The Black Phone

It's not groundbreaking, but it's very well done.

Ethan Hawke continues his spectacular mid-career run in a rare villainous role.

The young actors rise above their material, but Hawke is wasted as the killer.

Much of this feels contrived to distract us from what the film ultimately appears to be about.

The atmospheric and unnerving horror movie doesn’t just have literal scares, it effectively taps into our primal fears about menacing predators in all forms.

Derrickson is restrained with his jump scares and succinct with world-building. The Black Phone subverts any number of Spielbergian tropes — not to mention voguish nostalgia — with a grimy, bad-old-days version of the past.

Based on Joe Hill’s book of the same name, the creators provide one of the most memorable contemporary horrors, discussing loss, domestic violence, supernatural, and much more.

Here’s one of those supernatural thrillers that would actually be better off without the supernatural elements.

Derrickson has succeeded in making a film that is definitely worth any horror fan's time. Is it a new classic? No, but by hell, it is one fun ride.

The Black Phone carries a horror premise with a supernatural touch full of potential, but it plays too safe by betting on a narrative that's too simple, predictable, and repetitive.