The Black Phone (2021)

The disconnected phone in that basement solves Finney’s problems a little too neatly, one call per clue, like a ghostly help desk. That’s the weak spot. The 1978 setting, though, feels lived in: bikes, bullies, wood paneling, and grown-ups who never notice anything. Mason Thames plays Finney as shy but sturdier than he looks. Madeleine McGraw steals the movie as Gwen, his little sister, whose dreams might crack the case and whose stubborn, bargaining prayers get the biggest laughs. Ethan Hawke barely shows his face as the Grabber, a masked kidnapper, and he’s unsettling with just his voice and posture. Scott Derrickson keeps it tense, and the scares come from dread, not gore. The bullying scenes are harsh to watch. It made $161.4 million worldwide on a reported $16M to $18M, and it holds an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. A 6.9 because the siblings are great and the phone does too much of the work. $80.25 says the next time a landline rings at somebody’s house, you let someone else pick it up.

What works: Madeleine McGraw is a scene-stealer as Gwen, and Ethan Hawke is chilling with half his face covered.

What doesn’t: The phone calls hand Finney each answer right on schedule, so the escape feels more assembled than earned.

Who it’s for: Viewers who want a tense, old-fashioned scary movie with kids at the center and no gore to wade through.