When horror is good it can be really good. So much of the genre is bad for a lot of reasons. But when a good horror movie comes along I get pretty excited, something that can get under my skin, scare me, make me think about themes that pertain to our real world experiences. The Black Phone, while not perfect, is very good and checks all the boxes for what I enjoy in a good horror movie.
First of all it's scary, which isn't always the case in horror movies. I don't tend to get scared by many movies but I found The Black Phone was able to be somewhat terrifying. It occasionally uses "jump scares" which I normally find cheating. Usually it's a move where the film has something (usually something innocuous) suddenly jump into frame, accompanied by a loud sound or score beat. It turns out to be nothing. I find this sort of thing often saps the fear level in a boy-who-cried-wolf sort of way making it harder for me to be scared next time. But The Black Phone uses this technique quite effectively, to actually foster an unsettling tone. Without spoiling it too much the jump scares are often used to introduce important plot elements and "characters". It is the way the film defies its genre a bit and becomes something more.
Hawke is scary. He is an unadulterated villain, whose motives appear to be little more than cruelty, seeking pleasure from the suffering of others. While the film's premise suggests we might be dealing with a pedophile the story itself belies that assumption. Hawke's character is a monster whose motivation is pure cruelty. No motivation is provided. The film starts with the assumption that monsters are real. And that in itself is a terrifying notion. Hawke doesn't overplay the character but just lets him be terrible. Yes the mask adds to the chilling nature of his character but it's not a prop. In the film we are given some purpose for its presence. The film doesn't take too many shortcuts, usually providing us in world explanations for why things are as they are.
And in keeping with the film's bleakness it isn't just about a psychopath abducting children. The film explores how violence runs through our communities including themes of child abuse themes, bullying, and the suburban veneer of safety. The story doesn't pound these ideas over and over but subtly threads them through the story.
I got a very Stephen King vibe from this story, in how the narrative isn't simply about its presented premise and how it brings in other characters connected to something supernatural. It is a very satisfying film. I haven't found director Derrickson's approach to be very effective in drawing me in or scaring me in the past but here he find a groove that worked for me.
A problem many horror films struggle with is the third act and for me the resolution was a bit of a mixed bag. Still mostly it worked but there were a few beats (like resolving the complication of the villain's brother) which were missteps for me. But overall I enjoyed how it all resolves, tying together the treads he laid throughout the rest of the movie. And the post-horror ending, the focus on the characters in their real world struggles was very effective.
The Black Phone
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, E. Roger Mitchell, Troy Rudeseal, James Ransone, Rebecca Clark, Miguel Cazarez Mora
Director: Scott Derrickson
Writers: C. Robert Cargill, Scott Derrickson
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