Thursday, Film4, 9:00pm
Scott Derrickson’s The Black Phone is a masterful exploration of terror and resilience, blending supernatural horror with gritty realism. Adapted from Joe Hill’s short story, the film is set in the late 1970s, a time captured with eerie authenticity through its meticulous production design. At its core, The Black Phone tells the story of Finney Shaw, a resourceful teenager abducted by a masked killer known as "The Grabber," played with unnerving menace by Ethan Hawke. The film’s most unsettling element, however, comes from a rotary phone that connects Finney to the voices of the killer’s past victims, urging him to fight for his survival. This haunting narrative, underscored by its deft pacing and clever subversions of the genre, places The Black Phone among the most memorable horror entries of recent years.
The soundtrack, composed by Mark Korven, amplifies the film’s sense of dread with an unsettling mix of analog synths and avant-garde textures. Korven, celebrated for his work on The Witch and The Lighthouse, employs a minimalist approach that mirrors the stark, claustrophobic environment of Finney’s prison. The soundtrack eschews overt melody in favor of dissonant tones and pulsating rhythms, evoking the tense interplay between hope and despair. Standout tracks such as “Call Waiting” and “The Grabber’s Game” convey an oppressive atmosphere, their discordant layers reminiscent of the fraying sanity of both captor and captive. The score’s retro sensibilities also cleverly align with the film’s late-'70s setting, enhancing its unsettling nostalgia.
What truly sets The Black Phone apart is how its sound design and music interact with the story’s thematic core. The use of muffled voices and static underscores the isolation Finney feels, while the sparse, haunting score reflects the inescapable presence of trauma. Beyond Korven’s original compositions, diegetic tracks like Pink Floyd’s “On the Run” and other period-specific rock staples anchor the film in its era, offering a sharp contrast to its otherworldly horrors. This juxtaposition of gritty reality and spectral unease makes The Black Phone not just a chilling experience but a testament to the power of sound in storytelling.