The Black Phone Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Black Phone Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 1, 2022

The Black Phone is a dark and depraved yet layered and lovingly made supernaturally bent Horror film from Blumhouse, which has become something of a genre factory over the years. This is one that studio's best films. The film rarely offers concrete or substantial information about how things happen, but it is nevertheless a very satisfying journey through human depravity and the will to survive, intermixed with supernatural content. Director Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister) builds an engaging film that blends disturbing content and thematic depth to fine effect, proving that these qualities and characteristics need not be mutually exclusive in the Horror genre.

A small Colorado town is haunted by the evil deeds of "The Grabber," a notorious kidnapper who has been snatching local children for some time now. Siblings Finney and Gwen Blake (Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw) live with their alcoholic and abusive father (Jeremy Davies). One day, it is Finney who is grabbed by the kidnapping maniac (Ethan Hawke). He finds himself in a near empty basement with little more than a filthy mattress, a disgusting toilet, and a black telephone hanging on the wall. Soon, Finney begins to receive telephone calls from the Grabber's past victims, offering him advice on his captivity: avoiding traps, knowledge of the room, and even fighting techniques. As Finney struggles to escape, Gwen begins receiving psychic dreams that clue her in to her brother's whereabouts.

The film is straightforward in terms of the core content, but its supernatural sensibilities are what distinguish it from other genre films. The film gives little explanation of how or why the phone has become a supernatural point of contact between Finney and the other victims, victims who are presumably long dead but who are able to transmit key bits of advice to Finney. Much of the film deals with Finney's efforts at escape, at first a product of his own limited resources and understanding of the basement in which he finds himself, later aided by the various tips and tricks that the other boys reveal, odds and ends they discovered and experienced before their untimely demise at the hands of the madman. The film does well to blend hope and hopelessness as Finney tries, and fails, to escape on a number of occasions, set against the backdrop of the wicked man who always seems to gain the upper hand.

As the film reveals further plot points, often with implied rather than explicit significance, the atmosphere becomes colder and the hope fades further. Derrickson keeps the picture moving forward, even when Finney's attempts at escape, or even simply understanding what is happening, where he is, and why, seem to stall out. Even within the spartan, unforgiving location where much of the film takes place, there's a sense of rhythm and movement that is punctuated by jump scares but not defined by them. Rather, the cold atmosphere and the chilling performance from Ethan Hawke bring the movie to life with a terrifying edge that works even beyond the supernatural elements; the battle of wills between Finney and his captor proves compelling, even in seemingly mundane scenes such as when Hawke's Grabber brings a famished Finney a bottle of water and some eggs. Hawke is frightening, even spending the bulk of the film behind a mask; though he wears several variants of the same mask, each presenting a core emotion, the body language and the eye work fill the soulless character with a haunting cadence that proves more frightening than anything else the film has on offer.

The Black Phone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Black Phone was primarily shot digitally with a few scenes in Super 8. The digital elements look great: they're sharp, rugged, and well capable pf showing off the 70s aesthetics with ease. Clothes are a standout for tactile clarity, and faces are always clear and refined, but the most interesting elements are the masks that The Grabber wears for their depth of wear and dirt and the basement where Finney is held for its spartan elements but still rough and weathered accents and the accumulated grime and wear on walls, the mattress, and the toilet. Colors are pleasantly bold and accurate within a mild color timing shift to favor that aforementioned 70s aesthetic. Primaries are bold, the bland grays in the basement hold to a stable and reliable off-putting shade, and skin tones look healthy and true. Black level depth is solid. There are no encode issues to report and source noise only creeps in during challenging low light shots.

The Black Phone Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Black Phone dials up a very good DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is well balanced, potent as necessary and atmospheric as needed. The sharp, piercing, stringy, terrifying sounds that comprise the score present with excellent spacing, clarity, and low-end depth as necessary. Subwoofer engagement shines in several scenes; subwoofer engagement packs a wallop on more than one occasion with full stage immersion during a particularly horrific call over the black phone in the 76-minute mark. There are other examples, and the track's ability to merge hushed ambience and knock-back bass, all the while maintaining clarity, is special. General score and popular music boast wonderful clarity and front side spacing with healthy back-channel fold. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized with a natural front-center placement.

The Black Phone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Black Phone includes an audio commentary track, a pair of deleted scenes, and several featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Included are Is This America Now? (0:49) and No Dreams (0:29).
• Ethan Hawke's Evil Turn (1080p, 4:25): Exploring Hawk's sinister character and his performance.
• Answering the Call: Behind the Scenes of The Black Phone (1080p, 10:40): Story origins and plot details, the 70s aesthetic, cast and performances, production design, stunt work, Scott Derrickson's direction, and more.
• Devil in the Design (1080p, 5:15): Focusing on general production design, hairstyles, practical makeup, the black phone prop, and the mask that The Grabber wears in the film.
• Super 8 Set (1080p, 1:48): Shooting the dream sequences on film.
• Shadowprowler: A Short Film by Scott Derrickson (1080p, 11:57): A short film about a teenager and a home invasion.
• Audio Commentary: Producer/Co-Writer/Director Scott Derrickson analyzes his film.

The Black Phone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a solid film that chooses to simply build and follow the narrative rather than try to explain it all away. That's a big key to success: it is low key, not very high concept, but it is also unique and captivating within its limited scope and explanation. Performances are wonderful, production design is great, and the film expertly blends jump scares and Horror music cues with core audience emotion and narrative engagement to fine effect. Universal's Blu-ray delivers excellent video and audio as well as a balanced assortment of extra content. Highly recommended.