The Black Phone

A short review and a plug for theaters

Based on the short story written by Joe Hill, directed by Scott Derrickson and co-written by C. Robert Cargrill, “The Black Phone” tells the story of Finney Shaw. Set in a Denver suburb in the 1970’s, 13-year-old Finney and his little sister Gwen are plagued by an abusive single dad, bullying at school, and a consuming fear that one of them could be the next victim of The Grabber, a serial killer who has been kidnapping local kids.

When Finney becomes his next abduction victim, he finds himself in a soundproof basement with nothing but a mattress, a toilet, and an old black rotary phone. Totally disconnected from any phone line, it rings with messages from the boys The Grabber has killed before. The ghosts seek to help him do what they could not: escape.

A preview for the uninitiated. Watch at your own risk. It’s scary.

I haven’t watched a horror movie in theaters for a long time. To the best of my recollection, my last spooky trip was in 2004 when “Saw” came out. I was in eleventh grade, and I happened upon it while scrounging the mall for some entertainment. It checks the slasher boxes. It was entirely gruesome and disgusting. And my church at the time would not approve.

(If you haven’t read my initial post, that last comment lacks context)

When I saw a preview for “The Black Phone”, I decided to go see it by myself in theaters. Initially I was going to buy tickets for a late night showing, but it turns out I’m a little too old and a lot too paranoid. The thing about horror, the books for sure, but especially the movies, is that it scares me. Like, actually scares me. Not just when I’m watching it or reading it either. The stories stick for days and weeks after. Pop up in the middle of the night when I head to the bathroom. The idea of leaving a dark theater and stepping out into night, the parking lot nearly empty, orange cones of streetlight guiding me to my car, did not appeal to me. Well, it did, but then I chickened out.

Instead I chose a matinee. I headed there after work, bought tickets for a late afternoon showing. The theater was predictably empty. A handful of preteens loitered on the curb outside. A few couples bought popcorn at the concession stands. The air was a perfect relief from the scorching summer temps. I bought a hot dog and a soda and made my way to the theater.

Eight people. I think that’s all there were in the whole place. Scattered in alternating rows, dead center for the best view. I took a seat and watched the trailers. I have to say, the trailers alone scared me. I have only been to kid’s movies for the last 10+ years in theater and wasn’t prepared for the R-rated horror films that are coming to a big screen near you. The level of scary that these were shocked me. I’m especially looking forward to Smile. It comes out at the end of this month.

Review

To say I loved this movie is an understatement. I don’t know if I’m just starved for good thrillers or what, but this was a really well done, scary movie. I actually grabbed onto the edges of my seat. My pulse was well into the upper 100’s. And I was deeply disturbed by the villain and completely tied to the main character and his success. Well done to the writers here.

Some Hard Parts

The child abuse in this movie, though brief, is gut wrenching. People with past trauma or who CAN NOT handle disturbing scenes involving children may not want to watch it. The father, the abuser in the story, is most definitely humanized. By the end, you don’t think he’s a monster. You see him as a totally broken and inept parent trying his best to raise his kids on his own.

Cinematography

I love the aesthetic. The muted blues and yellows, the gross brown 70’s decor, the sad suburban houses and the rad clothes. I think they really nailed the visual style here.

L-R: Madeleine McGraw as Gwen Shaw and Mason Thames as Finney Shaw | Fred Norris/Universal Pictures

Good Horror

Though I’ve seen review after review call this suspense rather than horror, I wanted to point out a theme common in many of the best in the genre. The combination of the flesh and blood evil with the supernatural. It’s something you see in many of Stephen King’s works. In It, the kids don’t just have to worry about a child eating monster in the sewers. They are dodging murderous bullies and abusive parents. In “The Black Phone”, the trope is there, but turned on its head.

The monster is not at all supernatural. He is a material, flesh-and-blood serial killer abducting and murdering boys in a close community. His actions harken to John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy who made his way through Colorado in the late 70’s. The supernatural aspect, the psychic abilities of Gwen Shaw (Finney’s little sister) and the help of the spirits of the murdered boys, is the heroic element in the story. That may disappoint some people. I really, really enjoyed it.

Spoiler Alert: Another beautiful aspect of this story is that good wins. The hero? The bullied nobody kid too afraid to confront his alcoholic father or the boys who bloody his nose in the beginning of the film. Finney Shaw finds his courage in the absolute worst situation he could have imagined for himself. The one who was too afraid to utter the words, “The Grabber,” ultimately destroys him.

It’s an aspect that many good stories have. The unlikely hero, like the small hobbits in The Lord of the Rings or the little kids in the self-proclaimed Loser’s Club in It, is the one who saves the world. Slays the dragon. Defeats evil.

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

-Neil Gaiman

Fangirl Alert

Okay, I have to admit, I am totally biased on this one. For those that don’t know, Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son, and the New York Time’s bestselling writer of Heartshaped Box, NOS4A2, The Fireman, and more. I hadn’t read the short story until I watched the movie, but going in knowing he is a King set me up to notice (read into?) a few key details.

• The Missing Child Posters - Strong It vibes here. The missing children. A small, working class community plagued by a child killing monster.

• The Yellow Raincoat - Again, It. I don’t know if it was on purpose. Maybe every kid from 1950 to 1990 had a yellow slicker. But Gwen Shaw riding neighborhood streets on her bike in her raincoat, the water pelting her as she desperately searches for her brother, felt so similar to Georgie with his paper boat.

• The Balloons - Need I say it again? It. Black balloons this time, but still. It’s one of the main clues that the detectives have regarding the serial killer. Black balloons have been found at multiple scenes.

I won’t go on anymore than is necessary. If you like thrillers, if you like horror, and especially if you like Stephen King, go see this movie. A tip though: don’t see it alone. I have to admit, and this is not hyperbole, I ran away from the custodian on my way out of the theater.

In my defense, no one was around. It was dark. And anyone can push that cart around pretending to work at the movies. Wait for some unsuspecting lone movie-goer to exit their horror/thriller (the first one they’ve seen in theaters since 2004) and murder them in the bathroom. My brain is normal, right? Right?