20 Most Disappointing Movies of 2025
2. Black Phone 2
Black Phone 2 is a quintessential sequel to a film that really didn't need it, but since when has the horror genre ever known the meaning of restraint?
Though Scott Derrickson's penchant for crafting uneasy atmosphere remains undefeated here, this is a messy follow-up that features a frustrating lack of The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) in its first half, before reintroducing him as a rather listless Freddy Krueger-esque dream-stalker.
And even once the Grabber returns, this is shockingly tame fare for the most part - the modern day body count is basically non-existent, which rather undercuts the impact of the Grabber's new form.
Some of the revelations related to the Grabber's backstory also come off as desperate and contrived, only further fuelling the notion that Black Phone 2 was forced into existence because the first one made money, than because anyone involved had a genuinely inspired idea for another.
But given that the sequel was a massive box office success, Black Phone 3 is pretty much inevitable.