The Black Phone (2022)

UNKNOWN

In-Theaters

87%

2021, Horror, 1h 42m

RT Critics’ Score: 83% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: NA

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Critics Consensus

The Black Phone might have been even more frightening, but it remains an entertaining, well-acted adaptation of scarily good source material.

Audience Consensus

With a terrific villain and a twisty story stacked with edge-of-your-seat thrills, The Black Phone is a must-watch for fans of suspenseful horror.

Storyline

Thirteen-year-old Finney is in trouble. A kidnapper locked him in a basement, a place stained with the blood of half a dozen murdered children. With him in his subterranean cell is an antique phone, long since disconnected… but it rings at night with calls from the dead. Based on the short story by Joe Hill.

Production Company(ies)
Blumhouse Productions, Crooked Highway Productions, Peacock, Supernatural, Universal Pictures

Distributor
Paramount Pictures

Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Peacock), Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)

Filming Location(s)
Wilmington, North Carolina, United States

MPAA / Certificate
R

Year of Release
2022

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Dolby
Aspect ratio:

2.39 : 1
Runtime:

1h 42m
Language(s):

English
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Jun 24, 2022 Wide

Genre(s)
Horror

Keyword(s)
The Black Phone, Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, James Ransone, E Roger Mitchell, Scott Derrickson, Jason Blum, C Robert Cargill, horror, R rating, box office, Paramount Pictures, soundproof basement, disconnected phone, sadistic killer, previous victims, suspenseful horror, well-acted, source material, critic reviews, audience reviews, villain, twisty story, edge-of-your-seat thrills, suspenseful, horror-drama, Spielbergian tropes, jump scares, world-building, grimy, bad-old-days, limited location, restricted number of characters, finesse, feature-length cinema, unique horror film, well-oiled thrill machine, dying breed, independent thriller, black balloons, underground cellar, tense scenes, dialogue, engaging, edge of your seat, simple, quaint, effective, must-watch, fans of suspenseful horror

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $161,440,742
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $161,440,742
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 807
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 17,605,315

US/Canada gross: $90,123,230
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $90,123,230
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 799
US/Canada opening weekend: $23,633,220
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $23,633,220
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 567

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $18,800,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $18,800,000
Production budget ranking: 1,353
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $10,123,800
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $132,516,942
ROI to date (est.): 458%
ROI ranking: 280

Cast & Crew

Ethan Hawke

Mason Thames

Madeleine McGraw

Jeremy Davies

James Ransone

The Grabber

Finney

Gwen

Terrence

Max

Ethan Hawke – The Grabber
Mason Thames – Finney
Madeleine McGraw – Gwen
Jeremy Davies – Terrence
James Ransone – Max
E. Roger Mitchell – Detective

Scott Derrickson

Jason Blum

Scott Derrickson

C. Robert Cargill

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Scott Derrickson

Writer(s)
Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill, C. Robert Cargill

Producer(s)
Jason Blum, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill

Film Festivals
Tribeca

Awards & Nominations
NA

Academy Awards

Top Reviews

Tara Brady

Noah Berlatsky

Charles Bramesco

Robert Daniels

Wendy Ide

Irish Times

Chicago Reader

Inside Hook

Fox 10 Phoenix

Observer (UK)

THE BLACK PHONE All Critics (224) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (185) | Rotten (39) 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. July 16, 2022 | Rating: 4/5 Tara Brady Irish Times TOP CRITIC The effort is appreciated as far as it goes. But it doesn’t matter how enthusiastically you dial if you end up with a bore on the other end of the line. July 1, 2022 Noah Berlatsky Chicago Reader TOP CRITIC A limited location, a restricted number of characters and a narrative model rooted in sparseness all demand finesse in order to be spun into feature-length cinema, and The Black Phone shows why, for worse more often than for better. June 30, 2022 Charles Bramesco Inside Hook TOP CRITIC This is a movie meant for kids to encounter, enjoy, and hail as a cult classic in 20 years. June 29, 2022 | Rating: B Robert Daniels Fox 10 Phoenix TOP CRITIC Director Scott Derrickson returns to his horror-drama roots with The Black Phone, a solid, spooky period chiller. June 28, 2022 | Rating: 3/5 Wendy Ide Observer (UK) TOP CRITIC The Black Phone feels like it’s trying to reconcile typical horror elements with the more expressive and tender story Derrickson clearly wants to tell. The reconciliation never really comes, but the cast gets us there anyway. June 27, 2022 Bilge Ebiri New York Magazine/Vulture TOP CRITIC The Black Phone proves to be much more complex than I expected, a pleasant surprise that works hard for its audience — justly rewarding them with a unique horror film. July 15, 2022 | Rating: B Micheal Compton Bowling Green Daily News It is efficiently made, occasionally jump-worthy and mostly gets across the screen like it has somewhere to be — and knows how to get there. July 15, 2022 | Rating: 4/5 Graeme Tuckett Stuff.co.nz The Black Phone might have seemed more revolutionary a few years ago, before complex horror came back into vogue. Nevertheless, it’s a polished, spooky story told by a filmmaker back in his comfort zone. July 15, 2022 | Rating: 3/5 James Luxford City AM …a focused, tense and utterly engaging horror yarn… July 14, 2022 | Rating: 16.5/20 Anthony O’Connor FILMINK (Australia) Overly tame yet also too nasty to want to watch again. July 13, 2022 | Rating: C Edwin Arnaudin Asheville Movies A well oiled thrill machine that feels like part of a dying breed. July 12, 2022 | Rating: 3/4 Mattie Lucas From the Front Row…

Plot
Thirteen-year-old Finney is in trouble. A kidnapper locked him in a basement, a place stained with the blood of half a dozen murdered children. With him in his subterranean cell is an antique phone, long since disconnected… but it rings at night with calls from the dead. Based on the short story by Joe Hill.

Trivia

Goofs / Tidbits
Finney uses what appears to be an LED flashlight during his captivity. These would not have been available in the late 70s and were not common until the 21st century.