The Black Phone Movie Review

Written by Zach Rosenberg

Released by Blumhouse Productions

the black phone poster large

Directed by Scott Derrickson
Written by Scott Derrickson and C. Russ Cargill, based on the story by Joe Hill
2021, 103 minutes, Rated R
Released on June 24th, 2022

Starring:
Mason Thames as Finney
Madeleine McGraw as Gwen
Ethan Hawke as The Grabber
Jeremy Davies as Terrence
E. Roger Mitchell as Detective Wright
Troy Rudeseal as Detective Miller
James Ransone as Max

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Review:

A faithful adaptation of the titular short story by Joe Hill, The Black Phone is one of Hill’s clearest examples of following in his father Stephen King’s footsteps while carving his own unique mark on the genre. Directed by Scott Derickson and written by C. Russ Cargill, The Black Phone is set in a 1978 Denver suburb where a string of child abductions have shaken the town. Finney Blake and his sister Gwen live with their alcoholic, grief-stricken father, plagued by bullies, insecurities, and Gwen’s psychic visions.

Finney is soon abducted by the kidnapper and serial killer, the Grabber, and left in a basement with an old, unusable black phone that nevertheless rings with advice from the Grabber’s past victims. Newcomer Mason Thames portrays Finney’s shy weakness at the start of the film, with his burgeoning confidence and his need to stand up for himself against the Grabber upon the realization only he can save himself.

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Child actress Madeleine McGraw is stunning as Finney’s younger sister Gwen. A girl plagued by psychic visions she cannot control, apparently inherited from her mother whose suicide has left their father stricken, Gwen is abused by her father in anger borne of terror that Gwen will follow her mother’s path. Gwen provides much-needed levity with sass and strength in an otherwise terrifying movie, and her relationship with Finney is the emotionally resonant core of the film. Desperate to save her brother, Gwen attempts to make sense of her visions to locate Finney before it’s too late.

It’s telling the two are strong enough actors that they are able to stand on par with one of the strongest veterans working today. Ethan Hawke is no stranger to genre film since his turn in 2004’s Taking Lives and continuing in such films as The Purge and Daybreakers. Having previously collaborated with Derrickson and Cargill as the fame-hungry lead in the chilling Sinister, Hawke shines as the nightmarish Grabber, a child kidnapper and murderer who wears a series of nightmarish masks to interact with his victims and puts them through a game called “Naughty-Boy” so he might punish them.

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With his face concealed, Hawke’s performance depends on body language along with the pitch and cadence of his voice. He portrays the Grabber with nightmarish sadism and an almost childish vulnerability at times, with most violence being left to the viewer’s imagination. One of the most frightening scenes of the basement is Finney waking up to see the Grabber simply watching him from a crouching position against the wall, the Grabber stating he “just wanted to look” at Finney. Hawke turns in a performance that is nothing short of iconic.

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The film has few jump scares. The terror’s source is the knowledge of what awaits Finney, the ghosts providing clues without ever growing too explicit. The film humanizes each victim through their calls with Finney, who is an implied horror film fan and smart enough to understand the Grabber’s promises to let him go are nothing but lies. Finney stops at nothing to escape the basement with his life, and the climax of the film, when Finney has to incorporate everything the ghosts have given him to face the Grabber himself, is suitably excellent.

The Black Phone is easily one of the finest horror films of the year and an absolute triumph.

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Grades:

Movie: 5 Star Rating Cover
Cover

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Zach Rosenberg
Staff Reviewer
Zach Rosenberg is a fantasy and horror writer living in Florida. He appreciates the ocean, wildlife and his love of literature was constantly nurtured growing up where he practically lived in the libraries, reading every horror and fantasy book he could get his hands on. His print debut short story "The Teeth Of the Deeps" is featured in the fifth short story collection from Dead Sea Press.
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