Horror With a Large Dose of Thriller
Read Time:2 Minute, 53 Second
MOVIE REVIEW
The Black Phone
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Genre: Horror, Thriller
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 1h 43m
Director(s): Scott Derrickson
Writer(s): Joe Hill (based on the short story 'The Black Phone' by,) Scott Derrickson (screenplay by,) C. Robert Cargill (screenplay by)
Cast: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke
Where To Watch: In theaters now
So I need to get on my soapbox here for a moment. Initially, the film was supposed to release in January of 2022. However, it was moved to the summer after the success of early screenings proved it would be a bigger hit than initially thought. Due to this, I saw a trailer for the film over a year ago. That alone wouldn’t have been terrible; however, the trailer gave away far too much. I make it a challenge to avoid trailers in general; you never know when something is going to be given away that is far more important to the plot than you know.
The leads in the film were all fantastic, but the standout among them was Madeleine McGraw, who plays Gwen, sister to Finney, played by Mason Thames. McGraw added a whole level to the film that could be fleshed out in further sequels. A history tied to her mother could make for an exciting movie on its own.
Along with seeing McGraw’s character in a future project, I would love to see Hawke’s character in another film. I would love to know the motivation and previous events that led him to what we see on the screen here. Arguably one of the most original villains I’ve seen in a new film for a long time. Even though the character pays homage to other real-life people, there is something unique about them to keep your interest the entire film and still want to know more.
The story takes place over a couple of days but encompasses a much more extensive timeframe, and I honestly wasn’t expecting to enjoy it nearly as much as I did. I’m curious to see if Blumhouse takes any inspiration from this for future films possibly set in this world.
There were some fantastic (although, in my opinion, too infrequent) additions throughout the film's soundtrack that, at times, set the mood and tone perfectly. Such as “Free Ride” by The Edgar Winter Group, “Fox On The Run” by Sweet, and “On The Run” by Pink Floyd.
The iconic masks used throughout the film were designed by legendary makeup artist Tom Savini (FRIDAY THE 13TH, CREEPSHOW) and added perfectly to Hawke’s character in the movie. The story the film is adapted from by Joe Hill (son of Stephen King) was submitted to Black Static, a British horror magazine. As a nod to Hill’s father, there’s a scene in the film where one of the leads is riding their bike in the rain while wearing a yellow raincoat that matches Georgie’s from the movie IT.
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Ethan Hawke you definitely killed this performance as the grabber. The story actually kept my heart beating I was so anxious.
It was a good watch.. I can’t be mad at the movie however… I didn’t get the rush that many others did while watching.
It was okay. I didnt love nor hate it. I also didnt think the kid actors did that grat of a job as everyone else does