Written by Cameron Geiser

Relocating this film from January to the first act of Summer was a brilliant move. It may have done well in a wintry release, it certainly would have had less competition at the box office, but putting this film out in between major blockbuster releases like Top Gun Maverick and Thor Love and Thunder gives the smaller film a couple of weeks to shine before the monoliths of money-making resume their stranglehold on the box office. The Black Phone is a refreshingly pared down, but incredibly well executed small town horror flick. Set in 1978 we’re introduced to 13 year old Finney (Mason Thames), his younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), and their father Terrence (Jeremy Davies), a drunk of a man who rules his house with an iron fist. The first noticeable aspect of the film is how committed it is to its thoroughly well-paced slow burn sensibilities. We’re brought into Finney and Gwen’s lives where the film establishes just how brutal the late 1970’s could be for kids both at school and at home. The community of kids in town and school are introduced in smart but subtle ways, which doubly benefits the latter half of the story once Finney is taken by The Grabber, played with devilishly awkward charm by Ethan Hawke.

While Ethan Hawke’s performance as The Grabber may be the anchor of the film performance-wise, all of the child actors were very good in their smaller roles. All of the kids that disappear before Finney is finally kidnapped were given memorable moments that rang throughout the rest of the film, pun intended. Once Finney’s thrown into The Grabber’s soundproof basement, Hawke’s performance lights a fire under the film’s sense of tension. The basement is a simple square concrete walled room with a mattress on the floor and a black phone hanging on the wall, the cords cut some time ago. You see, The Grabber plays a sadistic game with the boys he abducts. None are initially told the rules, and the whole mysterious affair is never fully explained (to the film’s benefit), but the nature of his game is clear. Follow the rules of what The Grabber says, exactly, lest you get beaten to a pulp. Finney gets some supernatural support though in the form of all of his dead peers, they can call him through the black phone from the other side. It’s the hook of the story in my mind, and it works incredibly well within the structure of the script. Though he also gets assistance through his sister Gwen, who we learn can receive visions in her dreams. Which doubles back to my appreciation of the script and the intelligent characters within it. All of the kids have a quirk or two that make them unique, but none of them make any embarrassing or incredibly stupid choices like some recent blockbusters (*cough* Jurassic World Dominion *cough*).

Once Finney gets tossed in that basement the film’s tension is ratcheted up to a nice consistent heat that simmers and boils throughout the rest of the runtime. The third act itself is incredibly well done, there was even a very competent and story relevant jump-scare that I didn’t mind at all! Admittedly, every jump-scare will get me- but I appreciate when there’s a point to it and it’s not overdone to death. I won’t reveal it, but to the filmmakers and writers I must say Kudos! I usually don’t appreciate those moments- but especially when they feel cheap and this was one-hundred percent not that. While the cinematography wasn’t showy or wild in its movements, it never detracted from the experience and was generally quite good without ever feeling the need to draw attention to itself. The soundtrack and score was also lively and of that era, appropriate for the film and the story they’re telling. This film was like a horror Christmas in June, a present for those that love the genre. Something practical, small, and kinda creepy. If you’re looking for a throwback horror flick this summer, give this one a go!

Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.