Based on the novel by Joe Hill and directed by Scott Dickerson The Black Phone, a story about cleaver 13 yr old Finey Shaw (Mason Thames) who is taken hostage by a sadistic demented killer Ethan Hawke) and held in a soundproof basement where screaming and shouting does no good.
Although he is told it doesn’t work a disconnected black phone on the wall rings with past victims voices of his friends warning him not to play the killer’s game or else. As the phone rings and rings over time Finey begins to pick up on the hints to help him. All he has is a mattress and a unreachable window above not to mention stairwells leading to bad news.
Finey concocts an escape plan thanks to past victims’ calls on the black phone. They can can see him but he cannot see them as they are all dead. As he attempts to turn tables on the killer, the movie gets more intense as the Blumhouse brothers have their way. The final scene I never saw coming with Hawke playing his best role to date. He was in the first Purge and let Helen Hunt give him some sessions in Sessions but with his masked face here he is terrifying. The acting is good although there is a lot of cussing from the kids, they handled the scripts well so be prepared. The movie opens Friday June 24th in theaters. It’s rated R for blood, gore and cussing. It also stars Madeleine McGraw, Jereme Davies and James Ransone. 3 stars (out of 5).
