Black Phone (2022)

☎️ The Black Phone (2022) – “When the Phone Rings, Don’t Answer… or Maybe You Should”

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🎬 Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers, shall we?

Since this is a Universal film, you know what that means? Cue the logo!

I know I put this in a Stephen King adaptation category and it’s not a Stephen King movie. But this movie was made by his son. So by association, it is a Stephen King movie

Also, can we agree that the promotion for this movie is weird? I mean, on the poster, it literally says, from the creators of Sinister and Doctor Strange. That feels really weird to put on a horror movie poster from the guy who gave us Doctor Strange, it’s like that’s not even in the same genre.

⚠️ Content Warning: The Black Phone deals heavily with the abduction and abuse of children, as well as an abusive parent storyline. While the film never gets graphic with these elements, the subject matter itself can be triggering for some viewers. If you’re sensitive to themes of kidnapping, child endangerment, or domestic abuse, please take caution before watching.

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📖 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

The Black Phone tells the story of Finney, a shy boy growing up in 1970s Denver, who becomes the latest victim of a child abductor known only as The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). Locked in a soundproof basement with nothing but a broken black rotary phone, Finney soon realizes he can hear the voices of The Grabber’s previous victims on the line.

With each call, the ghost kids try to help Finney survive—teaching him tricks, giving him clues, and building toward a desperate escape. Meanwhile, his sister Gwen has psychic visions that might lead her to find him before it’s too late.

This movie is an adaptation of a short story made by Stephen Kings Son Joe Hill. I guess just like his dad, he wanted to take a try at making horror stories.

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🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Character Rundown

Finney (Mason Thames) – Our protagonist. Shy, quiet, and often bullied, but his arc is all about digging deep to find resilience.

Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) – His sister, tough and witty, with psychic visions that bring some supernatural flavor into the story.

The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) – The masked child kidnapper. Creepy, theatrical, unpredictable, and one of the most chilling villains in recent horror history.

Now funny enough I had to say same reaction that majority of the people have, which was wait a minute, Ethan Hawke is playing a child kidnapper? It just doesn’t feel right. But at the same time, he does a great job.

The Father (Jeremy Davies) – An abusive drunk whose character angle feels undercooked. He adds realism but isn’t given enough narrative payoff.

👻 Why the Ghosts & Sister’s Visions Worked

If The Black Phone had leaned 100% into realism, The Grabber would’ve been unbearable to watch. A movie about a man abducting, isolating, and murdering children with zero fantasy filter? That’s not just horror, that’s true-crime nightmare fuel. It would’ve been too close to real-life tragedies, and honestly, too bleak for mainstream audiences.

That’s why the film’s two supernatural elements — the sister’s psychic visions and the ghost kids who guide Finney — were such smart choices. They don’t weaken the horror, they reframe it. Instead of being a brutally realistic “child trapped in a basement” drama, the story becomes part ghost tale, part survival thriller. The ghosts give Finney hope, and the sister’s visions give the audience relief — someone out there is trying to help.

By adding these elements, the film creates a safe emotional buffer. It’s still scary, The Grabber is still deeply disturbing, but the supernatural filter turns it into a movie you can watch without feeling crushed by realism. And more importantly, it makes the ending satisfying — Finney doesn’t just survive, he’s aided by the spirits of past victims, giving the story a mythic justice that a straight “realistic” telling could never have delivered.

In other words: the ghosts weren’t just spooky set dressing. They saved The Black Phone from being unwatchably grim, and turned it into the accessible, rewatchable Blumhouse horror hit it became.

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⏳ Pacing / Flow

The film balances tension with character work well. The abduction happens early enough to lock us into the core premise, but the story doesn’t drag—it’s tight, focused, and moves toward a tense finale.

The biggest pacing hiccup is that the abusive father subplot is introduced strongly but then pushed aside for most of the film, making it feel incomplete compared to the main plot.

🎭 The Grabber as a Modern Horror Icon

Let’s talk about why Ethan Hawke’s Grabber might already be iconic. First—the mask. Designed in multiple interchangeable pieces, it changes expression (smiling, frowning, blank), making him unreadable and unsettling. Combined with his eccentric voice and bizarre, childlike games, it’s unforgettable.

His attire—a black trench coat, gloves, and that pale, horned devil mask—feels timeless, almost mythic, like Michael Myers’ boiler suit or Freddy Krueger’s striped sweater. He’s not just a guy in a mask—he’s a performance, theatrical and

When it comes to the villain, Ethan Hawke’s Grabber has already carved himself into horror conversations as a modern-day icon. And honestly? The name alone does half the work. The Grabber. It’s disturbingly simple — almost childish. It sounds like something whispered on a playground to scare kids into staying close to home: “Don’t go out after dark, the Grabber will get you.” There’s no theatrical edge, no elaborate slasher title like “The Butcher” or “The Ripper.” It’s stripped down, primal, and that’s exactly what makes it so unnerving. The plainness makes it feel too real, like this is a predator who could actually exist in your neighborhood. Combine that with Hawke’s chilling performance, his mask variations, and the way the film uses silence and stillness around him, and you have a villain who doesn’t need over-the-top theatrics. His menace lives in the simplicity.

