The Black Phone (2021)
There’s an unfortunate truth in the world: the innocence of children means that evil likes to target them. There’s plenty of films that show this problem, whether it be murder mysteries, horror films, or even action films. Many shy away from the worse parts of this dark subject matter, but I’ll give credit where credit is do - not only does The Black Phone approach this topic in a way I’ve never seen before, it also does so without shying too far away from what it’s trying to tell you.
Set in 1978, The Black Phone follows Finney Blake, a young kid who lives in a Denver suburb. He’s a pretty standard character for kid-led horror flicks: bullied, abusive household, mystical powers. While that last part isn’t readily apparent, a series of child abductions in the area eventually lead to the sadistic Grabber nabbing Finney in broad daylight one day. He finds himself locked in a soundproof basement, with a black phone hung on the wall. The line is cut, and The Grabber insists that it only rings occasionally because of static electricity.
Not long after he’s locked in this cell, however, Finney answers the phone to find himself talking to The Grabber’s first victim, Bruce. This starts a series of spectral phone calls, as The Grabber’s past victims refuse to allow Finney to die like they did. Meanwhile, topside, Finney’s equally-psychic sister Gwen begins to have dreams about him, and begins searching for her brother by using these dreams as a guide.
Right off the bat, I should mention that this movie is DARK. It isn’t a very happy time, and there are legitimately unnerving scenes in it. With that said, I want to give the movie a shout for not once mentioning some of the more disgusting things that could have been brought upon these kids. While it’s small solace, we never get more than a vague suggestion that anything outwardly, let’s say” “assaulting” is happening. I wouldn’t doubt if the concept was implied through characterization, but rest easy that you won’t have to deal with it when watching.
With that out of the way, I actually want to claim the opposite, now - this movie is really uplifting.
There’s a through-thread in the movie about Finney dealing with bullies and not standing up for himself. One of his only friends, Robin, often helps him out, even claiming him under his protection from the more violent schoolyard bullies. When Robin becomes of the victims of The Grabber before Finney does, though, those boys don’t even wait for the body to cool, and come for Finney immediately. Finney, despite Robin insisting he needs to stand up for himself, is once again a victim in the scenario.
This movie is adapted from a Joe Hill short story. Hill is son to famous horror writer Stephen King, and a lot of his father’s influence is shown in this tale. As such, it shouldn’t be surprising when I say that this movie is about Finney’s personal journey, not really about the horror of it. Finney’s nighttime phone calls with the souls of the victims that preceded him all have a layered meaning to them. Not only are these boys trying to help Finney escape, but they’re inadvertently building him into a stronger person as well.
This is most apparent late in the movie, when Robin’s turn comes to call Finney. That may seem like a spoiler at first, but it’s made abundantly clear, before Fin ever even enters that basement, that Robin was a victim of The Grabber. That’s why I was comfortable saying as much higher up in this article, and why I’m okay bringing up his phone call as well. It’s an inevitability, one that, once it comes to roost, cements Finney as a survivor, someone who will refuse to be the victim.
The myriad pieces of advice that the boys give to Finney all matter. Not a single phone call is wasted, and when the finale comes, the way it plays out goes beyond satisfying straight into pure catharsis. While I won’t give too much away, I needed to talk about the extreme amount of thought that was clearly put into every last detail, something that is supremely important in a movie that, for most of its runtime, takes place in one single, tiny room.
There’s also a fantastic bit of cinematography that shows up whenever one of the boys calls. While Finney can only hear them, the grisly visage of each boy shows up, interacting with the room in chilling and interesting ways. This is where the movie doesn’t hide its premise: these boys have been clearly murdered, and their ghostly bodies show as much. What’s more, when they talk, even though their mouths move in the scene, the audio remains as a crackly old rotary phone’s garbage quality. It gives every scene with them an amazing, almost analog horror tone to it, hammered home with the occasional cut to home movies about them when they call.
While it could be hard to make a movie like this without alienating the larger audience, I feel like director Scott Derrickson delivers an incredibly balanced film, one that doesn’t pretend it isn’t about one of the worst crimes imaginable, but that still delivers a thrill ride that will leave you breathless by its end. It’s worth the price of admission.
And don’t worry… he left the door unlocked.
