Netflix has finally added this critically acclaimed film, from the same team that brought audiences the terrifying Sinister, and horror fans couldn’t be more excited to stream it, especially now that its sequel is available. In the few days it’s been on the platform, it’s taken the Top 10 Streaming list by storm, rocketing to #8 on the Top Watched in the U.S. list.
The Black Phone, based on the novel by Joe Hill, stars Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, and Madeleine McGraw and centers on a shy but smart boy named Finney who is abducted by a sadistic killer. Trapped in a soundproof basement, Finny soon discovers that screaming won’t help him be found. But when a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, he finds that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that their fate doesn’t also befall Finney, leading them to become his accomplices as he fights for his freedom.
The Black Phone is Solid Horror
It scored well with both critics and audiences, earning 81% from critics and 88% from audiences. Though most felt it would have been better if it had been scarier, it was still lauded as both intensely twisted and wildly entertaining. Discussing Film’s James Preston Poole says, “The Black Phone isn’t just the best film Scott Derrickson has made thus far… It’s a larger testament to the kind of humanity and imagination that can come out of modern horror.” While it doesn’t reinvent the genre by any means, The Black Phone does well to rely on tried-and-true tropes to bring a genuinely terrifying story to life.
It also steadily ratchets up the tension, using its set and sound design to create a building sense of dread as it blends horror subgenres in a way sure to keep viewers engaged from beginning to end. And, in a rare experience these days, The Black Phone trusts its viewers to be clever enough to put together certain pieces, creating the full picture of the story that it’s telling. All in all, it’s a movie that is well thought out, tense, and more than memorable, relying on true horror tropes over sensationalism to make its point.
The Black Phone is now streaming on Netflix, while its sequel, The Black Phone 2, is streaming on Peacock.
Do you have a favorite moment from The Black Phone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other horror fans are saying.