The Black phone is a terrifying horror-thriller that stars Ethan Hawke in an eerily eerie performance and tells a relatively well-known serial killer scenario, with a few exceptions. It's a well-made movie on almost every level, with excellent performances from both its child actors and adult stars, moody cinematography, and satisfying jump scares; however, it falls short in exploring its most intriguing elements, particularly the titular "black phone" and creepy antagonist "The Grabber" — two elements that could have set the movie apart from similar "kid trapped in a killer's basement" movie tropes.
The Black phone, based on the short story of the same name written by Joe Hill (son of stephen King), follows teenage siblings Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen Shaw (Madeleine McGraw), whose neighbourhood in Northwest Denver is terrorised by a string of kidnappings committed by an unidentified serial killer known as The Grabber. Finney comes to take abuse (and physical beatings) as inevitable after being bullied at school and tormented by his alcoholic father. He even fails to stand up for his sister when she is attacked by their father for claiming to have clairvoyant visions. When Finney is captured by The Grabber, he learns that the killer and some of his former victims have a magical link, which could lead to information that would help him escape.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister creator and master of contemporary horror Scott Derrickson is behind the camera for The Black phone, which benefits from his expertise and creative flourishes that raise it above typical horror fare. However, the scenario is more compelling as a concept than it is in the finished product, and the director has trouble turning the short tale Hill used as inspiration into a feature-length picture. Derrickson delivers enjoyable scares, tense set pieces, and a gratifying payoff, but he also leaves a lot of ground unexplored by failing to transform the supernatural elements of either The Grabber or The Black phone into anything other than plot beats that further Finney's trip. Unfortunately, those elements and the inferred connection between them are the most interesting parts of the film.
Black phone is one of the very few spooky movies that would have benefited from more time to explore all of its themes, especially the supernatural ones. Instead, despite some excellent performances (especially from Hawke, Thames, and McGraw) and a creepy 1978 setting and atmosphere, Derrickson finds it difficult to significantly expand upon Hill's short story in order to make the movie version more interesting or terrifying than its 30-page source material. The end result is a gorgeously shot and well-acted live-action short story, but it is lacking the necessary connective tissue, novel concepts, and character development to create a memorable feature film experience.
The Black phone, based on the short story of the same name written by Joe Hill (son of stephen King), follows teenage siblings Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen Shaw (Madeleine McGraw), whose neighbourhood in Northwest Denver is terrorised by a string of kidnappings committed by an unidentified serial killer known as The Grabber. Finney comes to take abuse (and physical beatings) as inevitable after being bullied at school and tormented by his alcoholic father. He even fails to stand up for his sister when she is attacked by their father for claiming to have clairvoyant visions. When Finney is captured by The Grabber, he learns that the killer and some of his former victims have a magical link, which could lead to information that would help him escape.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister creator and master of contemporary horror Scott Derrickson is behind the camera for The Black phone, which benefits from his expertise and creative flourishes that raise it above typical horror fare. However, the scenario is more compelling as a concept than it is in the finished product, and the director has trouble turning the short tale Hill used as inspiration into a feature-length picture. Derrickson delivers enjoyable scares, tense set pieces, and a gratifying payoff, but he also leaves a lot of ground unexplored by failing to transform the supernatural elements of either The Grabber or The Black phone into anything other than plot beats that further Finney's trip. Unfortunately, those elements and the inferred connection between them are the most interesting parts of the film.
Black phone is one of the very few spooky movies that would have benefited from more time to explore all of its themes, especially the supernatural ones. Instead, despite some excellent performances (especially from Hawke, Thames, and McGraw) and a creepy 1978 setting and atmosphere, Derrickson finds it difficult to significantly expand upon Hill's short story in order to make the movie version more interesting or terrifying than its 30-page source material. The end result is a gorgeously shot and well-acted live-action short story, but it is lacking the necessary connective tissue, novel concepts, and character development to create a memorable feature film experience.
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