‘The Black Phone’ REVIEW: A dialed down spookfest
‘The Black Phone’ REVIEW: A dialed down spookfest
Ethan Hawke stars as The Grabber in The Black Phone.
This review contains minor spoilers on The Black Phone. Content warning for the article and the film as both mentions themes of abuse.
Ring, ring, ring! Blumhouse Productions is back with another horror film that is sure to give everyone the creeps. Adapted from Joe Hill’s short story of the same name, the movie deals with a series of child abduction and supernatural vengeance. Aside from the hype of a villain Ethan Hawke, the movie brings us promising child stars Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw who give incredible performances as Finney and Gwen, respectively. With a dash of mystery and a range of frightening, paranormal scenes, The Black Phone is a unique take on the horror genre but ultimately falls short in the delivery of its story.
The child protagonists, Finney and Gwen, are portrayed by Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw.
The gist of the spooky tale is this—set in 1978, a man called The Grabber has been spreading terror all over Denver as he kidnaps children one by one in his black van. Disguised as a magician-for-hire, his modus consists of bumping into the kids and dropping his eggs making it seem like an accident, then proceeding to ask if they want to see a magic trick. Little did the kids know that it was how to make them disappear.
Right in the middle of the narrative is Finney who, after seeing some of his friends get captured, gets kidnapped himself. And this is where the movie sets the tone as he is locked in a prison-like room with nothing but a mattress, a toilet bowl, a barred window, and, you guessed it, a black phone. The Grabber tells him that the phone last worked when he was a kid, but he definitely thought wrong as it kept on ringing, he just couldn’t hear it.
Now this is where it gets a little absurd. Whenever Finney picks up the phone, a previous victim answers and gives him clues on how to escape. It is implied that every time a captive fails, he becomes tied to the phone, ringing the new victim tirelessly to finally put an end to The Grabber. Think of it as a darker Happy Death Day, but instead of being stuck in a time loop, Finney is able to carry on with the progress of the previous victims that would have to scare the audience first before pointing towards the clues.
With the way the movie was presented, one might think that it would have been better off as a thriller grounded on reality. It even had that Se7en opening credits showing different missing person posters, giving the vibe of a true crime documentary. However, it’s understandable why they went in this supernatural direction to offer something new to the table, a claustrophobic film like Room but with ghost children and the scare of a ringing phone. Sadly, it just doesn’t work.
The Grabber in his frightening mask visits Finney in his room either to taunt him or give him food.
Another thing that the movie could have focused on is the abusive and alcoholic father played by Jeremy Davies. He was the real villain, taking out his misery on the children. You can see the anger in Gwen and Finney’s eyes, and their fear of their father was more immense than their fear of The Grabber. It’s too bad that this family facet of the movie wasn’t really resolved, although there was some explanation as to why he was strongly opposed to Gwen’s powers.
Honestly, it was really hard to take the movie seriously. A black phone that seems to be breathing rings and ghost children answer. Now who wouldn’t laugh at that? Even some parts had hysterical acting that could have been toned down. Thankfully, there’s still some thriller in the heart of it that became the crests to the troughs of the supernatural aspect of the film, specifically the scene where Finney makes an attempt to escape his masked predator. That moment where Finney kept getting the wrong combination had everyone in the theater screaming for his freedom.
It is certainly a popular opinion that Madeleine McGraw stole the show with her mature portrayal of Gwen. Her character allowed for comic relief in the movie, especially whenever she “consults Jesus” in her dollhouse, asking him questions like “what the—toot.” Gwen also had an essential role in the quest to save Finney as she had some sort of psychic powers where she dreams about the victims of The Grabber, which is again, absurd.
The real highlight of The Black Phone is its editing that, along with the ominous score, does a terrific job of setting the spine-chilling atmosphere of the movie. Every time the phone rings, there is some sort of anxiety that it brings that builds up to effective jump scares. By the end of the movie, you’ll never look at Ethan Hawke the same way. Set in the late ‘70s, the film reeks of nostalgia and exploits it as a horror device with vintage filters, even using a clip from The Tingler.
The Black Phone is ringing you off the hook and will have you calling 911 for its scary offerings, with a zero to hero story that can either amuse you or have you drop it altogether. It has its flaws in the direction it took storywise, but it still has heart due in no small measure to the child protagonists. If you can imagine getting scared of a terrorizing phone with ghoulish youngsters, then you should definitely give this a try. Otherwise... just expect to have a good time with it.
Catch a screening of The Black Phone in select theaters nationwide on July 20, 2022.
