Written by Robert Scocchi | Published
Have you ever been to one of those escape rooms where you’re forced to squeeze into a small space and solve puzzles until you eventually exit through the gift shop? That’s kind of how Black phone It plays, except in this case, you’re locked in a cozy basement against your will by a psychotic serial killer known as “The Grabber,” and he has to communicate with the spirits of his past victims via a rotary phone while leaving hidden clues that allow you to chart your daring journey of impending doom. Black phone It’s been on my radar for a while now, and while I admit I slept on this unexpected hit, I knew I had to watch it sooner or later, especially now that an upcoming (and well-deserved) sequel is out later this year.
Unparalleled supernatural horror
Black phone It does not have a complex plot, but it is executed to perfection. After a series of child kidnappings and murders, the Northern Murders put a Colorado community on the brink, we are introduced to Grabber (Ethan Hawke); The perpetually mobile person who operates out of a black truck filled with black balloons as he searches for his prey. Driving around town scooping kids without detection, Grabber picks up his next victim, Vinnie Blake (Mason Thames), a socially awkward 13-year-old.
Vinnie’s younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) has psychic visions that offer a glimpse into the whereabouts of the bounty, as well as the fate of his previous victims, but their abusive alcoholic father, Terrence (Jeremy Davies), discourages her from talking about or acting on them. Her abilities because her mother had the same gift of stenciling, which eventually drove her to suicide.
Finney, locked in a soundproof basement cell, starts receiving calls from the black rotary phone (and classroom) taped to the wall, and they’re all coming from kids he remembers from school before they got lost. The disembodied spirits of their dead friends Finny give him explicit instructions on how to act so that he can defeat Grabber, as they attempted to make their own daring escape using the limited resources they had, but ultimately met their demise after failing to breach the basement.
Vinnie, who has the advantage of hearing from the perspectives of multiple victims, has the ability to devise an escape plan using all the information he hears over the black phone.
Meanwhile, Detectives Wright (E. Roger Mitchell) and Miller (Troy Rudeseal) have an encounter with Max (James Ransone), a man who has been obsessively trying to discover Grabber’s identity and location because the authorities clearly need to locate all the children who have disappeared and are presumed dead.
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If you think so Black phone The plot seems too easy to be effective, as you are seriously mistaken. You don’t just want to root for Vinny the whole time as he’s guided by voices from beyond the grave, and his perseverance and willingness to trust in forces beyond your understanding while obeying the rules of Grabber’s sadistic games make for a great performance from Mason Thames, the movie’s lead. Vinny goes from afraid to completely in control of the situation as he learns more about the weak spots in Grabber’s master plan.
Ethan Hawke is absolutely terrifying as Grabber, whose character is extremely unsettling because of the extent to which he heightens his sadistic crimes. Shifting between sounds of childish curiosity and intense calm, Hawke’s performance will keep you up at night as he comes across as the kind of gentleman who can’t control his impulses until you realize it’s all part of his twisted game.
Watch phone black
Black phonebased on C. Robert Cargill’s short story of the same name, is brilliantly suspenseful, and worth an on-demand purchase. My biggest regret is not throwing in $4 while waiting for the title to make its rounds on stream. Black phone 2the upcoming sequel, is currently scheduled for an October 2025 release, and you better believe I’ll be checking it out on opening day.
After watching Black phone Upon request through Apple TV+for Google Play Moviesor Fandango at homeyou’ll want to check v/h/s/85 For the short film, “Dreamkill,” which takes place in the same universe Black phonebut seven years after the events described in the film.