As evidenced by 2012’s “Sinister” and 2021’s “The Black Phone,” director Scott Derrickson has a gift for blending realism with the supernatural — and for conjuring a sense of dread that the viewer can’t help but share with the films’ characters.

That gift is on display in the sequel to the latter, “Black Phone 2,” in theaters this week.

“Black Phone 2” is set four years after the events of its predecessor, which earned more than $160 million at the worldwide box office and has scored myriad fans since it landed on Peacock. The follow-up sees franchise villain the Grabber (Ethan Hawke) out to exact revenge on his slayer, the now-17-year-old Finney (Mason Thames), from, well, hell. It’s silly-but-standard-enough horror-movie stuff, and Derrickson and his filmmaking collaborators sell it well.

For a while.

That palpable dread — earned from myriad effective filmmaking elements, including cinematography (Pär M. Ekberg), production design (Patti Podesta), editing (Louise Ford) and the unsettling musical score (Atticus Derrickson, son of the director) — eventually give way to over-the-top horror spectacle as our heroes desperately attempt to accomplish the goal that somehow and for some reason will defeat the Grabber.

The director and his co-writer and producing partner, C. Robert Cargill, also deserve credit for straying more than you may have expected from the formula of “The Black Phone.” We see that titular, unconnected phone that was key to the 2022 film’s events, hanging in the basement where the Grabber held Finney hostage, but only a couple of times and only briefly.

“Black Phone 2” begins with a ringing black phone, but this rotary number resides in a booth in a snowy, mountainous part of Colorado. We will learn the identity of the girl who speaks into it soon enough.

We then cut to Denver in the movie’s present day, 1982, where and when Finney is introducing his fists to a schoolmate who’d razzed him about his experience with the Grabber — much to the disapproval of his younger sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw).

Refreshingly, the foul-mouthed 15-year-old takes center stage in this intermittently scary affair, the girl suffering from incredibly disturbing dreams, accompanied by sleepwalking, that connect to her family’s past.

Finney, meanwhile, is haunted by ringing phones, the young man repeatedly answering and quickly telling the person on the other lines that he’s sorry but that he cannot help them.

Eventually, Gwen, Finney and Ernesto (a returning Miguel Mora) — a goofy-but-sweet love interest for Gwen whose brother was one of the Grabber’s victims communicating with Finney four years ago — all end up at a winter camp that Gwen wants to investigate.

Of course, a blizzard that made it nearly impossible for them to arrive in one piece means that, for the time being, it’s just them and a few folks who run the Christian-focused camp, including its leader, Mando (Demián Bichir, “A Better Life”) and his capable niece, Mustang (Arianna Rivas, “A Working Man”). A camp is a classic horror-flick setting, and this one is home to the aforementioned, long-not-operational phone booth, which rings just about anytime Finney is within earshot.

As Gwen works to unearth the connection between the camp and her nightmares, the Grabber appears to have Finney where he wants him.

On the plus side, add to the list of strengths of “Black Phone 2” the performances by its leads, starting with McGraw (“Secrets of Sulphur Springs,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp”). She does a nice job as Gwen, who’s both vulnerable AND comfortable firing back at adults who question her with highly offensive phrases. Plus, she and Mora share an absolutely hilarious scene at night at the camp. (It feels a little wedged-in, honestly, but we get the need for a bit of levity at that point in the proceedings.)

And while he’s now more of a supporting player, Thames — turning in strong work earlier this year as the gradually heroic Hiccup in the live-action version of “How to Train Your Dragon” — remains compelling as Finney, who, despite his resentment over his father’s alcoholic past, frequently turns to marijuana to deal with his Grabber-related trauma.

A mention of the performance of Hawke (“Training Day,” “The Purge”) feels obligatory, but he’s asked to do one-note work here. The Grabber is little more than the embodiment of evil this go-round.

After the highly effective setup and a first major encounter with the vengeful Grabber, “Black Phone 2” begins to lose steam.

While incorporating several ideas from Derrickson and Cargill — a tandem whose writing credits also include the Derrickson-directed “Doctor Strange,” a better-than-average Marvel Cinematic Universe entry from 2016 — “The Black Phone” was based on a short story by Joe Hill, son of horror great Stephen King. Lacking that type of foundation, the storytelling isn’t as compelling in its sequel, which loses more than the “The” from the first feature.

And the film’s frenzied climax, as the good guys fight the Grabber on two supernatural fronts, has too much going on, including — wait for it — ice skating. (We couldn’t help but think of a line spoken by Rick Moranis’ Dark Helmet from 1987’s “Spaceballs”: “Too bad this isn’t the ‘Wide World of Sports’!”)

“Black Phone 2” boasts enough reasons to answer its call, but as the powers that be seemingly could resurrect the Grabber anytime they like for what, you fear, could be increasingly unimpressive efforts, you may want to block its number moving forward.

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'BLACK PHONE 2'

2.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for strong violent content, gore, teen drug use, and language)

Running time: 1:54

How to watch: In theaters Oct. 17

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