The Black Phone (2022) review: a new modern horror icon is born

Since the beginning, writer/director Scott Derrickson has had a varied career in horror filmmaking, one that even branched out into the comic book movie juggernaut the MCU and gifted Marvel their most psychedelic film in 2016’s Doctor Strange, To date, his greatest achievement has to be the truly disturbing 2012 Ethan Hawke starring chiller Sinister…until now. As Derrickson re-teams with Hawke for The Black Phone, a film that is undisputedly his greatest work yet as a filmmaker.

Based on the 2004 short story by Joe Hill, The Black Phone sees a child abductor/murderer known as ‘The Grabber’ (Hawke) petrify a Denver suburb in 1978. Brother and sister Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) fear for who is next, as Gwen keeps experiencing visions that are coming true. Inevitably The Grabber strikes again, this time capturing Finney, but this lad is not going to play the masked madman’s twisted games, because he has a chance at escape thanks to help from voices that emanate from a disconnected black phone in the basement he is being held…but who are they?

This is a skin-prickling supernatural horror thriller which has you grabbing the seat arms, thanks to its sadistic unpredictability. Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill’s practically jump scare free plot is mapped out to utter perfection, with earlier scenes echoing later ones, and the story of survival, strength and retribution coming together brilliantly in a breathless climax, as the horrors of the past warn about tragedy in the future. The faithfulness with which it upgrades an already powerful short story for the big screen is commendable, even more worthy of applause though is the alterations the filmmakers do make, as they are changes that improve rather than hamper the material. Resulting in a masterful, uncomfortable and heart-racing cinema experience.

Genuinely frightening, made more so by the realism in which it evokes not only its on edge ‘70s setting (Derrickson has based this film’s era on what he saw and experienced growing up) but the extremes it goes to in depicting the harshness of young life (unsurprisingly much like Stephen King’s It), and the ease at which a disturbed monster can walk merrily among us. One particular – almost pre-emptive – scene of domestic abuse being a stomach-churningly savage but honest moment that later sets up elements of the abduction story, while also letting you know that this narrative is prepared to go where most fear, despite doing it in a very unvisceral way. What you don’t see psychically in this film hits equally as hard psychologically as that which you do…if not more.

The child performances are all absolutely incredible, with particular star-making turns from a resilient Mason Thames, and a tough, determined and often funny Madeleine McGraw. As well as one of the best supporting child characters in years in Miguel Cazarez Mora’s Robin, a friend all we bullied kids out there will instantly connect and warm to. While in the adult capacity, you have a variety of great turns, some upsetting (Jeremy Davies’ alcoholic dad), some sturdy (E. Roger Mitchell’s open-minded detective Wright) and one peculiar but welcomely madcap performance by James Ransome’s drug-addled Ace Ventura-esque Max! 

That said, everyone will walk away from this remembering Ethan Hawke as the twisted, masked killer ‘The Grabber’. Hawke gives a hair-raisingly transformative performance to the point that you can barely tell this is the beloved actor (even without the constantly altering segmented mask), and in the process presents us with a new horror icon that will be stalking many dreams for years to come. He freezes the blood, while summoning a dark enigma of a figure to life, a character whose backstory is only implied, leaving you much to think on. The Grabber drips into focus from the start, with whispers and distorted glimpses in Brett Jutkiewicz’s superbly grey cinematography (that replicates the uncompromising era excellently). Just as Mark Korven’s dark scoring slowly escalates too, as The Grabber looms and ultimately strikes.

It is all so astonishing and methodical in delivery, creating a survivalist tale, tinged with the paranormal. This is patient and sublime horror storytelling, with many surprises under its dark hat. The opening Blumhouse Productions ident has been revamped to incorporate the company’s recent successes (Halloween, The Purge, etc), well on this evidence, expect to see the grinning mask and glaring eyes of Hawke’s modern movie monster added to that studio ident very soon, because The Black Phone is a round triumph for everyone involved.

Take deep breaths regularly, and strap yourself in for one hell of a ride because it really is, “The creepiest damn thing…”