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The Black Phone

2021

Scott Derrickson

Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Jeremy Davies, James Ransone ...

6.3

12,895

Horror. Thriller. Fantasy In a suburban Colorado town in the 1970s, Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.

	Author	Review
United States	John DeFore The Hollywood Reporter	"A couple of effective jump-scares aside, the film runs on ticking-clock suspense (...) The story’s final third works even better than the buildup would suggest"	POS
United States	Owen Gleiberman Variety	"A serial-killer with some nightmare images but less fear than meets the eye"	NEU
United States	Marisa Mirabal IndieWire	"Every aspect of the film is emotionally arresting and tackles timeless fears with razor-sharp precision."	POS
United States	Jason Bailey The Playlist	"Derrickson can build a mood and craft creepy imagery, and he moves his camera with precision. But this feels like a notebook of compelling visual and narrative ideas that never quite fit together"	NEU
United States	Meagan Navarro Bloody Disgusting	"'The Black Phone' marks another solid effort by the writer and director. The scares work, and so does the tension. The small neighborhood town feels lived in (…) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Todd Gilchrist AV Club	"Answer the call of 'The Black Phone' if you dare. Just be aware that there's a crucial disconnect between the provocative ideas that it sets up, and what it ultimately delivers"	NEG
United States	Eric Vespe SlashFilm	"[It] is more complete and effective than Derrickson's previous horror movie 'Sinister' and is the first feature adaptation of Joe Hill's work that demands more big-screen Joe Hill adaptations"	POS
United States	Drew Tinnin Dread Central	"Scott Derrickson's new film is powered by stellar performances and a unique villain, but lacks the terror needed for maximum impact (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United Kingdom	Ben Travis Empire	"'The Black Phone' finds hope in the midst of the horror. Looking for soulful scares this summer? Answer the call (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Simon Abrams The Wrap	"While Derrickson and Cargill might've delivered a more essential variation on their movie's familiar tropes, they ultimately play to their creative strengths, with some help from their key collaborators"	NEU
Canada	Sam Stone CBR	"The movie promises future strong work from its young cast and gives Hawke an opportunity to showcase how well he can embrace malevolence incarnate. Engaging and entertaining"	POS
United States	Jesse Hassenger Paste Magazine	"Phony and vulgar (...) It's torturously overwritten and, at times, overdirected"	NEG
United States	John Fink The Film Stage	"If performances by Thames, McGraw, and Hawke are strong, there could stand to be a few more twists and a bit more character development to transcend what is a middle-of-the-road psychological thriller"	NEU
Canada	Chris Bumbray JoBlo	"Suffice to say, 'The Black Phone' is rock solid and a pretty perfect little horror movie"	POS
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"Watchable entertainment that achieves a reasonable altitude with its jump-scares, and whose suspense-thriller aspect keeps it engaging on a human level. There's a kind of plot issue in its second act (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
United States	Pete Hammond Deadline	"It is a highly entertaining and gripping thriller of the best kind, one where the horrors of everyday life are not all that easy to escape"	POS
United States	Kristy Puchko Mashable	"Misplaced nostalgia ruins 'The Black Phone' (...) [It] can be ignored (...) What we're left with is a shallowly dug exploration of murder and mayhem"	NEG
United States	Amelia Emberwing IGN	"'The Black Phone' mixes the supernatural with relatable horrors in ways that will leave you both terrified and hopeful"	POS
United Kingdom	Dan Jolin Time Out	"The narrative is unadventurously straightforward, and anyone looking for any neat twists or wrinkles will be disappointed (...) But the performances are uniformly strong (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	NEU
Australia	Nadine Whitney The Curb	"'The Black Phone' (...) proves that Derrickson is best suited to the genre (...) to fully flesh out the supernatural themes and give adequate characterisation to the antagonist"	POS
United States	Don Kaye Den of Geek	"Sharply focused, frightening, and ultimately moving thriller (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS

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