Set in the 1970s, The Black Phone is a simple movie starring teens in leading roles and filmed in low-budget locations, but it is a very good thriller.
The movie features a district where school children start to disappear and the kidnapper is not recognised by the police.
The protagonists are Finney Shaw (Mason Thames), who is a 13 year old and his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) loves him very much. Finney is a weak teen whose friends mock him and even beat him up, while his sister is more courageous, fighting for him. She also has a super power: she sees in her dreams what could have happened to the disappeared teens.
The movie becomes darker when Finney is kidnapped by the Grabber (Ethan Hawks) who dons several creepy masks throughout the film, each exposing different portions of his face.
Locked up in a dark basement where screaming is useless, Finney finds himself alone with only a black phone that appears to be disconnected as the main connection wire is cut. The Grabber tells Finney that this phone has not been working since he was very young. But, when Finney is alone, suddenly this phone rings.
The voices Finney hears through the phone come from another life. Finney discovers that he can talk through this phone to all the kids who were kidnapped and killed by the grabber. Each call comes in a specific time to guide Finney and help him escape, so he doesn’t suffer the same fate.
The story of the movie is unique and will make you thrilled to see what happens, and how this young teen with his shy and weak character will survive.
The duration of the movie is 100 minutes but it does not explain the kidnapper’s past, nor the motives that made him kidnap these children and kill them, which remained a mystery till the end. It really needs some elaboration, however, suggesting that a prequel.
Because he wears different masks each time, Ethan Hawke relies mainly on his bodily expressions and eye movements and succeeds in conveying to the audience this dark and frightening character.
Directed by Scott Derrickson, The Black Phone is primarily horror, but it is more of a thriller. You may feel the fear of the main character but you’ll be eager to know what will happen next.
The movie is one of the best movies released recently as it has a distinctive story, and a wonderful acting performance from all the characters especially the Kidnapper (Ethan Hawke) and Finney (Mason Thames) and also the young actors who played the supernatural characters, although there should have been some explanation of the character of the kidnapper.
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