What makes the horror genre unique is not just the kind of suspense the films generate but also the uniqueness of their source material. A horror film is as effective as the villain it presents as well as the main characters the audience ultimately grows to care about. With Blumhouse's The Black Phone, Universal Pictures provide audiences with a terrifying new experience that's thrilling along with a frightening new villain. The end result is a hugely effective horror concept that keeps audiences at the edge of their seat while deserving commending for its efforts in creativity.
Based on the short story of the same name written by Joe Hill, The Black Phone's plot revolves around a teenager (Mason Thames) being abducted by a masked child killer and using a mysterious telephone to communicate with the previous victims of his captor (Ethan Hawke). Bearing a twisty story that's full of suspense and relatable characters, The Black Phone feels like the ideal catch for horror fans. Although it may not be truly scary, there's enough creepiness and thrills present to make it a must-watch for horror fans even if it feels a tiny bit similar to other terrifying stories like Stephen King's IT.
As far as acting goes, The Black Phone's performances are extremely well-executed from its cast with Mason Thames churning out brilliant work as young teenager Finney, whose captured by The Grabber and shows great strength in fighting to survive his captor. Ethan Hawke is fantastic as the unflinchingly terrifying captor who misleads, kidnaps, and terrifies his victims while pushing them to attempt an escape with the intent of punishing them. Hawke is absolutely chilling in the role as he messes with Thames psychologically. Madeleine McGraw also shines as Finney's sister Gwen, who experiences psychic dreams. Both her and Thames share natural chemistry as siblings with the audience completely buying into their dynamic within the story. Along with their performances, Jeremy Davies proves to be notably effective as the kids alcoholic and abusive widower father Terrence with the audience completely despising his character. The rest of the supporting cast deliver solid work with E. Roger Mitchell and Troy Rudeseal as Detectives Wright and Miller who are searching for Thames, along with James Ransone in a nutty performance as the Grabber's eccentric brother, Max, and Miguel Cazarez Mora as Finney's friend, Robin, who becomes a victim of the Grabber. Overall, The Black Phone's acting (Especially from its young cast) ranks as being above average for the horror genre with Thames and Hawke making for a terrific screen duo.
When it comes to directing, Scott Derrickson does a fine job of crafting a chilling atmosphere along with generating strong suspense. Some of the films most intense scenes are those showing Finney's character attempting to escape his captor, which are nail-biting moments. The violence shown is graphic with several instances showing young children being severely beaten, dead victims with obvious injuries being shown, and characters being stuck in the head with an axe. The cinematography consist of warm browns and orange lighting that's occasionally filtered with the films basement setting being accompanied by dark shadows and dried up blood on the walls representing the previous victims. The films overall costume and set design captures the idyllic '70s suburbia feel that showcases vintage photographs, striped baby tees, and flared jeans. With pacing, The Black Phone's story is kept steadily moving with enough information being given to audiences regarding key characters while carefully building up the suspense. The films score is a combination of upbeat 70's music combined with dark and chilling music that gets deep into the audiences spine. With the films overall look and mood, Derrickson largely impresses here along with getting strong work out of his cast.
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Although it's based off a short story, The Black Phone's script does a terrific job of expanding on its source material while carrying a noble message that empowers one to stand up for themselves, especially when it comes to young children. Finney's character embodies this message through his experiences of being bullied by fellow classmates, and his friendship with Robin who not only defends him but later becomes a key motivator during his escape from the grabber. Much of the latters backstory is kept from audiences, making him a more mysterious and creepy individual who leaves a black balloon behind with each victim (Sounds a bit like Pennywise from Stephen King's IT). Some of the key themes that prove to be pivotal points in the story include alcoholism and child abuse as shown with Finney and Gwen's abusive alcoholic father with it being implied that their mother committed suicide due to hearing voices. Themes regarding the supernatural and one having psychic abilities are prevalent here with Gwen seeing images pertaining to Finney's kidnapping, along with the latter seeing and hearing the grabber's previous victims as they speak to him though the mysterious phone while delivering tips on how to survive his abduction. The grabber is portrayed as being a serial kidnapper and murderer with the police struggling to catch him. As well-layered as The Black Phone's script is in exploring its numerous themes, the concept of friendship, particularly that of Finney and Robin, serve as the heart of the story and the one that gives power to the stories overall message regarding standing up for oneself.
Even though The Black Phone contains themes that are hard-hitting, it unpacks them in a way that's exciting as well as thought-provoking. There's no denying that those watching it won't get a kick out of how the story is presented with the performances from the stellar cast adding to the thrills. While some of the stories elements may remind one of other films (The subplot involving the police searching the suspected house feels lifted from The Silence Of The Lambs), The Black Phone manages to tell it's own terrifying story regarding child abduction and does it exceptionally well, ensuring that those who choose to brave such a chilling horror story will not be disappointed.
Final Verdict: For horror fans, The Black Phone is a must see.
Images Courtesy Of Universal Pictures
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