The Black Phone

"Never talk to strangers."

2022 1h 43m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 6,141

HorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Never talk to strangers.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Mason Thames
Finney
Madeleine McGraw
Gwen
Ethan Hawke
The Grabber
Jeremy Davies
Terrence
E. Roger Mitchell
Detective Wright
Troy Rudeseal
Detective Miller
Miguel Mora
Robin
Tristan Pravong
Bruce

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Scott Derrickson
Writers: Wes Simpkins, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill
Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $161M — a 10.1× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Black Phone Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Scott Derrickson, shot by Brett Jutkiewicz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Korven. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frédéric Thoraval shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw and Ethan Hawke carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Scott Derrickson directs. Brett Jutkiewicz behind the camera. Mark Korven scores. Frédéric Thoraval cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish, Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Grossed $161M — a 10.1× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
2Released 4 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese.
4Part of the "The Black Phone Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Scott Derrickson, shot by Brett Jutkiewicz. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Mark Korven. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Frédéric Thoraval shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw and Ethan Hawke carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Never talk to strangers.".
10IMDB entry: tt7144666 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 21 themes, including "mask", "small town", "child abuse", "dreams".
12Released under 15 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Brett Jutkiewicz
Original score: Mark Korven
Editing: Frédéric Thoraval
Production design: Patti Podesta
Costume design: Amelia 'Amy' Andrews
Makeup / hair: Matt Barrett
VFX supervisor: Kent Johnson
Sound: Geraldo Gutierrez
Stunt coordinator: Mark Riccardi
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $16,000,000
Box office: $161,441,914
Return: 1009% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Black Phone (2022)

Awards

Saturn Award for Best Horror Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

The Black Phone Collection

The Black Phone collection follows the grabber — a serial child murderer whose main goal is to torture and murder as many teenagers and children as he can. However, there is a mysterious black phone that rings in his basement. When answered, it allows the spirits of previous victims to speak to his latest victim to help give them tips on how to escape his grasp.

Also by

Scott Derrickson

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-25
★ 7/10
The thing about adapting a short story for cinema is that we tend to get a great deal of padding to get it to the duration. This film is certainly guilty of that, with the first half hour spent on way too much character establishment that really has very little to do with the gist of the story. Once it does get going though, it's a cleverly crafted and well put together scary movie centred around "Finn" (Mason Thames). Bullied at school, he is protected by his friend "Robin" (Miguel Cazarez Mora) until he disappears. He isn't the first child to disappear either, indeed five from this small community have gone missing over the last few weeks. "Finn" is walking home after school when he encounters a man who has dropped his groceries. Offering to help, next thing he knows he is in a grubby basement with only a soiled mattress and a disconnected phone on the wall. His mask-clad captor - who has something of the "Joker" about him - insists he is in no danger, but the phone on the wall starts to ring and the callers - the other five victims - warn him otherwise, and help him to try to best his nemesis. There are one or two jump moments, but mostly there is an effectively accumulating sense of menace well fuelled by confident efforts from Thames and his sister "Gwen" (Madeleine McGraw) who might have inherited her mother's ability to see the future in dreams - a skill that may prove vital in helping the police save her brother from certain death. There are violent undertones, but very little actual violence is shown as the young man comes to terms with some of his own demons and to try to escape. The last ten minutes redeem it well, and there is something distinctly satisfying about the conclusion. Scott Derrickson has provided us with one of the better Blumhouse dramas of recent years that is sure worth a watch.
Chris Sawin2022-06-26
★ 7/10
With supernatural dread lifted directly from the likes of Stir of Echoes and The Sixth Sense, The Black Phone features a breakthrough performance from Madeleine McGraw while Ethan Hawke’s hauntingly memorable turn as The Grabber is felt in a hair-raising sense; like someone who has unknowingly snuck up behind you and waits in your peripheral for that dramatic reveal. The Black Phone is a solid, pulse racing horror film that packs a punch, but seems like the type of film that simply won’t be as delectable on repeat viewings. Full review: https://hubpages.com/entertainment/The-Black-Phone-2022-Review-A-Juvenile-Curtain-Call-of-Death
Manuel São Bento2022-06-27
★ 5/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/the-black-phone-spoiler-free-review "The Black Phone carries a horror premise with a supernatural touch full of potential, but it plays too safe by betting on a narrative that's too simple, predictable, and repetitive. Scott Derrickson elevates his work with a distinct style, and the fact that the main focus belongs to the protagonists development rather than on generic jumpscares pleases me. Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw are, without a doubt, the most impressive elements of the entire film, delivering two of the best performances by young actors of the last decade. Ethan Hawke is underused, just like his unexplored character. I recommend it, but personally, I expected something more creative." Rating: C+