The Black Phone (2021)

(YouTube Streaming, December 2022) One of the most bizarre things about being a jaded movie reviewer is watching a film, recognizing the elements that would justify a good review, but remaining unaffected by it all. While I can appreciate the craft in which The Black Phone is put together, or the richness of its individual elements, it still leaves me indifferent. Good movie; didn’t enjoy it all that much. I suppose that some of it has to do with the familiarity of the story. While it would be tempting to call the film Stephen-Kingesque and point to the original short story as having been written by King’s son Joe Hill (a perfectly good writer in his own right), the truth is that King has built the template for such stories: 1970s-set suburban serial-killer thrillers with a slightly supernatural angle and teenage protagonists. Or maybe Stranger Things, or Halloween, or The Lovely Bones—whatever the source, these films are popular and while The Black Phone is not too bad in execution, it’s still drawing from the same well. Writer-director Scott Derrickson is in his element here, working with horror-light material and a dark atmosphere. He structures the film with some restraint, saves a few shocks for the end (although I found one twist a bit useless) and tries to keep a balance between the spiciness of the supernatural element and the need to provide real tangible actions and victories for his human characters. It all comes together tidily, with Ethan Hawke apparently having some fun playing the villain. But I’m not overly impressed: quality film, but not for me.