Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Black Phone’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) and Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) in ‘The Black Phone’, directed by Scott Derrickson. Photo Credit: Fred Norris/Universal Pictures © 2022 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. All Rights Reserved.

One could say that the mantra of modern man can be summed up courtesy of a quote from Ernest Hemingway. In that, ‘the world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it.’ For we do indeed live on a beautiful world, where the miracle is life is commonplace and love is oft declared. Not to mention the freedoms we enjoy allow for us to partake in the world’s majesty and wonder and to top it all off… we are for the most part, safe, and fighting to keep all of that going and keeping evil at bay, is indeed worth our while. So that future generations can enjoy the same spoils of the blue ball we call home and speaking of generations… this mantra is so deeply engrained in our minds… that we teach it often to the young ones that will one day inherit what we prize. 
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But what’s fascinating about this mantra and how much we place stock in it… is that part of it is proven to be wrong time and time again. For the world is oft NOT a fine place. Because while those wonderful things are happening, people are crying and in harm’s way and evil men plot to do horrible things and have no qualms executing those plans and not even children are safe from this harsh reality. Since they too are sometimes targets of the evil that men do. But we hold to that mantra to not really have the discussion that confirms that the world is a broken place that could be a fine place… if we did things differently when it comes to the evil that men do. For if we took the time to understand evil and how it grows and pondered upon how best to stop it… then that mantra could come to life. 

Which is why stories are so important to the fabric of our lives and our future, since they ask those tough questions and make those examinations to help us understand and grow and it just so happens, that Universal Pictures just released a motion picture that dives deep into the origins of evil and what we should do about it, and that makes The Black Phone quite the powerful film. One that accomplishes its examinations by plunging us into a worst-case scenario revolving around evil. For in this film, we are introduced to a young man named Finn ‘Finney’ Shaw who finds himself living a nightmare. Because a sinister man known as ‘The Grabber’, who is kidnapping and murdering young boys around the city of Denver in 1978… has made Finney his latest target and now it will be up to Finney to figure out how to outwit a man that is hellbent on his destruction.

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Which is… quite the dark plot for certain. One that truly hammers home the horrors of the world and how little has changed when it comes to evil. Since this kind of sick act permeates in present day and well… it is Finn’s horrific experience at the hands of The Grabber that makes this an intense horror film through and through. Since Finn goes through all kinds of hell over the course of this film, the kind that unsettles the viewer and outright leaves them jumping in their seats, courtesy of some brilliant jump scares that aren’t forced or manufactured in the slightest. And of course, the sheer reality of Finn’s fate at the hands of this monster, adds a genuine sense of dread to the story as well. The kind that leaves one feeling hopeless and nervous as the story chugs along and those particular feelings, are what allows for this story to hammer home its lessons regarding evil.
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Because being in such an intimate setting with a young man and the monster that wants to harm him. Allows for us to learn a lot about the monster and how The Grabber is nothing more than a marginalized fool that thrives on exerting power over others… which in this case happens to be children, and that gives him the thrill and purpose he needs, and his power is only further enhanced by the helplessness of the community. Which is paralyzed over the reality that the world is not the fine place these people want it to be and that motivates them to hide away instead of doing more, allowing for evil to thrive and that is… some powerful commentary to find in this story. Since it not only speaks to the origins of evil and what allows for it to persist, but it also quietly informs us that we can’t let this kind of nightmare persist. We have to… as the mantra says, fight that good fight, and show evil it cannot instill fear in us and that it cannot win. 

If anything, it is safe to declare this horror film, to be outright and utterly brilliant. For it focuses on the worst monster of all, man, and it provides the viewer with a situation that is taboo in nature since no one likes to talk about kids being hurt or in trouble. But great horror pushes the envelope and puts us into places we don’t want to go, and this film should be commended for that and for selling the scares through some stunning performances. For Mason Thames (Finn) sells the fear to a tee with an earnestness that is a little too real at times an Ethan Hawke is simply terrifying as The Grabber. In fact, he turns in one of the finest performances of his career in this motion picture and really in the end, this is a must-see horror film. For this one really does take you on an incredible emotional ride and it stays with you long after it comes to an end, courtesy of its no holds barred approach and fine reminder that we have a lot of work to do if we ever want to truly make the world, a fine place.  

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