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The Black Phone
2022 103 min United States of America R 18+
★7.1
Horror, Thriller
Director: Scott Derrickson
🎭 Based on
«The Black Phone»
byJoe Hill
Trailers
EN
EN
Teaser
Description
Finney Blake, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.
Budget:
$16M
US Gross:
$90.12M
Worldwide:
$161.44M
Starring
Mason Thames
Actor
Madeleine McGraw
Actor
Ethan Hawke
Actor
Awards
Saturn Awards 2022
— Best Supporting Actor
Saturn Awards 2022
— Best Screenplay
Saturn Awards 2022
— Best Young Performer
Key opinion
The Black Phone is generally received as a well-crafted, atmospheric thriller that excels through its strong performances, particularly from the young leads. While many appreciate its focus on tension and character-driven suspense over cheap scares, critics are divided on the film's narrative simplicity and the lack of depth provided to its central villain.
| Acting | Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw deliver standout, emotionally resonant performances that anchor the film. | |
| Direction | Scott Derrickson successfully builds sustained, atmospheric tension that prioritizes psychological unease over reliance on jump scares. | |
| Screenplay | The narrative is divisive: proponents find the story satisfying and tense, while detractors view it as repetitive, thin, and lacking sufficient explanation of the villain's motives. | |
| Acting | Opinions on Ethan Hawke's performance are split between those who find his masked, subtle portrayal chilling and those who feel the character is underwritten and non-threatening. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing is a point of contention, with some viewers enjoying the methodical character setup and others finding the runtime padded with unnecessary subplots. |