👻 Bonus Analysis: Do the Ghost Kids Work?

The ghost kids are the film’s boldest choice. On one hand, they work because they symbolize Finney’s inner strength—each child represents a past victim who refuses to let The Grabber’s cruelty be the end of their story. They pass their wisdom and courage onto Finney, essentially giving him the tools to break the cycle.

But on the other hand, their presence slightly clashes with the gritty realism of the abduction. Without the ghosts, this could have been a purely grounded thriller about one boy’s resourcefulness. By adding the supernatural, it becomes a horror story with a genre safety net, which softens some of the raw believability.

It’s a double-edged sword—creatively rich, but it keeps the film from being fully grounded.

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✅ Pros

Ethan Hawke’s Grabber—an iconic horror villain in the making.

Excellent child performances, especially Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw.

The 70s setting feels authentic, with grime and grit that add to the dread.

The tension in the basement sequences is relentless.

Creative use of the ghost kids as both supernatural and narrative devices.

One of the most disturbing — and effective — aspects of The Black Phone is how grounded it feels. The horror doesn’t come from supernatural monsters alone but from the all-too-real nightmare of abduction. The Grabber’s own brother lives in the same house, completely oblivious to the horrors happening beneath his nose. That detail alone makes your skin crawl, because it reflects how predators can hide in plain sight, even with people close by. But it’s not just that — the setting, the small-town atmosphere, and the way kids casually walk home from school with little protection all add to the realism. It feels ripped out of real-life headlines, which makes the story hit much harder than your average horror movie.

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❌ Cons

The father subplot feels underdeveloped and unresolved.

The ghost kids, while thematically important, slightly clash with the grounded realism of the abduction story.

Some viewers may want more context on The Grabber’s motives.

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💭 Final Thoughts

The Black Phone succeeds because it’s terrifying in concept (being abducted) but also imaginative in execution (the black phone as a supernatural lifeline). It’s more than just a creepy-kidnapper movie—it’s a story about resilience, survival, and finding courage when the odds are stacked against you.

The flaws—the half-baked abusive father arc and the slightly jarring presence of ghost kids—don’t derail the movie. Instead, they show the filmmakers tried to mix grounded trauma with supernatural scares. Not perfect, but effective.

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⭐ Rating

8/10 – Creepy, tense, and atmospheric, with Ethan Hawke’s Grabber instantly joining the ranks of memorable horror villains.

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⚠️ Spoiler Warning

From here on out, we’ll go into the full creepy details of The Black Phone.

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🩸 Spoilers

Finney’s captivity is the heart of the story, and the ghost kids become his lifeline. Each spirit teaches him a trick: digging a tunnel, ripping up flooring, removing the phone cord—skills that ultimately combine in the climax.

Meanwhile, Gwen’s visions bring her closer to the truth, showing her the house where The Grabber operates. But the big reveal? She finds the wrong house at first—it’s across the street from where Finney is actually being held.

The climax pays off beautifully. Finney uses every tool and every lesson from the dead kids. He creates a trap, lures The Grabber into the basement, and finally uses the black phone itself—stuffed with dirt and powered by the voices of the murdered children—to beat The Grabber to death. Each ghost mocks him as Finney lands the final blow, delivering cathartic justice.

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🧒 Step-by-Step Breakdown of Each Ghost Kid’s Help

Bruce (the baseball player): Tells Finney to dig a tunnel in the floor. Though Finney doesn’t escape through it, the tunnel later becomes part of the trap that causes The Grabber to trip.

Billy (the paperboy): Shows him how to remove the wire cord from the phone. Finney later uses this as a garrote to strangle The Grabber in the final fight.

Griffin (the lock combination kid): Reveals the code to the lock on the basement door. Even though Finney gets caught trying to use it, the information gives him hope and courage to keep trying.

Vance (the tough kid): Teaches Finney to smash through a wall with the freezer behind it. This gives Finney another potential escape route and proves he’s stronger than he realizes.

Robin (Finney’s friend): The most emotional call. He reminds Finney he can fight back, that he’s stronger than he thinks. His pep talk gives Finney the courage to stand his ground in the climax. He also tells finnie to stuff the phone with dirt to make it a little more. Heavier to attack the grabber.

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⚰️ Final Confrontation

The grabber’s brother pieces together that the missing kid is in the basement of his brother’s house, and he’s hanging out in and he goes down to the basement. And finds finney, and the grabber comes up behind his brother and swings an axe into his brother’s head, killing him. And blames finney, for him, killing his brother.

When The Grabber finally comes down for the kill, Finney strings together all these pieces: the tripwire tunnel, the freezer, the phone cord, the dirt-packed handset. Every ghost kid plays a role, and it all culminates in one brutal takedown.

The Grabber dies hearing the voices of the very children he murdered—mocking him through the black phone as Finney finishes him off. By chocking him around the neck with the cable of the phone, aftwr taking the grabbers mask off which makes him panic.

In the aftermath, Finney emerges no longer timid, finally standing tall at school. It’s an ending that ties together the theme of reclaiming power—even when the odds are stacked against you.

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Also, here’s the trailer for the upcoming sequel that just released today.