The Black Phone

Name: The Black Phone
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Horror
Released: June 24, 2022
Duration: 103 min
Rating: 65
Cast: Brady Ryan, Braxton Alexander, E. Roger Mitchell, Ethan Hawke, Gina Jun

2022

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 223 Ratings

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7.0

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 223 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: June 24, 2022 | R

Starring: Brady Ryan, Braxton Alexander, E. Roger Mitchell, Ethan Hawke, Gina Jun, Hailey Nicole Ralston, J. Gaven Wilde, James Ransone, Jeremy Davies, Kellan Rhude, Madeleine McGraw, Mason Thames, Michael Banks Repeta, Miguel Cazarez Mora, Rebecca Clarke, Robert Fortunato, Ron Blake, Troy Rudeseal

Summary: Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened toFinney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.… Expand

Director: Scott Derrickson

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 103 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

RogerEbert.com Peyton Robinson

Jun 23, 2022

Stylistically, the film is nostalgic, reminiscent of vintage photographs and the era of striped baby tees, flared jeans, and The Ramones. Warm browns and oranges, film grain, and filtered light flood the screen. But this idyllic '70s suburbia is corrupted by Derrickson’s horror. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

Jun 22, 2022

The film only works if Ethan Hawke is scary. And he is. Read full review

Eric Vespe

Sep 27, 2021

For my money, The Black Phone is more complete and effective than Derrickson's previous horror movie "Sinister" and is the first feature adaptation of Joe Hill's work that demands more big-screen Joe Hill adaptations. Read full review

Anton Bitel

Jun 23, 2022

Ultimately this story of a young boy’s emergence exhibits strong teleological leanings, suggesting that all our endeavours – even our apparent failures – ultimately have a purpose in a grander scheme. Read full review

NME Paul Bradshaw

Jul 15, 2022

Fortunately, Hawke is fantastic. Over-acting like his life depends on it, his mad kabuki mugging somehow works perfectly. Read full review

Simon Abrams

Jun 20, 2022

Derrickson and Cargill successfully tailor their focused and mostly compelling narrative to a Steven Spielberg/Amblin Entertainment–esque bit of Stephen King–sploitation. Read full review

The Telegraph Tim Robey

Jun 24, 2022

It’s the film that’s hell – and a very dull, desperate hell at that, as if these dungeon masters have realised we aren’t sufficiently scared by the main event, and try throwing the kitchen sink at us, almost literally. Read full review

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User Reviews

Rebecca31

Jun 24, 2022

A suburban Colorado town is being haunted by a string of recent child abductions by someone known only as “The Grabber”. The police are no closer to catching anyone when 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames) is abducted by the absolutely mental Ethan Hawke in his most psycho role yet. FinneyA suburban Colorado town is being haunted by a string of recent child abductions by someone known only as “The Grabber”. The police are no closer to catching anyone when 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames) is abducted by the absolutely mental Ethan Hawke in his most psycho role yet. Finney awakens in a soundproof basement with no hope of escape. He then starts receiving calls from a disconnected phone by the serial killer’s previous victims. Cue the scary music.

This is everything a horror movie should be. It’s highly tense the whole way through and the entire cast are phenomenal. This is not surprising when you cast Ethan Hawke because the man just cannot put in a bad performance. He is monstrous, terrifying and will make your skin crawl. The creepy masks only add another layer, giving him an almost animalistic characteristic. Getting child actors for a story like this will either make or break the movie and the performances of brother and sister, Finney and Gwen, played by Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw are brilliant. Their talent shines through, they had believable chemistry with each other and they’re the reason the audience will become so invested in the story.

As a big horror fan I absolutely loved The Black Phone. It’s everything I want in a great horror movie, expertly blending real-world horror with supernatural elements without becoming silly. It will have you on the edge of your seat, and the interactions between Thames and Hawke are genuinely frightening. It also got me good with a jump scare so extra points for that. Many horrors can particularly suffer with a messy third act but The Black Phone is strong all the way through. You can see the inspiration from other movies in there, with some scenes very much reminiscent of Stephen King, which makes sense considering it’s based on a short story by Joe Hill. Director Scott Derrickson knows how to make an effective horror movie, and The Black Phone is one people will definitely remember.

The Black Phone is atmospheric, stressful and the sadistic performance from Hawke will be sure to scare the sh!te out of everyone. It’s not just a great horror movie, it’s also an entertaining thriller you won’t want to miss. Highly recommended for all the horror fans.… Expand

9 of 12 users found this helpful93

Somerandomgirl

Aug 22, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Literally one of the most touching emotional horror movies the cast is amazing… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

BradMorgan

Aug 4, 2022

An exciting thriller that solves the mystery in a unique way. The cast and the different story arcs are good and the tension can be felt from start to finish without showing any exaggerated horror elements. A well balanced movie!

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Narwhale73

Jul 2, 2022

It's pretty good. There were some pretty good scenes towards the end. I don't see how anyone to hate it.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

RealisticCriti

Jun 26, 2022

You know how these kids movies are there full of unnecessary swearing and give off cringe vibes, this movie isn’t gonna win any awards but is solid also I can’t remember a single characters name besides Finnie who is the main character.

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

Zeedraak

Dec 26, 2022

It's a shame that you've actually seen the entire movie after watching the trailer, as it gives away an important plot part. A few nice jump scares, the feisty sister Gwen was entertaining, and it had a very good seventies atmosphere.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

vehliks

Jul 29, 2022

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1 of 6 users found this helpful15

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