The Black Phone Rings With Creepy Tone And Solid Writing

This is a movie that’s going to be hard to talk about at all without spoiling but I promise I won’t cover anything that isn’t in the trailer for The Black Phone. 

The Black Phone is the latest Universal/Blumhouse project, based around the short story of the same name by Joe Hill. I have a lot of hesitations about Blumhouse Productions at the best of times but the fact that Ethan Hawke signed on to this (something the marketing will not let you forget) intrigued me.

This film exists in that Stephen King/Stranger Things nostalgia era — kids on bikes abound and there are jokes about the “new” film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The costumes, sets and music lean into the ’70s feeling perfectly, and it really was a treat to experience. (This movie has three excellent needle drops) 

The Black Phone is almost more of a scary mystery film than it is a horror flick, and it is basically carried by a cast of child actors. Finney, our main character played by Mason Thames, was kidnapped by “The Grabber” (played deliciously by Ethan Hawke) and is being kept in a basement vault but now hears a disconnected antique phone ringing. His sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), who has prophetic dreams, is trying to find him and free him. Finney is the most recent in a long line of little boys who have gone missing. 

This movie is meticulously plotted and has a pretty instant buy-in. I heard people groan in frustration when an escape attempt didn’t work and there were several loud screams during the scares. Ethan Hawke’s mask is expressive and fantastic, the modularity of it becoming increasingly disconcerting. 

While simple in many ways, The Black Phone is a great horror mystery. We never get explanations on many aspects but that doesn’t matter — the mystery isn’t “Who’s doing this and why?” it’s “where is Finney and will he get out?” Every attempt of his to escape is wrenching and every dream of his sister trying to find him adds another little piece to the vast tapestry this movie is weaving.

Some things bothered me (stealing certain tropes right out of the Stephen King Playbook for one) but overall, this movie really lands, and writers Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargil, both of Sinister and Doctor Strange fame, did a solid job with the adaptation. The buildup is good, the suspense is good, the comedy makes the darkness seem so much darker and the gore, while only occasionally used, is used with great understanding of its purpose. 

This movie drips with tension and atmosphere and really gets under your skin. It doesn’t really take much time to explain why, but in an age of overexplaining, the stark contrast feels almost restful. There are minimal jump scares but they are very effective (and also very loud). Personally I’m starting to get a little fatigued by the muted colors and vibes of the ’70s/’80s horror but this film isn’t offensive with it. 

I will also warn you there are intense scenes of child abuse. If that’s a button for you maybe sit this one out. They’ve also already de facto announced it as a house for Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, so if that’s on your bucket list definitely check out the movie before then. 

I give The Black Phone (Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions; R; 1hr 42mins) a 3.5 out of 5