Wednesday, June 22, 2022
The Black Phone
It’s “The Room” meets “The Sixth Sense” meets “Escape Room” when 13-year-old Finney gets taken by the North Denver “Grabber” in 1978. Locked in a soundproof basement by a creepy sadistic masked kidnapper & serial killer (Ethan Hawke), Finney gets advice from 5 previously abducted & murdered boys through a disconnected phone. Meanwhile, his sister Gwen desperately uses her psychic dreams to help find her missing older brother. This is a well-constructed suspense thriller, surprisingly much better than the typical Blum House horror shows. The plot takes great care in developing its characters & story set up using bullying fights, an alcoholic abusive father, a fanatical amateur crime solver, an intimidated victim, & a feisty caring sibling to enhance the storyline. It’s a race against time to finally stand up for yourself because your friend has got your back. Rated R for language, drug use, & violent brutality, it’s more of suspenseful thriller than a gruesome horror flick.
Alien gives it 3 “black balloons” stars out of 4.
