by Robert Scocchi
| Published
Have you ever been to an escape room where you pay to fall into a small space and solve puzzles until you finally make it out of the gift shop? That's kind of the way Black phone Except in this case you are locked in a dank basement against your will by a psychotic serial killer known as “The Grabber”, and must communicate with the disembodied spirits of his previous victims via a rotary telephone where they leave you mysterious clues. That allows you to plan your bold departure from impending death. Black phone It's been on my radar for a while now, and while I admit I've slept on this unexpected success, I knew I had to watch it sooner or later, especially now that the upcoming (and due) sequel will be released later this year. .
Supernatural horror like no other
Black phone It doesn't have a complex plot, but it is executed to perfection. After a series of child kidnappings and murders bring a community north of Denver, Colorado to the brink, we meet The Grabber (Ethan Hawke); The always elusive, interesting person who operates out of a black truck filled with black balloons while searching for his prey. While driving around town rounding up kids without being detected, The 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 Grabber's whereabouts, as well as the fate of his previous victims, but their alcoholic father, Terence (Jeremy Davies), discourages her from speaking or acting on it. Her abilities because her mother had the same gift of clairvoyance, which ultimately drove her to commit suicide.
Locked in The Grabber's soundproof basement cell, Finney begins receiving calls from the black (and disconnected) rotary phone taped to the wall, all of them coming from kids he remembers from school before they disappeared. The spirits of Finny's deceased friends give him clear instructions on how to act so he can defeat The Grabber, as they attempt daring escapes using the limited resources they have, but ultimately die after failing to penetrate the basement.
Vinnie, who has the advantage of hearing the perspectives of multiple victims, is able to devise an escape plan using all the information he hears over the black phone.
Meanwhile, Detectives Wright (Roger Mitchell) and Miller (Troy Rhodesell) have a confrontation with… Top (James Ransone), a man who has been obsessively trying to find out the identity and location of The Grabber because the authorities clearly need some help trying to locate all the children who have disappeared and are presumed dead.
Great deals everywhere
If you think so Black phone The plot seems too simple to be effective, and this is where it goes badly wrong. Not only do you want to root for Finny all the time as he is guided by voices from beyond the grave, but his tenacity and willingness to trust in forces beyond his understanding while obeying the rules of The Grabber's sadistic games makes for a great performance from Mason Thames, the film's lead. Vinny goes from being afraid to taking full control of the situation when he learns more about the weaknesses in The Grabber's master plan.
Ethan Hawke He's every bit as terrifying as The Grabber, whose character is made all the more unsettling by how brilliantly he carries out his sadistic crimes. Cycling between sounds of childish curiosity and guttural growls, Hawke's performance will keep you up at night as he comes across as a nice guy who can't control his urges 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 absolutely worth purchasing on demand. My biggest regret is not losing the $4 while waiting for the title to appear My neighbor. Black phone 2the upcoming sequel, is currently scheduled for release in October 2025, and you better believe I'll be checking it out on opening day.
After watching Black phone Customized through Apple TV+, Google Play Moviesor Fandango at homeyou'll want to check it out V/H/S/85 For the short film “Dreamkill”, which takes place in the same universe Black phoneBut seven years after the events depicted in the film.
