The Black Phone Review: Does It Ring True?

Before we begin with the review, The Black Phone‘s first trailer was released last year and I was extremely intrigued by the premise. With Ethan Hawke playing the Grabber and the movie being directed by Scott Derrickson, the film naturally grabbed my attention. Though that was 8 months ago. However, the film’s second trailer was out a month before its release and it came back right into my radar. The film had already garnered much critical acclaim with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an impressive IMDb score. The Horror/ Thriller genre of the film was exciting as it is right up Derrickson’s alley. Let me familiarize you with Derrickson’s past work so that you understand my respect for him. He helmed the films like Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Doctor Strange.

Sinister is one of the finest and creepiest horror films I’ve ever seen in my life. It was the correct mix of drama and horror. Seeing Derrickson entering back in the game made me think we’re getting another Sinister. While The Black Phone is set in a very realistic 70s world, it does have its fair share of supernatural elements. The premise is simple, a kid is kidnapped by a serial killer and locked out in a basement. There is a phone in the basement that helps him connect with past victims of the killer and they help him escape. So, what does Derrickson accomplish with this simple premise? Does The Black Phone ring true?

WARNING: The following article contains mild spoilers to the plot.

Rating – ★★1/2

What Does the Combo of Derrickson and Hawke Give Us? 

The film’s the screenplay is adapted from Joe Hill’s short story of the same name. I haven’t read the short story. The film takes a quite start, it teases us with the events that we already know are going to happen. It sets up characters and dynamics. In fact, the first act of the film only concentrates on setting up everything that is required. All that is fine as long as the movie pays off at the end. Does it? The film riddles us with constant questions that are thrown at us but unfortunately we get answers to none.

The film casually uses supernatural tropes as plot devices that weaves the plot. The film unlike horror films is not afraid to show the brutality of the time it represents. As it is set in the 70s, it would’ve been pretty easy to show the time as pure and the only thing maligning it was the Grabber. Though, Derrickson puts forth his vision of the 70s that had abusive parents and bullies. This world that it constructs is the movie’s one big achievement. The horror naturally seeps into a world like this giving us no time to brace ourselves.

Though the movie like others fails when it comes to a cohesive story that thrills as well as horrifies us. The film does accomplish the thrilling aspect as there are enough sequences that genuinely keep you on edge but the horror is utterly missing. The film touches on some very unique ideas but is never clever enough to use them. It quite lamely establishes that out lead’s sister’s dreams are real and that is used to find the Grabber at the end. I mean wasn’t there something better than that. There is no explanation as to why this is happening or any backstory that help us understand it.

There is only a hint that her mother had it as well and she killed herself as it drove her crazy. I mean pretty unconvincing. The other supernatural elements being the black phone itself that rings even though the connection is cut off. The victims of the Grabber talk with our lead- Finney and help him get out of there. They quite conveniently also provide exposition to the Grabber. It is never explained why everything happens the way it does. Why specific victims talk to Finney at specific times or according to the need of the plot.

The film simply expects us to take all this for granted and just accept whatever’s thrown at us. The film on a technical level is quite apt. Even from a screenwriting perspective, the film has a technically sound screenplay just not an engaging one. It fails to keep the audience hooked as they’re constantly wondering about what is going on. Just like Spiderhead, in its final moments I was expecting or begging the film to have a final twist that may make me fall in love it. I so wanted to love the film. At least Spiderhead had one twist up its sleeve, this doesn’t even have that.

The Black Phone – What About Perfomances? 

I know this is the elephant in the room, Ethan Hawke as the Grabber. For someone who fell in love with the man in Before Sunrise this is quite a trip. I’ve always appreciated his films. I’ll put it this way, Ethan Hawke shines in a dull adaptation. While the screen time for Hawke is quite limited, whenever he is there he does bring out the best he is got. Almost the entire movie has him with a mask on but that too is done quite tastefully as his speak. The mask as well, is like in two parts that makes it appear different and Hawke wears it according to what he is feeling.

All these hidden details are great but the fundamental issue of the film is that it never explores the psyche of the Grabber and we don’t know his exact motive. Is he doing all this because he too is scarred by the time he lives in? Seems like it but well that doesn’t help us fear him. He is dormant for quite a bit and the way he is built up, the script never gives him a chance to show his truly demonic side. We feel cheated as the shit never gets real for Finney. He isn’t able to get out but he doesn’t face much consequences from the Grabber. Apart from Hawke’s performance, Finney played by Thomas Mane does a decent job but Gwen played by Madeleine McGraw is pretty impressive.

Verdict

The film was massively disappointing for me but that maybe because of my astronomical expectations.  Ergo, if I look at it objectively the film has some fine performances and genuinely thrilling sequences that may lead to an exciting watch. The film is a 2.5 out of 5 product. Although, the more fearful thing is Scott Derrickson’s name used to mean something. I was of the opinion that Derrickson would’ve made a better Doctor Strange sequel. His name meant quality and genuine human drama, the film id definitely not his best work and should never be used to describe his career. To answer the question raised in the title, no, The Black Phone doesn’t ring true. However, if you simply want to watch an average horror film in theatres with good cinematography and decent performances then there is no harm to check out The Black Phone this weekend.

Let me know if you’re planning to watch The Black Phone this weekend, do you agree with my views on it? The Black Phone will release in theatres on 24th June 2022.

If you have any questions regarding The Black Phone, feel free to ask in the comments below. For more content, stay tuned. As usual, like, subscribe and share our articles as we here are trying to build a community of people High on Cinema!

Sameer Talawdekar

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A student of cinema with a keen eye and an acquired taste. Blunt and critical while reviewing, if Sameer says a film is good, it’s basically a guarantee that it is. He may not like what you do, but that’s what makes him a quality fit for any cinema publication. He craves excellence and perfection and that’s why you can blindly trust his word!

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