The Black Phone (2021)

Director: Scott Derrickson

Starring: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke

After being abducted by a child killer and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer’s previous victims.

Since I’m not going to do spoilers on ‘The Black Phone’, my review will be short.

The film’s protagonist is 13-year old Finney – with a fantastic performance by Mason Thames. From the beginning, Finney is set up as a reasonably strong character, and this pays off later in the film. His sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) has dreams of actual events. These dreams become critical evidence when kids start going missing, and she sees things from the crime scenes.

Ethan Hawke stars as the film’s antagonist, simply known as Grabber. Most of the times he is unrecognizable because he is always wearing masks. These masks are really creepy, and gives the film a more sinister edge.

Mason Thames carries the film with such ease, it’s hard to believe this is his first feature film. (No wonder he received a Best Younger Actor award nomination). ‘The Black Phone’ is a mystery horror thriller with a clever script, and perfect execution. The climax was nail-biting, with a bit of a twist as well.

Would I watch it again? Yes.