The Black Phone

Year of release: 2022       Directed by Scott Derrickson. Starring Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, and Ethan Hawke.

“Jesus, what the fuck!?” So prays Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) in front of her cross, rosary, and picture of the Immaculate Conception. What has just become my favorite cinematic prayer occurs roughly two-thirds of the way through Scott Derrickson’s kidnapping mystery and supernatural thriller. At this point, Gwen is beginning to despair of finding her missing brother Finney (Mason Thames) and wonders why God doesn’t interfere to save someone she loves from a looming grisly death.

The age-old question of how does an all-loving, all-powerful God allow bad things to happen is at the heart of Gwen’s character arc. Furthermore, if God interferes and answers her prayers, why didn’t He answer the presumable prayers of the family members of the previous kidnapping and murder victims?

The Black Phone does not provide any easy answers to explain the existence of evil in the presence of an omnipotent deity, but it does suggest where that deity is in the presence of such evil, and that is suffering alongside each and every victim. When Finney becomes the latest kidnapping victim in a string of child disappearances plaguing a Colorado town in 1978, the prayers of Gwen may not be answered in the dramatic fashion she desires, but the aid her brother receives is supernatural.

The blend of supernatural and kidnapping mystery works incredibly well. Derrickson has long proved his expertise at directing supernatural horror with The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, and Deliver Us from Evil. His decision here to film Gwen’s prophetic dreams as grainy home videos recalling 8 mm film is on the one hand an appropriate flashback to the ‘70s. At the same time, it shows the power of film to transport and inspire (and in this case, save lives) as it shines a light on evil.

Evil is something we all know exists. The evil in The Black Phone is personified by the Grabber (Ethan Hawke, doing fantastic work behind a mask for most of the film). The name of this serial kidnapper makes me think of President “Grab ‘em by the pussy,” and while that is almost certainly a coincidence, given the level of evil that his administration unleashed on the US and the world it is not completely without merit.

While Gwen’s character arc is focused on the divine and saving her brother, Finney’s is focused on survival. That survival comes into play through the titular black phone, which forms a supernatural link between the siblings and the unexpected answer to Gwen’s prayers.

As a Catholic, I believe in the communion of saints. One aspect of that doctrine is that all of us are connected and support one another on our journeys toward salvation, whether we’re alive or deceased. The support that Finney receives in the cellar is from the ghosts of the previous victims of the Grabber, which is probably the answer to his sister’s prayers.

Benevolent ghosts saving the life of one kidnapping victim may seem like a muddling of genres, but it is a mix that Derrickson and the cast handle brilliantly. As Finney, Mason Thames embodies the meek and mild kid who is afraid to stand up for himself and would rather take a beating from bullies and forget about it. The film’s climax where he finally does stand up to ferocious evil is a satisfying triumph of the little guy being exalted. It also comes through the help not only of his friends and sister, but of former bullies as well. It’s a sort of redemption for the bullies as well as the casting down of the ultimate bully.

Crosscut with the exaltation of Finney is the police attempting a rescue mission. This scene blatantly recalls The Silence of the Lambs (and if we’re honest, Jonathan Demme did it better), but it draws the focus to the love between Gwen and Finney as the police become irrelevant. While it may technically be the film’s biggest misstep, the way it highlights the central loving relationship between brother and sister is truly beautiful.

Gwen’s question as to whether Jesus even exists may or may not be answered in The Black Phone. What is answered is how to stand up to evil and whether we receive aid in doing so. That aid may come from the most unexpected places, but whether that aid is divinely inspired or merely the bonds of love between a brother and sister doesn’t make much difference. If one believes God is love, then that is the answer to Gwen’s prayer.

Personal recommendation: A-