Production has begun on Black Phone 2, as the director gives the first cryptic look behind the scenes of the horror sequel

Cameras roll on The Black Phone 2 as director Scott Derrickson gives a cryptic behind-the-scenes look at the horror sequel.

The first look, which you can see below, is quite mysterious – it’s just a glimpse of a chair labeled The Black Phone 2. “Filming started today,” Derrickson captioned the photo.

In The Black Phone 2, Ethan Hawke returns as the Grabber, a vicious serial killer who targets children. The first film, based on Joe Hill’s short story of the same name, starred Mason Thames as Finney, a teenage boy kidnapped by the Grabber. A phone in the Grabber’s basement allowed Finney to contact the Grabber’s past victims, and Finney ultimately emerged victorious, escaping the killer’s lair.

In the sequel, Hawke and Thames both return, along with Madeleine McGraw (Gwen), Miguel Mora (Robin) and Jeremy Davies (Terrence). Demián Bichir has also joined the line-up, while Derrickson returns to direct a script written by him and C. Robert Cargill.

Not much is known about The Black Phone 2 yet, but a major question about the sequel revolves around the return of Hawke’s Grabber. In the first film, it looked like Finney killed him with the telephone cord – a fitting, poetic death for the killer, after all. But with Hawke returning, it’s unclear if the Grabber survived or if he’ll come back some other way.

The Black Phone 2 arrives on October 17, 2025. In the meantime, check out our guide to the best horror movies look scared.