Critical Recommendation: The Black Phone

Well, this was a pleasant surprise. I had heard mixed things about "The Black Phone" when it first came out back in 2021. I heard some people call this film a modern-day masterpiece. I also heard some horror fans complaining that it was not as interesting as some other horror movies. So, I didn't really know what to expect going into this movie. Well, now that I've come out on the other side of it, I can sum up my thoughts on the movie in exactly one word.

Wow.

I could end the review right there and just tell you to go watch it, but I'm not a lazy reviewer. OK, I'm not that lazy. "The Black Phone" is one of the best movies I've had the privilege of sitting down to watch this year. It's unique. It's scary. It's heartfelt. And, I would argue, most importantly, it's methodical and precise. To throw out the relatively spoiler-free synopsis, "The Black Phone," set in 1980's Denver, follows a boy named Finney Blake who is kidnapped by a serial child abductor named The Grabber. The movie follows Finney as he subsequently attempts to escape the soundproofed basement The Grabber locks him in. As the film progresses, Finney discovers that he can talk with past victims of The Grabber on a dead rotary phone on the wall of his cell. What is it they're trying to tell him? Is it useful? Perhaps he could use it to even....get out of this situation...alive? Now, before I get into this review, I do want to bring up something of a contradiction in terms. Yes, I am a Christian. And in Christian circles, horror movies often don't fly. And yes, this movie has some dark and objectionable content in it, among it some brief very strong language. So please don't rush into this movie just because I'm recommending it. Take your time to see if it would be right for you first.

That said, "The Black Phone" does a lot of things very well from an artistic point of view. First, it is incredibly atmospheric. Whoever did the coloring for this film deserves a serious raise. The world looks gross, like something out of an 80's true crime documentary. The sound design for the movie is terrifying. And, most importantly, the film feels very real, despite containing some supernatural elements that, frankly, I'm glad the movie didn't bother to flesh out fully, letting this sense of mystery permeate every corner of "The Black Phone." I'd have been disappointed if the film had wasted runtime trying to explain how Finney can talk to dead people on a phone. I'm glad that it instead decided to try and make us care for Finney by making us understand what's at stake for him, as well as what he cares about and why others care about him. The concept of creating an escape room film by allowing Finney to receive clues about how to get out of the basement via The Grabber's past victims over the phone was incredibly unique. In essence, I love this movie because it has a heart, but it also has smarts. You can get your audience to cry you a river, but that will only get you so far. Crafting understandable but intelligent plot threads is important, and "The Black Phone" does this so well. Some complained that the movie tried to do too much with too little time, but I have to seriously disagree with that sentiment. What would they have rather seen? A movie where a kid sits on a mattress in a cellar for an hour before actually doing something? That said, the acting in this film is quite good. By the end of the movie, I was seriously rooting for Finney to escape. When he succeeded, I was happy for him. And when a setback arose, I genuinely wondered what was going to happen to him. Ethan Hawke's performance as The Grabber was incredibly creepy and wildly unpredictable. The movie never explicitly states it, but Hawke's character seems to have something of a pedophilia construct, and this just made every interaction he had with Finney almost torturous. On top of that, his wild mood swings and moments where he almost seems like he's softening up to Finney are confusing in all the right ways.

Now, back to the concept of the phone, which is what the whole movie hinges on. And boy, what a concept. It's beautifully crafted and realized, gorgeously mysterious, and wonderfully executed. And the great thing is that we don't really need to have it explained to us. Does it logically make sense in our material world? Not at all. Does it need to? Nope! Because it's a stroke of storytelling genius that is confined to the universe of this movie. Every single victim Finney talks to on the phone has beautifully overlapping similarities, most notably their inability to remember their own names, but they are also distinct, with distinct attitudes, distinct ways of approaching a conversation, and distinct ways of approaching the idea of escaping the cellar. I fell in love with the concept from the instant it was introduced to me, and it only got better as the movie progressed. It never felt like a gimmick, was never used as a mere plot convenience to avoid a possible setback, and was integral to the movie as a whole. Keeping everything centered around this phone kept the movie from becoming overcomplicated as well as focused on where the director wanted it to go.

And finally, "The Black Phone" wears its heart on its sleeve. It lets itself be emotional without ever feeling melodramatic. Fear is not the only emotion it can evoke (although it does do plenty of that). I felt excitement, sadness, anger, and a whole plethora of other emotions that I'm not going to discuss at length because you would figure out the plot of the movie if I did. Way too often, horror movies skimp out when it comes to characterization, and I can assure you that this is not the case here. Finney Blake is an incredibly likable person who is very easy to root for. He has a boozing and conflicted father and a lot of problems at school, and now he's about to face a challenge that is far beyond anything he's ever experienced. He's the underdog, pure and simple, and seeing him finally stand up for himself to not just a school bully, but a serial kidnapper was incredibly satisfying. I really wanted Finney to be OK by the end of the movie, not just for his sake, but for the sake of the other victims of The Grabber.

Do you want scares? Do you want atmosphere? Do you want smarts? Do you want heart? "The Black Phone" has it all. If I had to critique the movie in a more negative light, it would be for an underdeveloped plot thread that has to do with a man conducting his own private investigation into The Grabber, as well as a somewhat annoying sister to Finney, but other than that, I have virtually no complaints. All in all, "The Black Phone" is a dark delight that has a soft and fervently beating heart at its center. I highly recommend it.

The Black Phone - 9/10

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