“The Black Phone” (2022)
Superb supernatural, psychological horror
Superb supernatural, psychological horror
The latest from the Blumhouse production line of fantastic horror stories writ large on the cinema screen is a unique, if a little Pennywise from IT inspired, psychological shocker based on a 2004 short story of the same name written by Joe Hill. Directed by Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange), the brief premise, movie poster hints or cliff notes from www.imdb.com are thus:
“After being abducted by a child killer and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer’s previous victims”.
Here’s my more elongated yet still spoiler free flavour for this highly recommended psychological horror:
In a North Denver suburb of 1978 we have two aspiring little league baseball players, a schoolboy paperboy and the school’s Bruce Lee inspired and best fighter who all have one thing in common as well as being awkward, outsiders on the fringe of high school society, they all fall victim to “The Grabber”. A wraith like creature seen only in the paranormal dreams of a young girl who, along with her brother, are subjected to the brutal beatings and abuse from an alcoholic Father unable to believe his lying ears and eyes of a Mother’s daughter and her dreams of the unspeakable danger living not in her dream world, but in her local neighbourhood.
Each abducted boy seemingly faces the same fate in quick succession, whisked away by a ghoulishly masked figure before waking in a dank, dirty, dingy basement with only an equally dirty mattress, small air vent, and a forever ringing black telephone on the wall for company. However, the “phone doesn’t work” and whatever you do, “don’t go upstairs”.
A cursory glance at every possible movie poster for this film confirms that Ethan Hawke is permanently masked as the devil horned “Grabber”, so it’s hardly a spoiler to confirm the film’s largest Marquee star! But the stars of the film are undoubtedly the gaggle of quirky outsider high school aged children. The two baseball stars are “Bruce” (Tristan Pravong) and “Finney” (Mason Thames), and we eventually see the entire ugly and dispiriting confinement story through the eyes of Finney and a brilliant angst filled performance from Mason Thames. The graphic and at times visceral abuse is meted out by the incredibly unlikeable Father character of “Terrence” (Jeremy Davies) whilst another of the film’s stars “Robin” (Miguel Cazarez Mora) inhabits the spirit of his film star hero and the fine, fine balance between self defence and brutal attack.
In a heavily dominated male casted film, it’s true star is it’s female lead role of “Gwen” (Madeleine McGraw). A seer of supernatural dreams, Gwen is also infused with a bubbly, indomitable spirit by McGraw, as well as an aggressively set of potty mouthed tirades that raised more than it’s share of smiles and laughter in a film of such bloody and brutal shock horror violence.
With the incredibly pleasing addition of the anxiety raising “On The Run” by Pink Floyd as the film reaches its denouement, I was immediately won over by The Black Phone and for a tough to please and very picky connoisseur of the horror film genre, what more recommendation do you need?
Oh, and by the way, “Don’t Go Upstairs”.
Thanks for reading. For over 80+ more spoiler free film reviews and lengthy career retrospective articles on many of my favourite all-time film directors, please see my archives. Alternatively, my three most recently published film review articles are linked below:
“The Phantom of the Open” (2022)
Arnold Palmtree and the “World’s Worst Golfer”.medium.com
“All The Old Knives” (2022)
Stylish espionage drama with a surprising twist.medium.com
“Elvis” (2022)
Beautiful warts and all telling of a broken hearted storymedium.com