Black Phone 2 is terrifying audiences everywhere now! While the first film was all about Mason Thames’ character, Finney, the amazing Madeleine McGraw takes center stage this time as Gwen. What does The Grabber have in store for this clairvoyant badass? We had a chance to chat with McGraw about the answer to that, plus much more!

At its core, both Black Phone films were about something deeper than just spooky boogeymen and murders. They are about facing your demons and fears and becoming stronger as a result. While the first Black Phone showcased this through Finney fighting back against The Grabber physically and becoming an adult, Black Phone 2 is all about facing your traumas head on, and learning to embrace the darkest parts of your experiences as legitimate parts of you. Only through confrontation of trauma and support can you find peace and acceptance in yourself.

This is not only apparent in Finney’s confrontation of The Grabber’s ghost, but in Gwen’s acceptance of her psychic abilities. Though her nightmares and dreams can seem terrifying, learning to accept them as a part of herself, and learning to control them and use them for good allow her to harness them as a gift to help others. Ultimately the whole thing is a metaphor for mental self-care, showcasing the power of internal growth, strength, work, and fearlessness, and how achieving that can help others as well.

McGraw gives an incredible tour de force performance in this movie, showing the same moxy and spirit she exhibited in the first film, but even deeper given how much she’s grown as an actress. And getting to speak to her again was an absolute honor! See what she had to say right here:

Black Phone 2 is in theaters now!