Imagine a horror movie stripped of gimmicks, free from pretentious cinematic flexing, and focused on doing one thing: telling a damn good story. That’s The Black Phone, a surprisingly tasty slice of horror that’s as straightforward as a ham and Swiss on rye, and just as satisfying.
Directed by Scott Derrickson and adapted from Joe Hill’s short story, The Black Phone tells the story of Finney Blake, a quiet teenager kidnapped by a deranged yet disturbingly ordinary man known only as “The Grabber.” Locked in a soundproof basement, Finney’s only lifeline is a disconnected rotary phone that somehow lets him speak with the Grabber’s previous victims.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t rush into this one. I came to The Black Phone with the enthusiasm of a vegetarian walking into a steakhouse. Derrickson’s a solid filmmaker (Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose), but the premise seemed a little out there. And yet… I couldn’t have been more wrong.
This movie doesn’t waste your time with flashy camera work or cheap jump scares. Instead, it does something rarer, it trusts the story. The Black Phone is tight, tense, and expertly paced. It’s like biting into that perfect ham and Swiss sandwich, expecting overcomplication, and realizing that simple, done right, hits harder than fancy ever could.
The characters are what make it work. Finney isn’t just a victim; he’s a kid who grows stronger through every call from the dead. The Grabber, played with unnerving restraint by Ethan Hawke, is chilling because he feels real, like someone who could live next door. And those ghostly voices on the other end of the phone? They bring genuine emotion, not just exposition.
And then there’s the 1970s setting. Derrickson doesn’t use nostalgia as decoration, it’s baked into the movie’s DNA. You can almost smell the shag carpet and cigarette smoke. The film lives in its era without ever feeling like a costume party.
So if you’re in the mood for a horror flick that’s gripping, grounded, and just unsettling enough to stay with you after the credits roll, give The Black Phone a ring. It’s not trying to reinvent horror, it’s just trying to remind you why you loved it in the first place.
This is one call you’ll want to take.