There are certain horror filmmakers that just understand the genre much more than others. Guillermo Del Toro loves the mythology of horror, Jordan Peele revels in the social commentary of horror and James Wan prefers to push the horror genre into new territories. Another horror filmmaker is Scott Derrickson who has given us some proper scary classics ranging from the Sinister films to more unique horrors like Deliver Us From Evil. Derrickson likes to play around with the horror rulebook and plays on his own terms, by delivering us scares in ways audiences aren’t expecting. The horror Derrickson conveys is more chilling than anything and the same came be said about his latest film, The Black Phone.
The Black Phone feels like a Stephen King film, and that is likely to be no coincidence when you realise that the source material that the film is based on is that of a short story written by Joe Hill who is none other than the son of the famous Stephen King, and that horror DNA is shared with him within this story. Like King, Hill’s short story delves into broken families, with an emphasis on children and the idea that children are linked more spiritually with the afterlife than adults are. The Black Phone is also set in 1978, an era without social media or the internet, so the story feels more rustic while capturing the essence of a time where child abductions and murders were frighteningly more common, which is the basis for the story.
We follow a young student called Finney, played by newcomer Mason Thames, and his little sister Gwen, who is also played by a newcomer under the name of Madeleine McGraw. Both actors were picked very carefully as they both share the same kindred energy of a brother and sister with relative ease and completely sells the story for us within the first few minutes. There’s a child abductor, who is also a murderer, loose in their small American town. Both siblings are aware of it and their friends soon become the ones that are being taken, until one day Finney falls upon the same fate. The “Grabber” is played by Ethan Hawke who plays the villain a bit too easily, even with the character constantly hiding behind a demonic white mask of some description. That as well as his earthy tone of voice help sell this “Grabber” to be a proper threat, and a threat without a backstory which makes it all the more terrifying as we don’t know what his endgame is.
Gwen starts seeing visions of Finney and the other dead kids in her dreams, which helps the police track down the Grabber, even if they don’t fully understand how she is seeing these visions. As well as these dreams young Finney is locked in an unknown basement with a disconnected black phone, hence the title, but it eerily rings whenever he needs help with the voice of a dead victim chillingly help him fight his way out of the situation he finds himself in. To say how the story develops from there would ruin the film, but the story doesn’t waste any time in asking the how and why these supernatural events are occurring. Instead the focus is on Finney’s survival and whether he can stand up to his tormentor.
With this being a horror film you can expect some intense scenes and also some disturbing scenes, but it never feels over-the-top or excessive. The visuals and horror elements are perfectly balanced within the tone of the film. The only downside is that the story is so swift that you almost don’t want it to end and you wish you could learn more about these characters. That in itself is a true testament of a great horror though when you instantly want to know more instead of forgetting about all the characters by the time the credits roll.
★★★★☆
4/5
Scott Derrickson has crafted a horror film unlike anything seen before. There are twists and turns that will keep you rooted to your seat and your eyes on the screen. The performances from Hawke, Thames and McGraw are nothing short of spectacular and star-making! I expect to see these young actors in a lot more different projects going forward. Left wanting more, The Black Phone has the atmosphere a lot of other horror films lack and knowing the film studio that produced the film this probably won’t be the last time we see of these characters on the big screen either.
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Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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