I've long been a fan of filmmakers Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill as well as author Joe Hill, so the three of them coming together to make a new movie was an enticing prospect indeed. With a riveting story and a stellar cast to back them up, this is one of the best horror movies I have seen in quite awhile.
In 1978, a Denver suburb has been experiencing a series of child abductions following an eerie pattern. The person behind them, known only as The Grabber (played by Ethan Hawke), has remained elusive even as his attacks have become increasingly bold with no witnesses. Finney Blake (played by Mason Thames) is growing increasingly concerned, especially when kids he knows are taken, including Bruce (played by Tristan Pravong) and Robin (played by Miguel Cazarez Mora). Meanwhile, his sister Gwen (played by Madeline McGraw) has been having psychic dreams, giving her details about The Grabber that there is no other way she could have known, catching the attention of the two detectives working the case (played by E. Roger Mitchell and Troy Rudeseal), which angers their alcoholic father (played by Jeremy Davies) after he gets a visit from the detectives. When Finney himself is kidnapped, he his knocked out by The Grabber and awakes in a soundproof basement that is sealed by a heavy metal door, and has only a bed, bolted to the floor, a toilet and a disconnected phone on the wall - the titular black phone. Much to his surprise, the phone starts ringing. At first, no one is there, but soon enough voices come through. Voices of the ghosts of The Grabber's previous victims and they are determined to help Finney survive, telling him what he needs to do to defeat the Grabber and escape. Meanwhile, Gwen's dreams become more intense, giving her clues as to where her brother is being held sending her on her own journey to desperately try to find the house and alert the authorities.
The film was directed by Scott Derrickson from a script he co-wrote with C. Robert Cargill, based on the short story of the same name by Joe Hill. The film is an excellent adaptation of the source material, taking what was on the page and expanding on it beautifully to bring the story to feature length. Derrickson and Cargill take their time with laying out the story and establishing the characters which makes the story all the more richer because we are not only familiar with the kids Finney talks to later in the film as well as establishing the fractured and volatile (if not downright abusive) home life of Finney and Gwen. This set-up is important though, because it all pays off wonderfully as the film goes on and into the climax. Stylistically, the film feels like a spirtual successor to their previous collaboration, Sinister, with some of the same stylistic touches, especially with the grainier film look to depict Gwen's prophetic dreams as opposed to the rest of the of the film. I enjoyed the way that Derrickson handles the segments of the film where Finney is talking to the ghosts through the phone. Where it could have been just voices on the phone, instead he opts to show the ghosts of the kids in the scene talking to Finney (even though Finney can't see the ghosts), giving us more to see and respond to as viewers (as well as giving us a couple solid jump scares too).
The film has a fantastic cast assembled, with Mason Thames in the lead as Finney. He does a great job carrying the film, for a long stretch of it mainly on his own as he is trapped in the room and has to work out how to try and escape from his prison. He really shows his character's fear and also his resolve to survive, working through each obstacle as he gets a step closer to freedom, as well as his frustrations when he hits a setback. It's a marvelous performance making Finney a character that is easy to root for. Madeline McGraw is equally compelling as Gwen, Finney's sister. She is a fantastic character and portrayed wonderfully by McGraw. She's not afraid of her psychic abilities and tries desperately to hone them to try and help find her brother. She also plays off Mason Thames well as the two easily establish a strong sibling bond throughout the movie. Ethan Hawke is memorably creepy as The Grabber, where the film slowly reveals his character and inclinations as the film goes on. Hawke hits the right notes from the get go when we get our first real interaction with The Grabber and Finney as he uses a carefully planned ruse to get Finney to drop his guard until it's too late. Ethan Hawke is fearless as he depicts The Grabber as a serious creep as the film goes on and reveals just how twisted he really is, but yet the performance is grounded in a way that makes him more fleshed out and real rather than as a cartoonish or over the top villain. He feels like the sort of sicko you could encounter in real life, albeit with certain affectations including a very creepy mask that has interchangeable expressions. Jeremy Davies does excellent work as Finney and Gwen's father. In what could have been another stereotypical alcoholic dad role, Davies finds a lot of nuance in the role. It's clear he loves his kids and wants what's best for them, but also has a real temper and does lash out at them. There is a great scene early in the film when they are gathering around the breakfast table and his character is clearly hungover, wincing at every sound, either Finney slurping his cereal milk or Gwen opening the breadbox. You can tell his character wants to yell at them to be quiet, but he doesn't, he pulls back. It's such a wonderful character moment and there are a number of them throughout the film. Miguel Cazarez Mora makes quite an impression with his limited screen time as Robin as a friend of Finney's who sticks up from Finney from school bullies and encourages him to stick up for himself. He's only in a few scenes but he nails each one in a way that pays off perfectly by the end of the movie. James Ransone has a fun supporting turn as Max, a early potential suspect only to turn out to be someone who has been obsessively following the case himself trying to figure out who The Grabber is.
The Black Phone is one of the more satisfying horror movies I have seen in recent memory. With a compelling story, well drawn characters, sharp writing and stylish direction this one was firing on all cylinders. I was glued to the screen throughout from beginning to end. The film has it's share of good scares, but I also appreciated the focus more on psychological horror rather than buckets of gore, making the story that much more impactful. I also appreciated that the more supernatural elements of the story were left a bit ambiguous, with some hints that Finney and Gwen's mother may have had similar gifts as well, to allow the audiences to draw their own conclusions. I hate it when movies feel the need to over-explain everything but Derrickson and Cargill strike just the right note with this one and it is all the more satisfying for it.
