The Black Phone - Ring, ring, ring! It's Ethan Hawke in a Scott Derrickson flick

Scott Derrickson, Ethan Hawke and James Ransone! It’s like a Sinister reunion.

Anyone seen this yet? Getting good reviews…

I saw it! I thought it was…fine? It felt like a slick and well-made adaptation of a somewhat thin short story. Loved the look and the period setting, but the villain was pretty undeveloped.

I liked it a bit more than fine, mostly due to some pretty good writing leading to good performances for the kids and the development of a solidly creepy atmosphere in the sets, lighting, shots. Hawke also did well with the little he had to work with.

There’s one really cool wide-angle shot which may not translate well to home theater - it will be interesting to see if it does.

I hope that Blumhouse can continue with improving their products in this fashion. They seem to be the primary purveyor nowadays.

Yeah, I liked it quite a bit. Ethan Hawke was effective and creepy, they got some real good child actors - which is good because if kids and their relationships don’t work the movie collapses. I also liked how gnarly and violent it was before the grabber abducts Finn - which is also canny writing, because then he’s an escalation and extension of the situation the kids are already stuck in.

Just a good, solid movie.

I don’t think it was a great movie but loved the 70s styling and vibe.

Finally got around to watching this. It was fine. Ethan Hawke makes for a creepy killer and kidnapper, and the kid actors did a good job too.

My only real complaint was that Hawke’s mask is overproduced. Like, it doesn’t look like a mask a serial killer would make in his home. It even has modular bits so he can swap out the smile or the horns! It looks like a mask a movie production company with a budget would create specifically to make an iconic villain for marketing.