Rating of
3/4
Pick Up the Receiver, I'll Make You a Believer
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/18/22
Scott Derrickson, who has already graced us with the excellent horror film Sinister (as well as the first Doctor Strange) is back in top form, delivering another chilling experience with The Black Phone.
Horror can arrive in many forms but I always find the "jump scare" school of horror to be the more lazy option. There's nothing wrong with a good jump scare - in fact, The Black Phone has a few of its own - but the greatest of horror films manage to get under you skin. It's the tension, the atmosphere that I like best in modern horror, and between some truly twisted masks and the claustrophobic basement setting, Black Phone delivers.
The setup is thus: set in 1978, a Colorado town finds itself haunted by the specter of "The Grabber" (Ethan Hawken) who has abducted three young boys - and will abduct three more during the course of the film. Finney Blake (and excellent Mason Thames) is a timid boy, not helped any by his alcoholic father, Terrence (Jeremy Davies) though he finds mutual understanding and compassion with his younger and more spirited sister, Gwen (an equally excellent Madeleine McGraw). After a star youth baseball player is taken, the next victim hits close to home when Robin (Miguel Cazarez Mora), who get tutoring and helps protect Finney from school bullies, is also taken. Robin is a fighter and it seems our Grabber is upping his frequency as Finney himself becomes the next target.
Even though Finney may not think much of himself, he doesn't back down from his predicament, as dire as it seems. When the unconnected telephone in his basement prison starts to ring, he at first doesn't know what to think but soon it becomes apparent he has a gift to hear the phone - and the former victims on the other end - who help him formulate a plan to escape. Meanwhile, Gwen is on her own quest. She also has a gift - in this case, her dreams give her glimpses of The Grabber - a twisted tree, black balloons and even though her father beats and tells her to ignore them - she will do anything to find her missing brother.
The two young stars anchor the film and deliver some truly memorable peformances. McGraw has an early, very emotionally-driven scene and knocks it out of the park - and she isn't one to back down from a fight, either. And Thames matches beat for beat with Hawke, no small feat. Speaking of Hawke, it's great to see him embrace a darker side - and even thought he is hidden behind a mask for the most part, he still manages to turn in a great performance from his voice and eyes and presents a fantastic villain. Also of note in a smaller role is James Ransone as a cocaine-fueled armature detective - who doesn't realize just how close he is to the crime.
Black Phone's aesthetics are also off the charts. From the vintage fashion and sets to the use of Super 8 style flashbacks, the film feels like it belongs in the 70s and does a fine job of capturing the look and feel of that time period. While I think the scares are mostly in the setting and tension the film builds up, there are indeed a few "gotcha" moments that any good horror film will deliver though, as I said, it doesn't overly rely on them to drive home said horror.
The Black Phone had a fine run in theaters and it's easy to see how this appeals to both hardcore and more horror-lite audiences. It isn't all blood and gore, but the bits it does provide hit home and it will leave you with that creeped-out feeling for a good while.
