El teléfono negro

An intense movie, worth a watch. May make your skin crawl/

Takes me back to my days as a kid growing up in Houston and the Houston Mass Murders. Wiki one of the killers, Elmer Wayne Henley for the story.

7.4/10

This movie was definitely a solid 7 and is absolutely worth seeing in theatres.

The chemistry amongst actors was really good. I especially found that Mason Thames (Finney) and Madeline McGraw (Gwen) were adorable as brother and sister. Their relationship reminded me of the one I have with my sister so I was able to make the story more personal. Ethan Hawke was very methodical and creepy without getting too close to the extreme, but definitely could've reached even better heights of true discomfort. His chemistry with Thames worked really well for their interactions.

The story was very engaging. Everything flowed so well that the hour forty-five minute runtime flew by. While it's in the title of the movie, the black phone was actually an uncomfortable aspect of the film because you never know when it will go off and the jump scares are perfectly timed to match. There was discomfort throughout the entire film, but it never hit the extremes it could've.

If I had to relate this film to another of similar aspects it would have to be "The Kid Detective". However, instead of focusing strictly on the search for the missing person, we get the benefit of seeing the missing person suffer.

Why should you go see this film? Because it's actually scary. So much so that those in the theatre actually jumped and a couple may have thrown an audible scream out. While the story could've been darker, for what were given it's actually pretty good. And like I said above the chemistry is really good. This film was not a disappointment and I suggest you go see if you want a good movie to watch.

Thank you for reading my review. Tune in tomorrow for my review on "Elvis". Until next time.... Enjoy the show!

Judging by the reviews this really seems to be quite a polarising film. I'm not sure what some of the lower scores would have wanted to see maybe seeing children getting tortured and then killed on screen perhaps I dunno?

But me I found this to be a rather enjoyable flick. Hawke is brilliant as the antagonist but it's really the child stars that shine in this film and make it all that more immersesble.

One reviewer did say that a bit of a depth and backstory could have been nice, but do we always need that? Sometimes you've just gotta take things at face value and enjoy them for what they are. That's my train of thought anyway.

Personally I'd class this more as a thriller rather than a horror and not having seen the trailer maybe they amped it upto 11 to make it more marketable and scary and coz honestly this movie wasn't scary.

But if you like slow burn films, sprinkled in with a bit of mysticism and the unknown, good storytelling and great acting I don't think u can go wrong with this one.

I don't watch many trailers for films and prefer to go in blind not knowing what's going to happen that way you're either gonna find a dud or a gem and I would put this film in the latter category.

Easily an 8 out of 10 from me. But don't just believe what I say watch it and decide for yourself 😎👍

A sadistic abductor and child killer, who masquerades as a Clown, known as The Grabber has taken a young boy and imprisoned him, inside his cell is a black phone, which somehow links him up with previous victims.

This film isn't going to be for everyone, it is such a bleak and macabre story, some may find it upsetting, it has a similar feel to IT, the original that is. That said, it is very original, tense and loaded with suspense, if you're into it you'll have so many questions, and you'll want to know the outcome. Maybe some of it's ambiguous, but that is on the film's favour I think.

The Grabber is almost an iconic villain, that hideous mask, the hat and general appearance, there's definitely a vibe of The Child catcher about him, he is played to perfection by Ethan Hawke, he is a daunting presence.

The youngsters are all terrific, there is a lot of talent on show here, Mason Thames, who played Finn was terrific, what a future ahead.

Well worth a look, 8/10.

This film really got me with the actors' performances and the atmosphere of the film. Stylistically, it definitely taps into a late 70s gritty suburban nostalgia, a la Stephen King or John Carpenter (think IT or Halloween). Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw carry the film with standout performances as two siblings trying to deal with bullies at school and at home, in addition to the lurking Grabber. Subtle quirks in characterization such as Finney sitting down and watching tv with his sister after her beating, or the camera lingering on Gwen skipping her way to a friend's house really show the director investing in the characters, not just the plot. And yes, Ethan Hawke is assuredly creepy as the villain, someone you can't wait to be taken out. Thematically, the film is about standing up and sticking together; certainly not the most original themes, but it does its job as a result of good direction, a tight script, and stellar acting. My litmus test for thrillers is if I feel invested enough in the characters that I actually want everything to be resolved, it means the movie's done it's job-this one definitely passes.