The Black Phone (2021)
- Directed by
- Scott Derrickson
- Genre
- horror film, thriller film, ghost film, supernatural horror film
- Country
- United States
- Runtime
- 1h 43m
- Rated
- R
- Rating
- 7.5 of 10 from 5,909 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
A teenage boy is kidnapped by a serial killer known as the Grabber and locked in a basement. He finds a disconnected black rotary phone that allows him to talk with the ghosts of the killer's past victims, who help him try to escape.
tensedarksupernaturalsuspensefulbleakclaustrophobicunsettlingsurreal
What happens
The Black Phone is a 2021 American supernatural horror film directed by Scott Derrickson from a screenplay he wrote with C. Robert Cargill, based on the 2004 short story by Joe Hill. It is the first installment in the Black Phone franchise. It stars Mason Thames as Finney, a teenage boy abducted by a serial child killer known colloquially as the Grabber (Ethan Hawke). When Finney encounters a mystical black rotary phone in captivity, he uses it to plot his escape by communicating with the ghosts of the Grabber's slain victims. Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, and James Ransone also feature in the principal cast. Derrickson and Cargill produced The Black Phone in association with Blumhouse Productions CEO Jason Blum. Universal Pictures oversaw the film's commercial distribution, and funding was sourced through a pact with Blumhouse and tax subsidies from the North Carolina state government. The idea of The Black Phone arose from Derrickson and Cargill's adaptation of the eponymous short story by Hill, found in 20th Century Ghosts. Derrickson struggled to produce additional ideas that supplemented the short story, shifting his attention to other filmmaking endeavors. The film remained dormant until he resigned from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) over creative differences. Derrickson used his childhood experiences in suburban Denver, Colorado, to develop The Black Phone story. Principal photography began in February 2021 on a $16–18 million budget, and wrapped the following month. Shooting took place on sets and on location in Wilmington, North Carolina. Mark Korven composed the film's score, which drew on modern and vintage synthesizer sounds. The Black Phone premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 25, 2021, and opened in US theaters after several delays on June 24, 2022. It was a box office success, grossing $161.4 million globally. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised its performances but were divided on its concept. The success of The Black Phone spawned the titular franchise, which includes a canonical short film titled "Dreamkill" as part of the anthology film V/H/S/85 (2023), and a sequel titled Black Phone 2 (2025). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
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Fear Street Part 3: 1666 (2021)
Run (2020)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.