Review of The Black Phone (2022) by Rebecca31 — 24 Jun 2022

A suburban Colorado town is being haunted by a string of recent child abductions by someone known only as “The Grabber”. The police are no closer to catching anyone when 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames) is abducted by the absolutely mental Ethan Hawke in his most psycho role yet. Finney awakens in a soundproof basement with no hope of escape. He then starts receiving calls from a disconnected phone by the serial killer’s previous victims. Cue the scary music.

This is everything a horror movie should be. It’s highly tense the whole way through and the entire cast are phenomenal. This is not surprising when you cast Ethan Hawke because the man just cannot put in a bad performance. He is monstrous, terrifying and will make your skin crawl. The creepy masks only add another layer, giving him an almost animalistic characteristic. Getting child actors for a story like this will either make or break the movie and the performances of brother and sister, Finney and Gwen, played by Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw are brilliant. Their talent shines through, they had believable chemistry with each other and they’re the reason the audience will become so invested in the story.

As a big horror fan I absolutely loved The Black Phone. It’s everything I want in a great horror movie, expertly blending real-world horror with supernatural elements without becoming silly. It will have you on the edge of your seat, and the interactions between Thames and Hawke are genuinely frightening. It also got me good with a jump scare so extra points for that. Many horrors can particularly suffer with a messy third act but The Black Phone is strong all the way through. You can see the inspiration from other movies in there, with some scenes very much reminiscent of Stephen King, which makes sense considering it’s based on a short story by Joe Hill. Director Scott Derrickson knows how to make an effective horror movie, and The Black Phone is one people will definitely remember.

The Black Phone is atmospheric, stressful and the sadistic performance from Hawke will be sure to scare the sh!te out of everyone. It’s not just a great horror movie, it’s also an entertaining thriller you won’t want to miss. Highly recommended for all the horror fans.