In early July, the premiere of the film “Black Phone” took place. The release was directed by Scott Derrickson, who became famous for the mystical thriller Sinister. The director began his career with the fifth Hellraiser, and then loudly announced himself with the horror film The Six Demons of Emily Rose.
Now he has taken on a dark story about kidnapping, and what came of it, read below.
Plot
The Black Phone is an adaptation of a short story by Joe Hill, son of Stephen King. The film takes place in a small provincial town where a maniac is operating. The latter kidnaps and kills children, and the police are powerless to help them with something.
There are legends about the villain among the guys, which the main character, being a shy schoolboy, willingly believes. Children are afraid to pronounce the maniac’s nickname out loud, believing that this will bring trouble on themselves. Black balloons are invariably left at the crime scene, and the killer himself is rumored to travel in a dark van.
Mystic
The boy’s life is not going smoothly: during the day he is bullied by hooligans, and in the evening a cruel drunkard father is waiting for him at home. The mother committed suicide a long time ago, and the younger sister becomes the hero’s most faithful friend, whom the remaining parent mercilessly beats with a belt, because she allegedly sees prophetic dreams.
The girl constantly dreams of a masked maniac in the style of kabuki theater, but no one believes her. Even harsh detectives believe that she got hold of classified information, and are trying to find out who “leaked” it.
Director’s work
There is neither mystery nor horror in Scott Derrickson’s mystical thriller. However, the director manages to catch up with the horror, I implement the “King” approach on the screen. The Black Phone is immediately reminiscent of It and The Shining, as well as the works of other authors, including A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Silence of the Lambs.
The novelty shows a noticeable influence of the same “Sinister”, where Ethan Hawke played the author of detectives investigating the mysterious murders of children.
Action
The meaning of the film becomes clear when a child is kidnapped and locked in the basement, where only a mattress, a toilet and a broken phone are available to the protagonist. The villain himself does nothing, taking a waiting position. Time after time, the maniac descends to the prisoner with an omelette and soda, and then leaves the door open, hoping that the guy decides to escape.
The problem is that the attempt to leave will turn into a failure – the kidnapper is waiting upstairs with a belt to punish the disobedient boy.
essence
The idea of the story is that the child must overcome his fear and resist evil, tearing off the mask from the maniac. Despite the heavy atmosphere, The Black Phone turns out to be a classic horror story about a kidnapped man who is forced to overcome his abuser.
The viewer will not find anything new in the picture for himself. However, the poverty of the plot is partially compensated by Ethan Hawke, who moved away from the Linklater dramas and played a child killer with a belt.
In The Black Phone, schoolchildren casually discuss the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but Derrickson’s latest work is far from a slasher film pioneer, despite the move to the grainy film pioneered by Sinister.
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