The Black Phone

 2/4

Starring: Mason Thames, Madeline McGraw, Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Davies, James Ransone

Rated R for Violence, Bloody Images, Language and Some Drug Use

Most horror movies have a gimmick.  Whether it's a slasher that uses an ax instead of a butcher knife, a different costume, or what have you.  "The Black Phone" is no different, but because co-writer/director Scott Derrickson doesn't exploit it, it makes the plot reek of artifice.

Finney (Thames) is your average Colorado teenager living in the 1970s.  He's nerdy and insecure, tries to do his best against the bullies who beat the crap out of him for sport, and shares the caregiving duties for their alcoholic father (Davies) with his sister Gwen (McGraw).  If those were his only problems... His small Colorado town is under the grip of The Grabber (Hawke), a serial killer who snatches young boys.  Soon, Finney himself becomes the latest victim.  However, he has some allies on his side.  One, Gwen has (inconsistent) dreams of The Grabber's crimes.  And two, the previous victims can call Finney through a non-working phone.

When it comes to movies, I'll accept just about anything.  No matter how ludicrous, I'm willing to give a movie the benefit of the doubt.  For example, my criticism with "The Purge" had nothing to do with the fact that the premise was batshit insane.  But if a filmmaker is going to go down this road, they need to explain it.  Even if it's cliche or perfunctory (often times, less is more anyway).  The audience must have a working explanation of how it all works.

That part is missing in "The Black Phone."  For example, how can Finney hear the phone ring and The Grabber can't?  Why are the cops taking Gwen's dreams seriously when they have no evidence that they're real?  Why are the victims showing up in Finney's cell?  Can he see them or not?  By not answering these questions in any way, the seams in the plot show.  And it's hard to be scared when you're too busy trying to understand the glaring plot holes.

Newcomer Mason Thames is a good anchor for the film.  It's not a great performance, but he's talented and charismatic enough to build a film around.  Madeline McGraw lacks polish, but she's okay.  I bought them as siblings.  Ethan Hawke tackles the role of a psycho villain with relish; he's having fun.  And James Ransone shows up for a few scenes as a coked out weirdo.

Scott Derrickson has an inconsistent track record, but he knows how to strike the right nerves to shock his audience.  There are a few jolts worthy of his work in "Sinister" and "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," but that's it.  What is missing is the terror.  The story is so full of water that no matter what he does, he can't ratchet up the tension like before.  There are even times when the film comes across as gimmicky and self-indulgent (cut down on the slo-mo!).

Ultimately, what holds "The Black Phone" back is the screenplay.  This is not a well-written movie.  And it isn't just the stupid stuff that's necessary for this film to work (how is it that breaking the soda bottle never occurs to poor Finney?).  But an inability to make the gimmick real.

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