REVIEW: The Black Phone

This is without doubt one of the most frightening and unsettling horror/supernatural movies produced in recent years, chiefly owing to the subject matter.

The story concerns the disappearance of children in a small quiet American town. A man known as The Grabber is abducting and murdering young children, and law enforcement are no closer to solving the case.

That is until he grabs a young boy named Finney (Mason Thames) whose sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) has psychic abilities. She’s slowly able to locate where her brother is being held captive. The spirits of the murdered children also communicate with Finney through a disconnected black phone in the sound proofed basement where he’s imprisoned.

It’s a race against time. Can Finney be rescued, or will he have to try and outsmart the treacherous villain if he wants to survive?

‘Never talk to strangers’ is the clever slogan utilised in the film’s marketing and be rest assured adults as well as children will never talk to strangers after watching this film! The sale of black balloons may also plummet.

Ethan Hawke is terrifying as the grabber and what makes his performance all the more disturbing is that his face is never fully exposed owing to a sinister mask that he wears. There’s something quite unnerving watching this masked villain in action.

The success of this film lies with the predominantly young cast who deliver such credible and effective performances. Films of this genre may generally tend to be cheesy and laughable, but the clever script and capable direction have also contributed to the strength of this film which audiences should not soon forget.

★★★★