• Reviews
    • Watch This
    • VODepths
  • Humor
  • On the Marquee
  • Looking Back
    • Classic Corner
    • Anniversary
  • Film Fests
  • Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
Crooked Marquee
  • Reviews
    • Watch This
    • VODepths
  • Humor
  • On the Marquee
  • Looking Back
    • Classic Corner
    • Anniversary
  • Film Fests
Home
Reviews

Review: The Black Phone

Jun 23rd, 2022 Abby Olcese 435
Review: The Black Phone

It’s hard to watch The Black Phone without thinking of the oft-repeated Neil Gaiman quote, “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” Most supernatural horror stories featuring child protagonists serve as a metaphor for surviving real-life threats, whether they come in the form of bullying, abuse, assault or violence.

Scott Derrickson’s adaptation of Joe Hill’s short story has powerful potential in this regard. That potential is strengthened by Derrickson and his writing partner C. Robert Cargill drawing from Derrickson’s own troubled childhood to personalize the story; the film is set in Derrickson’s childhood North Denver neighborhood in the late ‘70s, with specific elements that, according to interviews, echo the director’s violent upbringing. Frustratingly, potential is all Derrickson’s movie has, as it’s stymied by poor scripting and awkward execution.

The Black Phone follows middle schooler Finney (Mason Thames) as he tries to survive The Grabber (Ethan Hawke), a pedophilic serial killer. Even before his abduction, Finney’s life is rough. He and his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) suffer regular beatings from their volatile alcoholic dad (Jeremy Davies). Finney gets bullied at school, and his friends keep becoming “missing child” notices stapled to neighborhood telephone poles.

When Finney becomes The Grabber’s next target, he discovers a few advantages that improve his odds of escaping the killer’s soundproof basement. One is Gwen, who has visions that help her identify The Grabber’s hideout. Another is the disconnected black phone of the title, through which the unquiet spirits of The Grabber’s past victims speak to him. Finney’s biggest resource, however, is his own natural resilience.

The Black Phone has strong thematic resonance (not to mention unfortunate relevance) as a story about a kid enduring unthinkable trauma, and the hidden reserves of emotional strength that make such endurance possible. However, the movie’s mechanics are so strangely assembled that they undermine the entire enterprise; it’s more likely to leave audiences howling about what it does wrong rather than connecting with what it gets right. 

Derrickson and Cargill do some admirable worldbuilding early on, but it’s hobbled by the movie’s uneven ensemble. Outside Thames, Hawke and Davies, the movie’s supporting performances range from school-play stilted to outright bizarre. The blame for some of this lies with the dialogue which, when not belonging to the main characters, verges on robotic. The storytelling logic also breaks down at points, as in the moments (plural!) where The Grabber leaves Finney with potential weapons that the kid, unbelievably, never thinks to use.

As The Grabber, Hawke exudes credible menace. This is a real feat, since he’s doing most of his acting behind a creepy mask. However, he’s far from the John Wayne Gacy-esque character Hill created. It’s good for artists to freely adapt their source material, but in this case it requires a lot of extra, evident effort to make Hawke a worthy boogeyman. It’s not an inspired casting choice as much as it’s a weird one. Even James Ransone, who pops up here as a cokehead conspiracy theorist, is more appropriately squirrely.   

The Black Phone draws from a tradition of great horror storytelling about the actual horrors of childhood. Stephen King—Hill’s father and the current reigning champ of that subgenre—even described Derrickson’s movie as “Stand By Me in Hell.” That intention is certainly present in Derrickson’s film, but King’s comment also points out what keeps The Black Phone from hitting the way it could. Stand By Me’s performances and script feel lived-in and rich without giving much exposition. It’s effortless. The Black Phone is all visible effort, and the results aren’t up to that established standard.

C-

“The Black Phone” is in theaters Friday.

  • Tags
  • movie review

Share this post:

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest E-mail
Abby Olcese

Abby Olcese

Abby Olcese is a film critic and pop culture writer. In addition to writing for Crooked Marquee, she is also the film editor at The Pitch magazine. Her work has appeared in Sojourners Magazine, Birth. Movies. Death., SlashFilm and more. She lives in Kansas City.

Related Posts
Review: <i>Cassandro</i>
Craig D. Lindsey
Reviews

Review: Cassandro

Sep 21st, 2023
Review: <i>Radical Wolfe</i>
Craig D. Lindsey
Reviews

Review: Radical Wolfe

Sep 14th, 2023
Review: <i>El Conde</i>
Kimber Myers
Reviews

Review: El Conde

Sep 14th, 2023
Review: <i>Dumb Money</i>
Jason Bailey
Reviews

Review: Dumb Money

Sep 13th, 2023
Review: <i>Sitting in Bars with Cake</i>
Kimber Myers
Reviews

Review: Sitting in Bars with Cake

Sep 7th, 2023
Review: <i>Golda</i>
Kimber Myers
Reviews

Review: Golda

Aug 24th, 2023
Trending
Sep 7th 9:00 AM
Movies

REVIEW: The Nun Just Another Generic Horror Movie They Keep Making out of Habit

Sep 27th 9:00 AM
Movies

Abby Olcese’s Fantastic Fest 2023 Diary

Jul 6th 11:00 AM
Looking Back

Reclaiming The Intern from the #GIRLBOSS Era

Sep 25th 11:00 AM
Looking Back

Why La Bamba Deserves its Current Canonization

Jun 16th 9:00 AM
Looking Back

Classic Corner: Last Tango in Paris

Jun 8th 5:22 PM
Looking Back

The Politics of The Mummy in 1932, 1999, and 2017

Nov 17th 9:00 AM
Movies

The Strange, Sordid Tale of Charles Bronson Lookalike Robert Bronzi

Sep 19th 11:00 AM
Looking Back

Can’t Keep an Old King Down Forever: Bubba Ho-Tep at Twenty

Sep 26th 9:00 AM
Reviews

The Best Movies to Buy or Stream This Week: Past Lives, Elemental, Moonage Daydream and More

Feb 22nd 5:01 AM
Looking Back

The Martial Arts Blaxploitation Lunacy of Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon

cmpopcorn_white3.svg
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Contact
    • Writers Guidelines
  • Members
    • Login
    • SignUp
    • Forums
telephone icon [email protected]
envelope icon [email protected]

© 2014- Crooked™ Publishing


Privacy Policy
Terms of Service