At its best, The Black Phone feels like a Stephen King movie, but that’s not coincidental. It’s based on a short story of the same name by Joe Hill, who’s actually the son of the legendary Stephen King and also a great author in his own right, with famous works such as Locke & Key (which is now a Netflix series).

Director Scott Derrickson is also no stranger to horror, having directed 2005’s The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, 2012’s Sinister and more. As a result of the creative talent involved, The Black Phone is an intense horror movie, but it’s not without its flaws.

Signature King Horror

Joe Hill is not his father; he has his own signature style and his own works. Despite that, The Black Phone has all the elements of a classic Stephen King story. The Black Phone is set in the late 70s in the suburbs, following young kids and siblings Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine MsGraw). One-thirds or almost the first half of the movie focuses on introducing them and fleshing them out. This being a Stephen King-like story, well, there’s a lot of triggering subject matter here (similar to Stephen King’s It) as Finney and Gwen not only has to contend with violent bullies at school, but also their drunk and abusive father at home.

The main meat of the story concerns the looming threat of a serial murderer and kidnapper known only as the Grabber (Ethan Hawke). There are also other Stephen King-like elements, like the fact that Finney can communicate with the spirits of the dead victims of the Grabber or there’s even some sort of The Shining-like powers (no spoilers). The Black Phone doesn’t really feel like a standard horror movie. There are a few cheap jump scares here and there, but the movie mostly relies on atmospheric dread and tension.

The Black Phone is 20 minutes shy of being two hours long, and it suffers a bit from that. There’s not enough material from the short story, so the filmmakers were surely forced to stretch and add to whatever they had. Like I previously mentioned, one-thirds or almost the first half of the movie depicts the lives of Finney and Gwen. It’s only the second half of the movie, once Finney is kidnapped by the Grabber, that the pacing considerably picks up. Before that though, it might feel like a slog for those looking for quick scares.

The performances of both child actors, Mason Thames and Madeleine MsGraw, are the highlight of the movie. This movie can be very depressing with its themes of bullying, abuse, kidnapping and murder, but both of them are talented enough to do whatever the situation calls for, be it in moments of despair or fear. As for Ethan Hawke, he’s definitely killing it with his recent antagonistic roles. What’s even more impressive is that as the Grabber, he has to wear masks during the duration of the entire movie, but his piercing eyes and sinister growls make him a terrifying villain. Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t reveal much about what motivates the Grabber, which remains a mystery even as the credits roll.

Dial H For Horror

Joe Hill’s stories, albeit horror, usually have more a sort of fantasy elements to them, and The Black Phone is no exception. This movie isn’t really that particularly scary or gory, but it can still be terrifying and triggering. If you like Stephen King-like horror stories, you’ll probably like The Black Phone. Just don’t expect a conventional slasher or horror movie, but the intense third act of The Black Phone is worth waiting for.

FINAL SCORE: 70/100

We attended a press screening of The Black Phone courtesy of United International Pictures (UIP) Malaysia. The Black Phone premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 23 June 2022.