The Fantasy Review’s review of The Black Phone (2021).
In preparation for The Black Phone 2 coming October 17th, 2025, I watched The Black Phone (2021) for the first time the other day and quite enjoyed it. The pacing is a little off and there might be a few issues with the premise, but the feel, tone, atmosphere, and performances gave me a movie I could enjoy.
Spoiler-Free Review of The Black Phone (2021)
The Black Phone is an atmospheric movie. The slow shots, eerie soundtrack, dark filter, and low lighting make for a tense and unnerving watching experience.
The atmospheric elements of this film are so good that they are the reason I enjoyed watching it. The music had me on the edge of my seat, and the set design and lighting held my attention throughout.
The look and feel of The Black Phone are the highlights of the movie and could be studied at length.
Where this movie failed was in nearly every other regard.
The Black Phone (2021) is a dark tale. The story is grim and unrelenting from the very beginning. There are no light moments, no chance at relief – only a harsh and hopeless plot.
The writing is mediocre. I enjoyed the dialogue because it created some great, distinct characters to follow. They weren’t all that interesting, but they were distinct and they weren’t cardboard cutouts.
The villain – The Grabber – is played by Ethan Hawke, is a serial kidnapper and murderer of children. You’d expect to be dealing with a villain of decent intellect and charisma, but he has none.
This was the biggest disappointment of the movie. We’re here to be scared, but there’s nothing scary about him, which is a shame because Hawke gives a good performance of the material he is given.
I hope the sequel realises the premise of the story a bit more and develops the villain so he is more than a creep in a mask.
