Gwen Blake (Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw) from beyond the grave.
The sequel also brought Miguel Mora and Jeremy Davies back from the first film’s cast, and introduced Arianna Rivas, Demián Bichir, Maev Beaty, Graham Abbey and Anna Lore as original characters. Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill wrote the screenplay, which focuses on Finney and Gwen dealing with their trauma four years after the events of the first movie while trying to figure out the mystery of their telekinetic abilities. Meanwhile, the Grabber seeks vengeance for the fate he suffered at their hands at the end of the first film, returning as a lethal and menacing phantom.
“Black Phone 2” premiered at Fantastic Fest in September and went on to gross over $125 million at the worldwide box office, a success in an otherwise slow October. However, the sequel still grossed less than the first “Black Phone,” which earned $161 million in 2021.
“The Black Phone” was adapted from a short story of the same name by Joe Hill, published in his 2005 anthology “20th Century Ghosts.” Hill also contributed to the story for “Black Phone 2.”
Jason Blum produced both films alongside Derrickson and Cargill. Both were released by Universal Pictures.
