so fucking creepy. i love how it ultimately was a story about the victims and the survivor. there was no part that looked into the grabber’s pov or reasoning, it was all the kids. the other victims were used in a truly heart wrenching way to show finn’s motive and strength and intelligence. also no part of it tried to justify the dad. it was clear he loved his kids, but even his apology at the end fell short to the connection between the siblings.

As a longtime horror fan, I've got to say this comes very close to a masterpiece! And what makes it such a worthwhile watch, besides the creepy baddie and the supernatural elements, it's the unique bond the MC and his sister share. Though born out of trauma, it's the sort of wonderful sibling love that many of us never got to experience, and probably the most memorable feature of this movie.

Also, the kid actors are freaking phenomenal, and that alone might warrant a rewatch.

EDIT to add: I'm glad we finally get a horror movie protagonist that behaves intelligently, for once... And he's not an adult lol

It’s the 70s and kids are in peril! The kids in this are great, and they do a good job of making some of them likable in a very short amount of time, making the tragedy hit harder. Ethan Hawke is great and this movie outside of some small passing hints doesn’t try to over explain the grabber, we stay with the kids which is a great choice, and the payoffs work

Madeleine McGraw stole the show what a great young talent! It's quite effective on the horror especially sinse kids are involved but it relies too much on jump scares. Ethan Hawke is awesome even with a mask on his face but I wanted so much more from The Grabber we know nothing about him... maybe they were afraid to expose him too much and reduce the scare or they were planning on making another movie to give him a story.

was constantly waiting for .... something to happen, and I feel like it never happened.
like it was not a bad movie, the performances weren't bad, but the story was only half way there.
none of the characters had any sort of development, and a lot of side plots were merged into the movie. the dreams, the mum that killed herself with visions. the killers reasoning. why that phone was there to begin with. nothing at all got explained. a ok movie that will not leave a lasting impression.

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen that level of a thriller, definitely well made with a good choice on casting, loved the creepiness of it and effects.

Boring as hell and simply not that good. It's so weak in both character development and overall storytelling. No idea why people here are rating it with 8s and 9s but I guess they must have been watching a different movie...

This movie was just meh. I expected more.

I was expecting more. I love Ethan Hawke and his performance was really good. I just felt there was not a whole lot of substance to the film. Still, a decent horror movie.

:telephone_receiver: Creepy thriller with a few solid jump scares. Great performance from Ethan Hawke and more impressive is how good all the kids were! Definitely check this out

This movie I’ve waited to see for a long time. Ethan Hawke is a mad man and it captured the exact feel I was hoping it would capture. It’s got a 70s aesthetic and brutal family dynamics, much like a Rob Zombie film has. The most captivating part of this movie has to be how it ventures into the “child captive” plot. Not many other movies will touch the topic of making the kids the victim, and because of that the tone is that much more chilling. Was the movie perfect? No. Small things I wish were different, but when it comes to horror movies, this is one that will stay with me for a long time and I will surely watch many more times.

Rating: 4.5/5 - 9/10 - Highly Recommend

Like a king of France: stylish, retro and well executed.

The story development with its intricate plotting and timed reveals -- not to mention the unexpected twists -- make for a good, old fashioned horror flick.

The deft story telling isn't surprising, though, as the movie is based on a short story by Joe Hill, who is Stephen King's son (I love that a man with the last name 'King' names his son 'Joe'!).

I obviously don't know how much Hill's father helped in the writing, but the tale has all the trappings of a Stephen King book (youths in the past who have to bands together to defeat a local monster).

Even better, the director was able to bring this complex outline onto the screen and show it off with the totally believable 70s vibe.

Creepy (if not gory), The Black Phone is ringing and you should heed the call.

6.75/10: It accomplished what it set out to do without a lot of frills. You get 70s stranger danger, jump scares, and even some laughs. It's a good movie and worth a watch. Ethan Hawke was brilliantly terrifying. Great sibling and other children connections to make everything count. The sister, Gwen, was hilarious and Madeleine McGraw start will continue to rise.

[spoiler] Perhaps too cynical but kept waiting for the trick or the trap. I thought more was incoming or maybe I wanted to know more than it was willing the give. Somewhat conflicted but not in a terrible way with the ending. Like I'm glad he won and got out, but it seemed it ended too happy for it to have been a horror movie, lol, if that makes sense. Like, guess too used to everyone having a vibe at the end like they know they'll be in therapy. [/spoiler]

I enjoyed Jurassic World 3 more in theaters than this. That is all.

Premise - 18/20 - An abducted child receives calls from the spirits of other children previously abducted by this guy? I'm all in.
Cast/characters - 17/20 - Madeleine McGraw as Finney's sister Gwen was wonderful! Newcomer Mason Thames was great as Finney, and Ethan Hawke was seriously believable as The Grabber. Robin was also a favorite character.
Story - 17/20 - You knew the end, but how? Not only that, but who were the spirits, and what would they say? Very little downtime; everything moving toward the climax.
Dialogue - 17/20 - Every kid had his say in limited dialogue, so every word was important. Gwen's dialogue and attitude was very sassy, yet endearing. The Grabber's dialogue was very tense and telling to his character.
World-building - 16/20 - 1978 Denver can't be that easy to recreate, but the production team did well. Clothes, cars, surroundings, activities all believable.

85/100 - 4.5/5 stars - I had been looking forward to this movie for over a year, and it would have been easy to disappoint. It certainly did not. The build-up, the action, the actors and characters, the ending were all superb. I loved it!