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In some ways, Scott Derricksons film still feels like a short story.
In industry parlance, it feels like its missing a second act.
The Grabbers basement is empty, save for a black phone that were told doesnt work.
Of course, as soon as the captor goes back upstairs, the phone rings.
(The movie is, after all, calledThe Black Phone.)
And yes, there is a voice on the other end of the line …
Either way, its hard to discuss the pictures key weaknesses and strengths without addressing where it goes.
Anyway, spoilers follow.
The voices on the phone belong to the boys the Grabber has already killed.
Finn can presumably hear them because his family is touched by a divine power.
Derrickson also uses these phone conversations to stage a number of jump scares which feel somewhat tacked on.
The movie is confused in conception, which is a shame because theres potential here.
The premise is genuinely creepy, and the conceit of phone calls from the afterlife is rife with possibility.
Thats not the only promising idea thats abandoned.
What makes it work, however, is 13-year-old McGraws electrifying performance as the little girl.
So much so that the film loses some of its power whenever it cuts away from her.
The reconciliation never really comes, but the cast gets us there anyway.
