Rent The Black Phone (2021)

The Black Phone (aka Static) review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

The Black Phone comes from Scott Derrickson and reflects much of the same creepy fascination of the past and missing kids present in his previous horror film Sinister. Here’s a tale of 1970s terror where a suburb is terrorized by a mysterious kidnapper known only as The Grabber (Ethan Hawke, returning for another Derrickson production). Nobody has truly seen The Grabler as kidnaps and kills kids all while wearing a mask at times when nobody is around to stop him.

So it seems unlikely that the meek preteen Finney would be able to find a way to defeat The Grabber and escape his basement-turned dungeon. Not only has Finney been unsuccessful in combatting the daily bullies but he’s been traumatized by his single father drinking and often beating his smart-mouthed sister Gwen. Finney soon finds himself kidnapped and held hostage with no means to escape, remaining locked in an inescapable room. But hope comes in the form of a phone call. The black phone in the room rings and Finney answers. He’s getting hints on how to escape. The hints are coming from the dead kids who previously tried to escape, guiding him about when to move and when to stay put.

Hawke’s performance as the masked killer is perfectly creepy. Even for being hidden behind a mask for 95% of screentime, Hawke dives into this role with a sinister chuckle and vicious threats. While we never see many of his murders being committed, the very presence of his dark character really makes one believe there’s great horror within his heart. One of the most terrifying scenes is when The Grabber intentionally leaves the door unlocked and waits next to the stairs, sitting with a belt in hand and readying himself to punish his captive for daring to escape. If not for a warning phone call, Finney would already be dead for taking the bait.

While Finney’s underdog story of defeating a serial killer is highly engaging, I think Gwen more or less steals the show as the investigating sister with the biggest leads. Gwen has the ability to perceive danger in her dreams, often seeing visions of The Grabber and his victims, highlighted by the black balloons within his van. She’s also incredibly cutthroat with her dialogue, cussing out cops who try to badger her for info. She even bites back at Jesus when she thinks he may have a role in guiding her toward the killer. Her visions are also highly trippy and intriguing as she becomes a central player in this murder investigation with supernatural support.

The direction of the many scenes where Finney communicates with the dead makes for some neat sequences as well. The ghosts speak in a haze of memory and frights, often getting lost in loops and forgetting who they are. They give Finney valuable advice on how to dig into the next room or how to turn the phone itself into a weapon. The ghosts are sometimes visible and usually when they are they pace around the room, stuck between the time when they were alive and the time they were dead. Sometimes they’re unwittingly communicating with Gwen at the same time they’re talking to Finney. They also make for great jump scares when they suddenly appear from behind or are sucked away into the darkness.

Everything about The Black Phone just works. It embodies the retro style of the 1970s but never spends much time lavishing in the nostalgia of yesteryear suburbia. It builds on its scariness easily with the progressive phone calls and a sense of determination and bravery that builds within Finney. This is one horror film that I highly recommend watching with a crowd considering how pleasing it is for the gritty conclusion. Watching Finney finally take charge and strike back at a child killer is so satisfying to witness and carries the perfect amount of grit. Horror films don’t get more satisfying than this one.