The Black Phone Review

Based on a short story by Joe Hill, The Black Phone sees a Sinister reteaming of Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, and Ethan Hawke for a chilling horror flick.

In 1978 a suburb of North Denver is being terrorised by a serial killer. Five boys have gone missing, and Finney (Mason Thames) becomes the sixth child to be abducted by the killer only known as The Grabber (Hawke). When Finney wakes up in a soundproof room his only hope for escape are phone calls from The Grabber’s previous victims and Finney’s sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) who has psychic dreams.

The Black Phone has earned a lot of praise. It premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas and at the time of writing has an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an impressive 7.4 on IMDB which is high for a horror film. Horror fans would have been excited about the film because the team’s previous horror movie was Sinister.

Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son. Adaptations of King Sr’s short stories have been successful. They have produced films like Stand by Me, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Mist. The Black Phone does share some tropes that are present in Stephen King’s work. There’s a period setting with a horrific present afflicting the youngsters of a small community. There was a child with supernatural abilities and the siblings were victims of an alcoholic father and sadistic bullies. There are often good building blocks for a horror story and the makers of The Black Phone use them well.

The comparisons with Stephen King adaptations can go even deeper. There were elements of The Shinning because a child had psychic powers, the dad was an alcoholic, and Finney had a space rocket pen which felt like a reference to Danny’s jumper. There were elements of the recent It movies because of the focus on young characters, the period setting, having the plot revolve around disappearing children, and having a menacing villain. The A. V. Club called Hawke’s performance as “Pennywise-meets-Wonka child killer.” Audiences looking for a Stephen King-style horror film will be satisfied. It’s certainly better than the Blumhouse’s previous Stephen King adaptation, Firestarter.

The Black Phone had a slow build-up. There was a great amount of time spent with Finney and Gwen which showed how close they were. It allowed the audience to get to know the pair and see how protective they were towards each other. Gwen fighting a load of Finney’s bullies was a fun moment. Gwen’s presence meant the film could be extended beyond the bounds of the Grabber’s basement as she tried to use her powers to find her brother.

Audiences can get emotionally invested in these siblings. They were likeable, especially Gwen, and the casting team did find two excellent young performers. This focus on the siblings showed The Black Phone was a family drama as a horror film. Finney and Gwen were terrified of their father (Jeremy Davies), Finney had to care for him when he got drunk on Friday night, and early in the film Gwen received a beating from her father. As the film progressed the father was shown to be more sympathetic. He tries to act like a caring father to his kids, especially after Finney’s disappearance. He’s someone trying to battle his demons, suffering from grief over his wife’s death, and raising two kids by himself. It made the father more three-dimensional than just an abusive alcoholic.

The bulk of the film took in The Grabber’s basement. This part of the film was similar to another Blumhouse film, Split. Both films focused on young characters being held captive by a serial killer. Finney had to deal with The Grabber’s mind games and find a way to escape. Hawke was horrific and creepy as The Grabber due to his soft delivery and the smiling mask he was wearing. He was an uneasy presence.

The horror came from communication through the titular phone. It was unsettling to see the boys speak because the phone made their voices sound artificial. It was even more unsettling when the spirits of the boys were shown and still sounded like they were speaking on the phone. The image of the boys being bloody and mangled was effective and there was a rare jump scare that worked when Finney sees the body of the boys.

However, the mix of a Stephen King-esque style of supernatural horror story and a psychological horror movie made The Black Phone a disjointed film. They were two different styles of horror stories, and the separation of the characters made The Black Phone seem like it was two films that were stitched together. When the film focused on Finney’s captivity it pushed Gwen’s storyline far into the background.

The Black Phone was a film that used the tropes of Stephen King’s work to great effect. It made the film a character-driven horror flick where audiences can care about its leads.