THE BLACK PHONE

There definitely is a taut, scary thriller hidden somewhere inside The Black Phone. Director Derrickson just refuses to let it escape.

When it comes to setting the mood, The Black Phone does an admirable job. I'd even go as far to say that the picture's first act is among the best 20-odd opening minutes I've seen in a film this year, as it vividly recreates a late-seventies neighbourhood and populates it with kids you can't help but relate to.

Unfortunately once one of those kids is kidnapped and locked up in a basement with just an unconnected black phone as company the movie quickly becomes a bit of a bore. Sure, director Scott Derrickson supplies some nifty jump-scares and young lead Mason Thames is pretty good, but actual suspense is hard to come by.

To boot, the side stories - all heavily indebted to the oeuvre of Stephen King - continually grind The Black Phone to a halt, while the final act is just one big cop-out.

Frustratingly there definitely is a taut, scary thriller hidden somewhere inside The Black Phone, a movie without far less bloat and more genuine thrills. The fact that Derrickson refuses to let it escape is an unforgivable sin.

release: 2022

director: Scott Derrickson

starring: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Davies