The Black Phone Review: Ethan Hawke’s new-wave horror flick is simple, yet effective
India Today
Writer and director Scott Derrickson’s latest horror flick, The Black Phone, stars Ethan Hawke as a terrifying masked child-killer in 70s America.
The latest from Blumhouse Productions, known for its line-up of horror flicks, The Black Phone, adapted from author Joe Hill’s eponymous short story, is an unnerving tale of abduction that thrills from start to finish.
The film is set against the rocky mountain landscape of Denver, Colorado in the late 70s and follows Finney and his sister Gwen, growing up in this quaint town, as a series of child abductions plague their neighborhood.
The film builds upon the tension in the air surrounding the abductions as we witness a mysterious black van pulling up to each boy before abruptly cutting away from the violence. The bumbling cops are confused and rumours of The Grabber are being whispered, lest he abducts you for saying his name out loud.
Finney, played by Mason Thames, is the quiet, unassuming young boy who approaches everything with a certain wariness, fearing being beaten up by school bullies or by his drunk father at home. His sister, Gwen, played by the brilliant Madeleine McGraw, is spritely and animated, in stark contrast to her brother.
Derrikson’s aesthetics floods the screen with the unsettling sepia wash, quintessential to the midwestern suburbs. His writing draws influence from Stephen King’s Derry and the horrors that curse its adolescent inhabitants.
As the abductions grow in frequency, it’s only a matter of time until Finney finds himself kidnapped and held in a sound-proof basement for being a good samaritan. A white-faced Ethan Hawke, introduces himself to the boy as a magician, before asking for his help and throwing him into the back of his van.
Themes from Derrickson’s previous projects, Sinister and its poor sequel, permeate the narrative, as he capitalises on childhood trauma and the deep-rooted apprehension of growing up in 70s America, where serial killings are an undeniable reality. The Grabber himself draws obvious inspiration from serial killer John Wayne Gacy, known as the 'The Clown Killer', notorious for sodomising and murdering over 33 young men and boys.
