One of the horror films that I have been waiting for this year is finally out. After seeing the trailer a few months ago, I had high hopes for The Black Phone, because from the trailer it can be seen that this film will present a horror thriller concept with supernatural flavors which will certainly be very interesting to watch.
Scott Derrickson, who was appointed as the director of this film, is also
known to be skilled in making gripping horror films, for example, the films
Sinister and Poltergeist, which managed to make my heart race throughout the
film. So, will this formula still be used in The Black Phone? Hmmm, to find
out the answer, see the film review until it's finished.
The Black Phone film tells the story of a boy who has to escape from The
Grabber with the help of previous victims via a black phone. The story is
indeed made very simple, we will only be invited to see the efforts of a boy
who uses his sixth sense to escape from The Grabber's confinement room.
At first glance, the concept of The Black Phone film looks very similar to the
IT film, only it looks more realistic and makes sense. The use of supernatural
powers through the indigo children who appear in this film is also shown very
well, the media they use to communicate with spirits is explained in detail,
and this is maintained until the end of the film. One example is the main
character who uses a black telephone to be able to talk to previous victims of
The Grabber.
The character of The Grabber, who is the main villain in this film, also
succeeded in making me amazed when I watched it, especially seen in the very
unique mask design. The Grabber's mask has succeeded in making its scary
impression felt. The design that can be separated into 2 parts, the top and
bottom, makes its use more varied, so the impression isn't monotonous when you
look at it. Ethan Hawke's acting as The Grabber also deserves a thumbs up.
Even with the short duration of his appearance, Ethan Hawke has succeeded in
making The Grabber's character look scary and scary. The dialogue which is not
too long-winded seems to illustrate that The Grabber does not want to rush in
killing his victims.
How the characters use their sixth sense is also shown very well. I like the
way Gwen, the younger sister of the main character, gets visions through her
dreams. The various visions that Gwen has seen are then used to assist the
police investigation process, thus making the role of the indigo character in
this film very useful, as well as realistic, not just for seeing ghosts.
Scott Derrickson's horror treatment is also still applied in several scenes in
this film, one of which is seen when the faces of the victims of The Grabbler
suddenly appear in one frame with a sudden increase in back sound, exactly the
same as what he did in the previous Sinister film. However, unfortunately, the
horror atmosphere in this film feels very minimal, crushed by the thriller and
gore genres that have dominated from the start.
Therefore, for you horror movie lovers, maybe The Black Phone looks
disappointing because the impression of horror is almost tasteless. Even
though some scenes can be said to be horror scenes, that is not enough to make
the audience feel afraid. Scott Derrickson seems to be placing more emphasis
on this film in the thriller genre, which can be clearly seen from the
emphasis on the conflict between the main character and The Grabber.
The lack of deepening of The Grabber's character is also a weakness in this
film. In fact, in my opinion, The Grabber is the figure with the most
potential to become the most iconic character of this film. However, due to
the lack of description of the origins, as well as the motives of all his
actions, there are many questions that remain unanswered regarding the figure
of The Grabbler. Maybe tomorrow in the future there will be a solo film that
specifically tells the origins of The Grabber, who knows?
SCORE
8/10
Overall, The Black Phone is a horror thriller film that really is different
from most other horror thriller films. The story concept, which is slightly
spiced up with the mystery and supernatural genres, manages to make this film
feel tense, while at the same time making you always curious about the various
steps that the main character will take to escape from The Grabber.
Maybe this film isn't scary enough, but at least The Black Phone has managed
to make those of me who watch it feel tense and anxious. It's just that
awkward when you see the main character trying to struggle to escape from The
Grabber's confinement room.
TRAILER
***
That's all my review of the film The Black Phone. If there are criticisms or
suggestions from you, please tell me in the comments column.
Don't forget to always visit this blog for other interesting movie review
content.
Thank you.
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