Summer Scares: The Black Phone

BY JOHN CARTER JR

While I was waiting for my sister outside of the bathroom at the Walmart a few weeks ago, I passed the time by reading the missing children wall. The wall is plainly posted in between the men’s and women’s restrooms. It is filled with faces of children of all different races, genders, and backgrounds who had recently gone missing. I thought back to my parents who were cautious about me walking home and being out late – thinking that these days you can’t trust your kid will be safe simply walking home from school or going to the park – striking fear in my soul that strangers could snatch me if I wasn’t careful.

 Stories of children in the news going missing or found in less than desirable circumstances circulated the local news outlets every now and then, which only affirmed to me the all-to-real fear of being taken. Stories of kidnappings and human trafficking happening at Walmarts or truck stops pass through my thoughts as I stand there for mere moments while my sister quickly uses the restroom. As I look at those kids’ faces, I can’t help but think about where could they be, are they ok, were they taken, or even what were their lives before becoming a face on this wall. However, I am afraid to admit that as soon as my sister came out of the restroom and we turned around towards the food, the faces of the many children on that wall had already vanished, as if I had never seen them to begin with.

Scott Derrickson’s 2021 film “The Black Phone” starring Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, and Madeleine McGraw confronts the feelings of dread when thinking about missing children or being kidnapped. The film is set in Denver in the 70s and centers around the kidnapping of a boy named Finn “Finney” Blake by a masked criminal dubbed the Grabber by their local community. Throughout the film, we are shown the kidnappings of various local boys by the Grabber (which include Finney’s close friend Robin). Finney’s sister Gwen uses her own paranormal powers to help the police find her brother, and Finney attempts at escaping the clutches of the broken villain with the support of ghosts from the past. The film is excellent in how it portrays victims of both kidnapping and murder, how it portrays survivorship and resilience, and finally, hope.

Let’s get this out of the way, Ethan Hawke is perfect in his role as the Grabber. The designs of his various masks are incredible in their detail and he plays the perfect demented killer. That being said, while many might take away his performance as the highlight of the film, it is that of the main protagonist and his friend Robin that steal the show. Rightfully so, as it could be argued that the film is about empowering the victimized and confronting evil with courage regardless of fear. In its representation of the victims, “The Black Phone” recognizes the utter darkness behind the brutal kidnapping and murder of these innocent children. It shows the audience that each victim was a different human being, who had different lives, and different circumstances.

This puts into perspective that it could be anyone, at anytime when thinking about the real-life cases of these crimes. Any young kid with their whole lives ahead of them with dreams or ambitions, with families and friends, with expectations of a tomorrow and what that will entail – it puts in perspective that those kids are real, their lives do have meaning and they matter. They are not simply some kid in a photo on a Walmart wall, or an outdated headshot on the 6 p.m. news, or a Facebook post requesting “thoughts and prayers”. The film shows us, with ghostly storytelling, that even after the victim’s lights have been brutally snuffed out, their screams ring on from beyond the grave.

Robin, a friend of Finney (played by Miguel Cazarez Mora), has one of the most heartbreaking arcs in this film. The young Latino boy stands up to bullies after calling him a racial slur and defends his friend from more bullies. Cazarez Mora is wonderful as the character, as he reminds me of some of the kids I grew up with. It is particularly hard on Finney when he hears he has been taken. As a Latino myself, it is hard to see someone who you could imagine growing up in your own community be the victim of such a violent crime – especially when the reality of young people of color being at risk for being victimized sets in. The film does an excellent job of conveying how much Robin means to our main protagonist. Finney uses his memory to fuel his resilience and subsequent hope.  

The film’s excellent use of colors and lenses, along with the villain costume and mask design, convey what seems like an absence of hope and doom in light of this unknown kidnapper. It gives the feeling of looming dread in the wake of these tragedies caused by a seemingly unending epidemic of these kinds of crimes. It might feel this way to audiences watching the news who see the photos of missing children and their consistent exposure to this dark cloud might make them numb to the depth of the victims, whose photos posted represent suffering. However, the film shows the willingness to fight back even in this kid who had no reason to know he would have to one day. It tells the audience to still care about these people and to not give up on them as they haven’t given up.

 Throughout the entirety of the film, Finney has highs and lows in terms of his resilience. His will to fight waxes and wanes. However, when hope seems to be robbed from him, it is the reminder of those who came before him that reinvigorates his willingness to continue on. When a child dies, it is a true tragedy. We must do everything we can to prevent those tragedies and to remember the lives of those who were taken.  It is important for audiences to take away that we mustn’t become numb to the pain of others, especially when we are not present to see or hear it. Because regardless of our knowledge of someone’s specific trauma, somewhere out there is a kid screaming for help. We must not let our hope be snuffed out.

I give “The Black Phone” a 10/10 rating for its excellent depiction of resilience, acting, and design.