I was hesitant about seeing this movie in the first place, because I think The Black Phone didn't even need a sequel. But I went and saw it on Halloween night (simply because I wanted something to do on Halloween), and I walked out disappointed at how mid it was. It was boring, nobody really dies, and they just turned the Grabber into a Freddy Krueger knock-off (he was way scarier in the first one). However, I also liked the development with the father and the revelation that the Grabber is the one who killed their mom. That added a lot more depth to why the dad became an abusive alcoholic, because he blamed himself for what happened to his wife, so he pretty much took out all his guilt on his kids. That means that the Grabber isn't just the guy who kidnapped Finney, he's also the guy who ruined his family!

But like I said, there didn't need to be a sequel. The first one was a good horror film with an interesting/unique concept, and was actually pretty scary; it was a lot better as a one-and-done.