Movie review: The Black Phone
By: Cecilia Fountain
Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Taking place in Colorado, kids are disappearing left and right. Missing flyers were put up on fences, telephone poles, and littered in the street. The police have nothing except for black balloons that are left in places where the kids were kidnapped. On his way back from school to his broken home, Finley (played by Mason Thames) becomes the next victim of this masked killer known as “The Grabber”. He’s locked in a soundproof basement with nothing besides a toilet, a mattress, and a black phone that hangs on the wall unplugged.
When Finley starts to hear the voices of the previous victims, the young boy comes to terms that the only way he can survive is through the help of his once living classmates. If any part of this sounds remotely interesting, you will be pleasantly terrified to watch the black phone.
One of the biggest achievements of this movie is how well it chooses its actors. Having Ethan Hawke be revealed as the killer draws in audiences and fans to watch a fan favorite. However, the true award goes to the child actors. When I was watching the movie, I realized that anyone could star in an action or romance, but a child actor who is able to convey and act in a horror movie will go far in life. And that is exactly what happens in this movie. Mason Thames played a character who was being bullied and had to deal with an absent mother and an alcoholic father. All while watching after his little sister. Mason did it perfectly. You could feel the horror in his eyes when he was first kidnapped. You knew when he felt all hope was lost, and you knew the moment he felt he could overcome the kidnapper. Altogether, it built the tension and story of the movie.
Along with the acting, the photography and costumes set the time. We never got a specific timeline, and in a horror movie, a timeline is pretty important. If you know the time, you know what kind of resources the cops have, you can tell what kids are expected to know and not know, and you can relate it to how easy it was to get away with crimes. Although no direct time was given, the movie took place in the 70s. The vintage-looking photography and the flared jeans give you all you need to know. But if you still weren’t convinced, the set helps as well.
Warm browns, mixed with the mustardy yellow and olive green, are the signature colors of the 70 houses. Even when Finley was trapped in the basement, the small window filtered the lighting to make it look more grainy, which was a look that was in most 70s films.
The only thing that I could criticize was the ending. The action of Finely defeating his kidnapper brought up the question of what happens next for a young child. Nothing happened. He returns to school with whispers around him. And instead of feeling horrified and traumatized, he’s confident to talk to his crush. I would have liked to see more of the internal and deep effects the kidnapping had on Finely. But I guess that’s why they’re making a sequel!
Overall, a solid scary movie. The plot is well developed by an amazing cast and especially by child actors. If you have an hour and 43 minutes and want a good scare, I would recommend watching The Black Phone.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7144666/reviews/?rating=1&ref_=tt_ururv_histo_1
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_black_phone/reviews
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-black-phone-movie-review-2022