If, like me, you’re looking to further indulge your obsession with serial killers, but love a certain kind of Spielberg-esque warmth to your storytelling, look no further than Black Phone (2021). Set in 1970s Denver, Black Phone follows the story of Finney Blake (Mason Thames), a shy pre-teen who becomes the next victim of an abductor, presumed serial killer, known only as The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). Finney is locked in The Grabber’s basement that is furnished with a bed, a toilet and a disconnected black phone that somehow can still ring. And it rings. And rings. And rings. On the outside, Finney’s sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), searches for him by riding her bike around town, and looking for the house she has seen in her dreams. The house she believes Finney is being held in.
I had the pleasure of seeing this movie with little context and with absolutely no spoilers, so I’m giving you that same chance now. Turn back if you’ve got this one on your list! Now, I have heard that the trailer gave a lot away anyway (which is disappointing because the story is pretty simple and relies a lot on its very few surprises to maintain some thrill) but all the same this is your chance.
The hook is a fun one and we find out pretty early who is on the other end of the black phone. The ghosts of The Grabber’s previous victims. Over time, Finney is “visited” by each one of these young boys throughout his time spent in the basement. Some appear to him while others remain only as voices or shadows. They’ve lost their names, but they still have their personalities AND vital information for Finney about his surroundings and captor. Other than The Grabber himself, who ignores the ringing, Finney learns he is the only one who can hear the phone. How the phone works is never really defined, but there is a loose thread that connects Gwen’s visions (“Sometimes my dreams come true.”), Finney’s ability to hear the black phone, and their mother’s undefined abilities that ultimately drove her to commit suicide sometime in the recent past. Moviegoers on the internet are divided. Is it the room? The phone? A combination?
Personally, I don’t need to know. The story isn’t one of physics or psychics, or really even ghosts for that matter. It’s a coming-of-age story. Finney is a shy kid who is not only bullied at school, but at home as well by his alcoholic father. His only protection from harm is his best friend Robin, who goes missing just before Finney’s own abduction. “You’re going to have to stand up for yourself one day,” he tells Finney while washing his bloody knuckles, the result of a schoolyard bully beatdown. “Yeah I know,” responds Finney who ran to hide in the bathroom from a group of boys.
Finney’s quiet and avoidant nature is juxtaposed against his sister, Gwen. We witness Gwen calling cops “dumb fucking fart knockers”, take a brutal belt beating from their father, and smash a rock into a kid’s head to protect her brother. Sure, it’s spelled out for us pretty directly-- Finney has got to get a backbone-- but in the context of the film it works. At the opening of the movie their suburb is steeped in mystery and plastered with missing posters of boys Finney knew. The air is tinged with fear and yet for the first 30 minutes the main concern for Finney (and us) isn’t The Grabber but for him to just make it through the day.
My favorite piece of this movie is the bond between Finney and Gwen. I’m probably biased as a sister to two brothers, but I really wish there were more great movies out there that capture the friendship (and rivalry) of brothers and sisters. In Black Phone, Finney and Gwen are the primary relationship and are pitted against their dad, the bullies, and life overall. They support one another and genuinely like each other. That kind of support and bond is left out of many sibling stories across mediums and it was refreshing to watch. I can’t possibly watch another pair of siblings that hate each other learn that, by the end, they actually kind of get along. Instead I’ll always have the image of Gwen with her head on Finney’s shoulder locked in my memory. They’re both silent, watching TV, and Gwen still has tears in her eyes from the beating from their father. The silence between them said so much to me and I found their friendship to be the most compelling aspect of the story.
You can see why, while the movie was generally well-received, for many horror fans the themes felt a little too saccharine. Black Phone feels like Spielberg, true crime, and horror blended together into one glass and I get that the taste isn’t for everyone. It could have possibly benefitted from a PG-13 rating (there’s not that much that’s super gruesome) to set viewers up better--but it did perfectly well and made a good amount of money so maybe we can just leave the opinions of a few out here and move on because there is plenty to be enjoyed.
The ghosts each have a distinct energy and they not only guide Finney through the space he is held in, but also through his many emotions as a prisoner. There is confusion, fear, anger, determination. Each boy unlocks a clue and a necessary emotion for Finney to feel so that he can escape his circumstances. The ghosts provide a couple cheap jump scares, but overall their differences in how they appear, when they appear, and their distinct energy do provide an overall disturbing tone. In fact, we do not see much of The Grabber’s violence until the very end, and instead hear it second-hand from the victims themselves. A point of view we rarely get in storytelling (Sixth Sense immediately comes to mind) and never in reality. It’s a chilling way to convey information.
In the end, Finney does escape but the ending tried a bit too hard even for me. I can usually get behind some cheesiness but the neat little bow it all gets tied up in bothers me. It’s all in the timing of how Finney manages to kill The Grabber and walk out of the house, while simultaneously Gwen and the police show up to save him. Sure, there is the little twist that Finney is being kept in a house across the street from where the cops are searching (The Grabber owned two houses you see) but the takeaway is that Finney saved himself, and Gwen never gave up on saving him. It’s all a little too neat and tidy. I’ll also use this moment to say I was shocked, shocked, how seriously the police take Gwen’s visions. Basically all the evidence they have for the entire movie are her dreams, but maybe when we have dead boys visiting our main character, we don’t need to be too realistic.
I enjoyed Black Phone’s exploration of 1970s serial killers, victims, growing up, and sibling bonds. A lot of people have praised Hawke’s first villainous role, but I have to say (and this is not a popular comment) that I didn’t feel all that strongly about it. He’s behind a mask for most of the movie, which makes it hard to understand the motives for his character and to tell if Hawke is conveying those with depth and curiosity. He is good, sure, but the kids are better. As always the comments are open and I would love to discuss Black Phone’s ending with you all.