This movie stars Ethan Hawke... Or, at least I THINK it does as you never really see his face. Hawke plays a character called The Grabber which is a funny name until you realize he's not playing one of the monsters from Tremors.... he's grabbing kids!

We don't meet The Grabber until some time into the movie but his presence is everywhere in the opening act, as we follow young Finney and his sister Gwen (Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw; both excellent) as their circle of friends gets smaller and smaller. The black van of The Grabber is ever-present and director Scott Derrickson does an exceptional job at building the tension.

It's no spoiler that eventually Finney gets grabbed. He ends up in a room with a toilet, a bed, and a black phone on a wall that no longer works. Or does it? You see, Finney's deceased mother had psychic abilities and these have passed onto her children in various ways, with Finney able to communicate with The Grabber's previous victims on that very phone. Could they give him the information he needs to escape?

It's a simple premise but thanks to the performances, intelligent writing, and great direction, The Black Phone becomes one of the best horror movies I've seen in some time. Derrickson is restrained in his use of jump scares but still manages to build some exceptionally tense sequences, and Hawke's deranged mask-wearing kidnapper is truly chilling.

A solid, well-paced and well-written horror movie, The Black Phone deserves your attention.