The Black Phone

This film really got me with the actors' performances and the atmosphere of the film. Stylistically, it definitely taps into a late 70s gritty suburban nostalgia, a la Stephen King or John Carpenter (think IT or Halloween). Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw carry the film with standout performances as two siblings trying to deal with bullies at school and at home, in addition to the lurking Grabber. Subtle quirks in characterization such as Finney sitting down and watching tv with his sister after her beating, or the camera lingering on Gwen skipping her way to a friend's house really show the director investing in the characters, not just the plot. And yes, Ethan Hawke is assuredly creepy as the villain, someone you can't wait to be taken out. Thematically, the film is about standing up and sticking together; certainly not the most original themes, but it does its job as a result of good direction, a tight script, and stellar acting. My litmus test for thrillers is if I feel invested enough in the characters that I actually want everything to be resolved, it means the movie's done it's job-this one definitely passes.

The Horror genre needs a revamp in terms of definition and perhaps instituting different sub-genres to it. As it is, the one classic "Horror" title isn't ever going to cover it all, and each horror film's ratings and acceptance will always be low and divided.

Take The Black Phone for example. It is excellently acted by almost every one of the actors, the 70's feel to it was perfection, the story was good, it was suspenseful, it had dark moments and a dark subject matter, it had mostly interesting characters. Granted, some of the characters were not as fleshed-out or utilized as much as others, but the pacing was great, there were supernatural elements and some gore. It had pretty much all the right ingredients for a film that would be marketed as a "horror" flick... and yet, we see a disconnect somewhere in how the film was perceived.

Until we allot some distinct titles such as Gory Horror or Dramatic Horror, Fantasy Horror, etc., GOOD films like The Black Phone, will be lost in a sea of horror fans, each looking for something different.

Indeed, well entertained I was - a fine cast and solid production (takes us back to the late 70s), and that blend of thriller with a good shot of supernatural horror made The Black Phone a nice entertaining trip. The cast is really good, especially the younger ones too. Recommended if you like such movies as The Lovely Bones, Split, Chained (Vincent D'Onofrio), House at the End of the Street and so on.

Judging by the reviews this really seems to be quite a polarising film. I'm not sure what some of the lower scores would have wanted to see maybe seeing children getting tortured and then killed on screen perhaps I dunno?

But me I found this to be a rather enjoyable flick. Hawke is brilliant as the antagonist but it's really the child stars that shine in this film and make it all that more immersesble.

One reviewer did say that a bit of a depth and backstory could have been nice, but do we always need that? Sometimes you've just gotta take things at face value and enjoy them for what they are. That's my train of thought anyway.

Personally I'd class this more as a thriller rather than a horror and not having seen the trailer maybe they amped it upto 11 to make it more marketable and scary and coz honestly this movie wasn't scary.

But if you like slow burn films, sprinkled in with a bit of mysticism and the unknown, good storytelling and great acting I don't think u can go wrong with this one.

I don't watch many trailers for films and prefer to go in blind not knowing what's going to happen that way you're either gonna find a dud or a gem and I would put this film in the latter category.

Easily an 8 out of 10 from me. But don't just believe what I say watch it and decide for yourself 😎👍

In the end, I'm disappointed. It started off fine, but it stayed fine for the rest of the film and in short I was expecting something more than just fine. I was waiting for some questions to be answered, some revelations, some explanations. I was most puzzled by the ending, which seemed too quick, almost cut off. Not to criticize, I liked the time setting. It added a bit of magic. At least for me. Summary. Bottom line. It was okay, but I was expecting a little more. A little more depth to the story. I missed some revelation or explanation. For me, an above average horror film that I would only recommend to fans of the genre.