A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Black Phone” (2022).
“The Black Phone” doesn’t particularly try to cut any new cinematic ground. It has the child-abduction elements of “It“. The cellar-based entrapment angles of “10 Cloverfield Lane“. And the supernatural elements of “The Sixth Sense” (and numerous other horror flicks). But what it does, it does very well indeed.
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
Finney (Mason Thames) is a bullied teen, struggling to stay cool for the girls. He’s from a dysfunctional family with no mother, an abusive father and a sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) who has ‘out of body’ dreams. But Finney’s problems are about to escalate when he encounters ‘The Grabber’ (Ethan Hawke) – a terrifying masked man who has been abducting multiple children from the neighbourhood.
Certification:
Triggers:
Note that there is some pretty extreme domestic violence (father on daughter) that might be triggering to some viewers. Note also that the film shows some pretty violent school bullying.
Talent:
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies.
Directed by: Scott Derrickson.
Written by: Scott Derrickson & Robert Cargill. Based on the short story by Joe Hill.
Twitter Handles: #TheBlackPhone.
The Black Phone Review:
Positives:
- How many horror movies have you seen that start with a slash-bang opener and then proceed to butcher a teenage cast that you’ve never been introduced to or care about? (Answer: a lot!) “The Black Phone” does none of that, hinting at the horrors lurking in the shadows but spending a good 30 to 40 minutes introducing us to some complex characters. The family background is elegantly laid out with the father, Terrence, being both an horrific monster and a caring “Daddy” on different spins of the bottle. Is he like this because of the loss of his wife? Or does he have a traumatic past (it is hinted at, via a newspaper headline, that he might be a military vet). By the way, Terrence is played by Jeremy Davies, who “Lost” fans – and I am very much one – will remember as the time-travelling physicist Daniel Faraday from the later series).
- The young cast do a fabulous job. Young Mason Thames, in his feature debut, is remarkably self-assured and delivers just the right balance of vulnerability – cowering in the shadows as his sister is visciously given the belt – and internal grit when the going gets tough. And Madeleine McGraw (who’s name is unfortunately similar to our own famous UK abductee) is simply outstanding as Finney’s supernatural sister. She started her career as daughter to Bradley Cooper in “American Sniper” but has a nice CV of appearances and voiceover work. McGraw is definitely a One Mann’s Movies “one to watch” for the future.
- Ethan Hawke, who was last seen briefly as the incumbant king in “The Northman“, is deliciously sinister as the masked nut-job. Some of his lines are delivered in a bone-chillingly casual way.
- Hats off to the scriptwriters too, not just for the intelligent development of the story but for always keeping you guessing about certain characters. When the horror comes, it is delivered with some very effective jump-scares. Two in particular are 240v worthy… hold onto that popcorn!
- I can’t not mention the excellent music score by Mark Korven. As it’s very ‘squanky’ in places, it won’t be to everyone’s taste. But in terms of suiting the film to a ‘T’, I thought it very fine indeed.
Negatives:
- Like I said, it’s not a particularly novel film, story-wise. But that’s about my only criticism of it.
Summary Thoughts on “The Black Phone”:
I was rather mystified by the enormous success of “It” and its sequel “It Chapter 2“. I found them to be glossy but insubstantial. In contrast, I found “The Black Phone” to be far superior in every way. If you like your ‘small’ indie horror films, then this one comes with a recommendation.
Trailer for “The Black Phone”
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQWAVkx8O74 .
