FILM REVIEW: 'THE BLACK PHONE' (2022)

WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

I grew up in the shadow of the Adam Walsh kidnapping and the disappearance of Etan Patz, before cell phones and helicopter parents who could keep tabs on every move you made as a kid; when you’d go on bike rides with your friends after school, staying out until the early evening sky started to turn soft and purple, the faint, glowing pinpricks of lightning bugs illuminating our faces. The two major golden rules in my family were, "come home as soon as the street lights come on'' and "don't talk to strangers." It seemed like the age of creepy guys in vans, of lost boys, of missing girls, where even your neighborhood street held a profound sense of terror for every parent and child alike.

**Mason Thames** and **Madeleine McGraw** in **THE BLACK PHONE**.

Scott Derrickson's new horror/thriller, THE BLACK PHONE, brilliantly not only encapsulates that era of stranger-danger towards kids, but also shows the horrifying reality that often it is the terrors we face in school and in our own homes that are the biggest test of our own fears.

An incredible Mason Thames stars as Finney, an ordinary, quiet kid who enjoys rockets (an affinity which will come in handy later on in the film), but who is bullied at school and at home by his alcoholic father. His best friend in life is his younger sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), who takes the brunt of their father's physical rage because of her unique abilities (without giving too much away, I will only say that they are rather supernatural in nature).

When a rash of kidnappings breaks out in their Colorado town, Gwen and Finney soon find themselves in the eye of a prolific and terrifying killer, known simply as “The Grabber” (played by a chilling Ethan Hawke in a mini reunion with his SINISTER director). When Finney becomes The Grabber’s next victim, he discovers a black landline phone on the wall of his basement prison. Even though the phone is disconnected, he begins to receive calls from The Grabber’s previous kid victims, some of which Finney knew personally. The kids work to help Finney escape, providing help and clues to aid him in understanding his kidnapper better, and to ultimately, gain the upper hand on him.

**Ethan Hawke** as “The Grabber” in **THE BLACK PHONE.**

Derrickson fantastically sets up an atmosphere of dread and tension early on in the film, relying on building great character development amongst the kids to ensure a film that is genuinely terrifying, as well as emotionally impactful. This is a film that would not be as good as it was without the performances in it, and everyone in it delivers on each and every front. Mason Thames as Finney is, without question, the star of the film, somehow managing to more than hold his own against Hawke (which is no easy feat). Thames delivers a nuanced, engaging, and emotional performance, without sacrificing his “kid-ness” in the process. So many times in films, child actors give performances way beyond their years, and in the process, make themselves less relatable as an ordinary, every-day kid to the audience. Thames smartly sidesteps this common mistake, keeping the performance grounded both in the situation his character is in, as well as in his 13-year-old age. Because he is 13, Finney is going to make mistakes, and is not going to know what to do against a middle-aged, masked killer. But, he is also a naturally clever boy, his love of science also coming through in the clutch against his kidnapper. Thames’ performance was crucial to the emotional payoff in the film, and he absolutely nailed it. I see great things from this young actor in the future.

A rash of missing kids in a Colorado neighborhood strikes fear into the hearts of parents and kids alike in **THE BLACK PHONE**.

Ethan Hawke continues his acting renaissance period, taking on a variety of roles that smartly showcase his range, and THE BLACK PHONE is no exception. As The Grabber, Hawke is behind a mask (whether full or partial) for the entire film, yet still manages to bring so much legitimate terror and menace through the Thalia and Melpomene-esque affectation. He taunts Finney with an open door to try and coax the young teen into escaping, all while he sits in a chair at the top of the stairs, belt in hand, ready for him. Through the apparitions of his victims appearing to Finney, we see the brutal extent of The Grabber’s wrath, the direness of Finney’s situation becoming apparent to not only the audience, but to Finney himself. However, The Grabber is ultimately no more than a bully, and if there is one thing Finney does understand, its bullies.

A young boy faces the terrors of a masked kidnapper in **THE BLACK PHONE.**

Though not a fan of all of his films, the one aspect of Steven Spielberg’s movies I always admired was his ability to portray his kid characters as real kids, to coax performances that felt real and heartfelt from his child actors, and Derrickson has been able to accomplish that beautifully in THE BLACK PHONE. The kids are the heart and soul of this film, the adults relegated to villains or bureaucratic mouth pieces. It is kids who are in peril, and kids who are the saviors. They face brutal abuse, emotional and physical neglect, suspicion, skepticism at the hands of adults (and other kids as well), and the ones whose fight to overcome all of it is at the core of this film. Though not every question is answered, they were not questions I needed an answer to. THE BLACK PHONE crafts a story that manages to be horrific, emotional, and even supernatural without veering off into the cheesy or ridiculously fantastical. It is a story of survival, sibling love, and the often beautiful heartbreak of just being a kid.