The Black Phone Movie Review

I am not generally a fan of horror movies, but The Black Phone may have just converted me into one. In fact, it may just be the best film of 2022! The Black Phone is about a young boy who's being held in a soundproof basement by a masked killer; the only way to stay alive is by communicating with the ghosts of the killer’s past victims. 

The Black Phones biggest strength was the performances of the cast. Ethan Hawke as The Grabber was utterly horrifying, going from being gentle and reassuring to downright sadistic. Hawke perfectly captured the unpredictability and madness of this character. Madeleine McGraw as Gwendolyn Blake brought some comedic relief and spirit to this movie. Gwendolyn is a tough girl who would fight and cuss out anyone who disrespected her; even Jesus! Then you have the main character, Finney Blake, who is by far the most inspiring character in the movie. I was enthralled by his character arc, going from a timid child to fighter, as Finney did whatever it took to survive The Grabber. It was easy for me to root for Finney due to his fighting spirit and his will to survive. 

The Black Phone is not your typical horror movie because it relies more on situational horror rather than jump scares and monsters. Though there were moments where The Black Phone did use jump scares, they weren’t used to get a cheap scare out of me. Each of the jump scares were designed to draw attention to something that progressed the story, like the ghost suddenly appearing to point out a clue for Finney. I appreciated that because I hate being scared for no reason, but if the scare is vital to the story, that’s clever use of horror and I gotta respect it. 

My only nitpick that I have for The Black Phone is that I would have liked to have gotten the backstory about The Grabber. Something to give me an idea about why he’s doing what he’s doing. There are a couple of lines that hint about his past, but for the most part he’s just an evil man. 

The Black Phone is so far one of my most favorite movies of the year. It’s everything that I wanted from a horror movie, great storytelling, acting, and effective scares. I can easily see The Black Phone being a favorite of horror fans for years to come so make sure to see this right away!