Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Black Phone!

Ethan Hawke is back as the Grabber in The Black Phone 2, with the latest CinemaCon footage making the sequel seem like a twist on this classic 41-year-old horror franchise. While the first The Black Phone did have some supernatural elements, it was a fairly grounded film, with the Grabber not having any magical or mystical abilities. However, the first footage from The Black Phone 2 teases that this may be changing, with him now being similar to one of cinema’s most iconic slasher monsters.

2021’s The Black Phone was a mᴀssive success, with Scott Derrickson adapting Joe Hill’s 2004 kidnapping short story. The Black Phone 2 was announced in November 2023, with Mason Thames set to reprise his role as the first film’s protagonist, Finney. There have been a lot of questions surrounding The Black Phone 2‘s story due to the Grabber’s death at the end of the first film. However, CinemaCon 2025 has revealed that this won’t be a problem.

The Grabber’s The Black Phone 2 Return After Dying Makes Him More Like The Nightmare On Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger

He Will Haunt His Victims After His Death

Footage of The Black Phone 2 was shown as CinemaCon 2025, which Screen Rant was in attendance at, and descriptions of the footage prove that the Grabber is back. According to these descriptions, the footage shows Finney answering a phone call from the Grabber, who says “Hello Finney. Did you think our story was over? You of all people know that death is just a word.” This means that the Grabber is alive again in The Black Phone 2, which is shocking considering that Finney killed him at the end of The Black Phone.

The fact that the Grabber is back from the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ makes him surprisingly similar to Freddy Krueger from The Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Like Krueger, death can’t stop the Grabber from haunting his young victim. Plus, the mystery surrounding his backstory and his sadistic motivations make him not too far off from The Nightmare on Elm Street‘s dream stalker.

The Grabber Still Killing Despite Being ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Makes Him So Much More Terrifying In The Black Phone 2

He Is Seemingly Unstoppable

Having the Grabber come back to life in The Black Phone 2 actually makes the killer so much more terrifying. In the first film, the Grabber was much stronger and ᴅᴇᴀᴅlier than Finney. However, at least audiences knew that Finney could end things by killing the Grabber.

Revealing that death can’t stop the Grabber is terrifying, as it seems like there may be no way to stop him. Even if Finney finds a way to kill him again, there is always the chance that the Grabber could come back to life, making the story of The Black Phone 2 all the more tense.