The Black Phone is a new horror film from Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson and stars Mason Thames as a boy kidnapped by a creepy character known as The Grabber played by Ethan Hawke and Madeleine McGraw as his sister who tries to rescue him. It’s set in 1978 and based on a short story.
I had a really good time with this one. I think the performances all round are really strong, particularly from the young cast. Mason Thames has multiple scenes of him alone and you understand his every emotion, far better than a lot of actors many years his senior and Madeleine McGraw is also really believable and has some brilliant and at times hilarious line delivery. Ethan Hawke is also so creepy as The Grabber, he’s doing a great job.
I think the film isn’t doing anything that outside of the box, but I think what it is doing works really well. I think the characters are strong enough that you keep invested throughout and want to finds out how it all comes together in the end.
So, I would recommend The Black Phone if you enjoy psychological horror or even supernatural horror. If you enjoyed something like It, this is something you will likely enjoy too. Worth a watch for sure. 3.5 Stars.
Movie Night 