Blumhouse Productions has become the ultimate studio when it comes to rolling out terrifying and great horror movies. Since signing their motion picture deal with Universal in 2014, Blumhouse has produced over forty horror films that have had fans screaming for more. The newest project to come from this studio is none other than The Black Phone. Scott Derrickson decided to step away from Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness to put his time and effort into this film based on the short story by Joe Hill.
In 1978, five children go missing in a small town in Colorado. Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) becomes the latest victim of “The Grabber”. This evil magician kidnaps Finney placing him in a soundproof basement, with a disconnected black phone on the wall. Finney has to find a way out whilst the phone keeps ringing. He can hear the voices of the other missing children and they don’t want Finney to end up like them.
Scott Derrickson made the right choice in stepping away from Marvel to direct this film. Although it may not be a box office smash like Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, it genuinely has soul behind it. The film takes a short story, gives it arms, legs and sets it free in the right direction.
The performances are nothing short of memorable. Mason Thomas’ performance as Finney is so moving and touching that you want to save him from this evil human. He makes you root for him the whole time and you just want to see him win. Madeline McCraw’s performance as Gwen a.k.a Finney’s sister was such a surprise. In one particular scene, her father was beating her with a belt and it will bring you to tears. The fear in her eyes and crackle in her voice was so believable. She was truly the M.V.P of this film. The writers made an interesting choice in making her character semi clairvoyant. Gwen has these dreams related to The Grabber and she utilises this ability when Finney gets taken. It still remains a mystery how she has this ability but maybe they will explain that in an unnecessary sequel.
Of course the performances could not be mentioned without talking about Ethan Hawke. Mr Hawke will have you on the edge of your seat as if you are Finney in that basement. Although we never see his full face, the way he utilises his voice moving from a high pitched soft voice to a deep, loud and angry voice is truly a talent in itself. The choice to have him in a mask and to never show his full face was an incredible decision that will make you fear him the most.
The production design on this film deserves a lot of praise. The 70s style set pieces mixed with the horror style set pieces made for an incredible blend. The Black Phone doesn’t suffer from what Captain Marvel suffered from. It did not need to remind you it was set in 1978, the way it was done felt authentic and as an audience member you just believe it. Unlike Captain Marvel which had to keep shoving the 90s in your face to remind you. The Black Phone borrows a lot from It (2017), which makes sense given Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King.
The Black Phone also takes inspiration from John Carpenter’s Halloween. The film bounces between being a story about a teenage boy who has a hard time at school to being a horror film about defeating the bogeyman. The white mask that Ethan Hawke wears is reminiscent of Michael Myers with a slight hint of The Purge. The cinematography is similar to that of Halloween (1978), this film looks like it could have come out in the same year.
This film has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes however it is not perfect. This film has a serious issue with pacing. The pacing varies meaning it is not consistent and makes the film feel longer than it actually is. The story element of the phone being disconnected but still ringing in Finney’s mind was a great choice. What was not a great choice was showing the zombified ghost children communicating with Finney. If we had just heard the voices it would have had the same effect. This felt cheap and unnecessary. The ending was also very lacklustre, the film builds to a final result which was satisfying but kind of predictable. The plot twist felt weakly executed and could have been much better.
Overall, The Black Phone is an enjoyable, edge of your seat horror film that will have you looking over your shoulder as you walk home. However, it does not feel like a modern horror classic that will stand the test of time.
Rating: 3.5/5
The Black Phone is in theatres June 22nd.
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