Serial Killer Supernatural Horror deserves an upcoming sequel

The author Robert Scucci
| Published 20 seconds ago

Have you ever been to one of those escape rooms where you pay to be trapped in a small room and solve puzzles to eventually exit through the gift shop? Something like that The black phone plays out, except that a psychotic serial killer known as “The Robber” has you imprisoned against your will in a bleak basement, and you must communicate with the disembodied spirits of his past victims via a rotary phone as they leave you cryptic clues. which allows you to plan your brave exit from imminent death. The black phone has been on my radar for a while now, and while I admit to sleeping on this unexpected hit, I knew I had to watch it sooner or later, especially now that its upcoming (and well-deserved) sequel is coming out this year at the end. .

Supernatural horror that doesn't exist

The black phone not a complicated plot but executed to perfection. After a series of child abductions and murders threaten the community of North Denver, Colorado, we learn about The Grabber (Ethan Hawke); the ever-elusive person of interest who operates from a black van filled with black balloons in search of his prey. Driving around the city picking up children undetected, The Grabber picks up his next victim, Finny Blake (Mason Thames), a socially awkward 13-year-old boy.

Finny's younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) has psychic visions that give insight into Grabber's whereabouts as well as the fates of his past victims, but their abusive alcoholic father Terence (Jeremy Davis) keeps her from speaking or acting. her abilities because her mother had the same gift of clairvoyance that eventually led her to suicide.

Locked in The Grabber's soundproof basement prison, Finny begins receiving calls from a black (and unplugged) rotary phone attached to the wall, all of them from kids he remembers from school before they disappeared. The disembodied spirits of Finny's dead friends give him clear instructions on what to do to defeat The Grabber as they try to make a daring escape on their own using their limited resources, but end up dying because they can't break into the basement.

Finny, who has the advantage of hearing from multiple victims' perspectives, is able to create an escape plan using all the information he hears on the black phone.

Meanwhile, detectives Wright (E. Roger Mitchell) and Miller (Troy Rudesal) encounter Max (James Ransone), a man who has been obsessively trying to find out the identity and whereabouts of The Grabber, as the authorities obviously need help trying to find all the children who are missing and presumed dead.

Great performances all around

If you think so The black phone the plot sounds almost too simple to be effective, so you're sorely mistaken. Not only do you want to root for Finny the whole time as he's guided by voices from beyond the grave, but his resilience and willingness to trust forces beyond his understanding while following the rules of The Grabber's sadistic games make for an amazing performance from Mason Thames. , the main character of the film. As he learns more about the weaknesses in The Grabber's master plan, Finny goes from fear to complete control of the situation.

Ethan Hawke is absolutely terrifying as The Grabber, whose personality is so unnerving as he obsessively commits his sadistic crimes. Switching between voices of childish curiosity and a guttural growl, Hawke's performance will keep you up at night as he seems like a nice guy who can't control his impulses until you realize it's all part of his twisted game.

Watching The Black Phone

The black phonebased on C. Robert Cargill's short story of the same name, is masterfully suspenseful and absolutely worth the on-demand purchase. My biggest regret is not dropping the $4 waiting for the title streaming. Black phone 2the upcoming sequel is currently slated for an October 2025 release, and you better believe I'll be checking it out on opening day.

After watching The black phone on request via Apple TV+, Google Play Moviesor Fandango at homeyou want to check V/H/S/85 for the short film 'Dreamkill', set in the same universe as The black phonebut seven years after the events depicted in the film.