The Black Phone Review

There are a lot of modern horror movies coming through the woodwork, but none of them have garnered as much attention as some of the ones coming from Blumhouse Productions, and once again they put out a film that is getting a lot of attention. This time around it’s an adaptation of the story from Joe Hill, son of Stephen King. Adapted and made into a full length could very well mean trouble as there have been some misses in the past when adapting stories, ala “Thinner” for example. But here we are, the movie “The Black Phone” has come out and it garnered quite a bit of attention and movie goers went to see it, including myself and my girl Lynette.

The plot of the film revolves around a mysterious psychopath that is abducting and killing children. When he targets a kid named Finney, and puts him in a basement, a broken phone starts to ring, and a supernatural element comes through when the dead begin to talk. Meanwhile, there’s a secondary character having dreams about The Grabber (the psycho), and we get that thrown into the mix for good measure.

“The Black Phone” was slowly paced, and difficult to stay awake in if you’re not ready for it. I was beginning to get bored during the movie, but I stuck with it and throughout the movie there are moments that speak volumes to the ending, which is satisfying. I won’t reveal it, but it takes you on a slow moving trip, and then punishes your senses with some stellar moments. The acting is good, the movie tightens up a lot, slowing the pace just when you think things are going to speed up, and then brings forth quite the impact in the end.

While I didn’t like the pacing of “The Black Phone” I appreciated the villain, the pay off, and the overall cinematography. It is a well made film, and something that is going to haunt some for sure. If you can get past the slow moving process, you’re in for a treat, as this movie does well as a whole, not in pieces. I thought it was good, and well worth price of admission, albeit lacking in gore. That’s just a nitpick of course, otherwise this is a tight thriller of a horror picture that is sure to delight horror fans of all backgrounds.