Story of the Black Phone The Black Phone, an adaptation of the same-titled short story from 2004, tells the story of a young teenager’s daring confrontation with the most feared serial murderer in his community.
Synopsis
The grim story of “The Black Phone,” which smells of dead corpses, kidnappings, and child abuse, also contains a glimmer of optimism for the future.
4.0/5 from the critics
Review of The Black Phone: A good horror movie is more than simply jump scares and ghosts lurking in the shadows while sporting the craziest hairstyles, makeup, and costumes. In order to create a terrifying monster, it’s also not about fancy visual effects. Giving the audience a story that speaks to their deepest anxieties and inspires them to picture themselves in the victims’ hopeless condition is the goal. One of the few horror movies that fulfill all of these criteria is “The Phone Book.
There is a horror movie and a psychological thriller. It combines the terrifying elements of a serial murderer narrative with action-packed protagonist escape attempts. As director-writer Scott Derrickson and his writing partner C.Robert Cargill manage to immerse us in the exciting world of 1978 Denver, Colorado, you will always find yourself pulling for the victim. It’s the turbulent decade when being an adolescent meant contending with bullies at school, engaging in frequent physical altercations, and brawling on competitive video games and baseball diamonds.
One such adolescent, Finney (Mason Thames), has an absolutely lethal arm on the baseball field, but he never manages to get the better of his tormentors. A year or two younger than him, his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is a complete daredevil with a psychic vision and a filthy mouth who doesn’t even spare Jesus if her prayers are not answered. The two fatherless kids are at the mercy of their father, who is frequently inebriated and beats them up. In the midst of all of this, this tranquil town is frequently shaken by cases of missing children who are taken by a masked serial killer who abducts them out of thin air, earning him the nickname “The Grabber.”
Although the plot has been told before (most recently in “It”), this version is unexpectedly new, action-packed, and convincing. As you gradually begin to become invested in the intriguing case of the Grabber and his heinous methods of abducting defenseless youngsters, the screenplay draws you in from the very beginning. Although there isn’t much blood or gore in this serial killer movie, there is still enough urgency and spine-chilling moments.
The Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke, is frightening, but the film’s creators don’t offer any interesting details about his background or his motivations, which would have helped to give the story of our villain a more complete arc. This is the sole significant criticism of this wonderful horror novel. As protective siblings, Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw deliver excellent and engaging performances.
Undoubtedly, “The Black Phone” is a gloomy movie, but it also contains a glimmer of optimism for the future amid its horrific plot, which smells of dead bodies, kidnapping, and child abuse. This horror movie is a must-watch because of this delicate balance.