Everything Wrong With The Black Phone in 18 Minutes or Less

[@trinaq]

While all of the child actors gave solid performances, the actress playing Gwen, Madeleine McGraw, deserves a special mention. The scene where she begs and pleads for her father to stop beating her with his belt was so emotional and heartbreaking. I can't believe that she was only about 12 during filming!

[@ed_Skynight]

Won’t lie, I felt genuinely uncomfortable and terrified for her when the dad was beating her. It felt like a genuine interaction when a father punishes the kid.

[@rahbeeuh]

She and her sister (Violet McGraw) are truly standout actors of the younger generations

[@SevenHunnid]

I do food reviews while I’m high off zaza on my KZbin channel 🎃

[@bambicrandi]

I thought that performance was amazing, truly made me feel uncomfortable and scared for her.

[@1down4upworkshop61]

This scene right here got me. I 100% remember myself giving that crying pleading agreement to whatever my dad said. I wasn't abused like these kids were, but I was a kid in the 70's, and you would get a good spanking if you didn't listen LOL

[@whereibelong25]

Robin teaching Finn to jump back is speculated to be his “mistake” that allowed the grabber to get him. The idea is that Robin is teaching Finn to fight the way he did and allow Finn to beat the Grabber by knowing what he’ll do where Robin was caught off guard. Granted, I also think that the Grabber caught him off guard, got a punch in, and then drugged him. Robin is a tough kid but still a kid regardless.

[@nadecha5326]

That’s assuming the grabber is that predictable in his moves that he’ll come at him they same exact way which is a reach.

[@kiaracolbert7996]

@@nadecha5326 he probably did the exact same thing with all his other victims or Robin attempted to escape multiple times and the grabber was predictable each time

[@phewgangslomo2478]

As someone named THE “GRABBER” it kind of makes sense that he could fall asleep without dropping the item in his hand.

[@cruehead23]

The reason all the kids forget their names is a parallel; when the media reports on a murder, they only treat and refer to the victims as such and they lose their identities.

[@Graci_Is_Spaci]

Wow, I'd never thought about that

[@thedeplorableone9240]

Or……it’s a movie

[@cruehead23]

@@thedeplorableone9240 it's symbolism

[@thedeplorableone9240]

@@cruehead23 that’s reaching

[@jocko9955]

@@thedeplorableone9240cap

[@floridasavannah]

It's not that hard to understand the logic. The mom had some psychic abilities that passed down to the kids. The daughter had a stronger ability with various visions. The boy was only sensitive to areas with a lot of ghost activity. And the phone was shown as a receptor for ghost activities at the beginning, but only people with that psychic sensitivity could hear the voices. That's why the killer and other kids couldn't hear but Finn could.

[@alexsandersousa9901]

The killer never pick the calls, but he heard the phone calls too

[@randomnessltd]

That theory is so well thought out that MatPat would be proud.

[@Cakes01]

Oooooh that makes sense I thought it was a non working phone to symbolize those who’s voices are never heard

[@slugmaballs1444]

@@randomnessltd but hey thats just a theory a film theory annnnnnd cut

[@unimportantname6089]

It would be cool if there was SOME depth in the killer. like what if hes doing this because he used to talk to ghost friends as a kid but they all left so now he's making more? but they always hate him for killing him so he's trying to befriend kids and then kill them so that they can be with him always? but no just generic guy who kills because he's crazy or something haha

[@narwhalicorn6229]

I would have taken a sin off for "your arm is mint, kid" right as Finney broke the Grabber's neck. Such a beautiful scene. And, for once, actually explains how a child could have that kind of arm strength.

[@tee228]

if he was that strong, why did he need to be taught how to throw a punch? its almost the same motion as throwing a baseball. and why didn't he use the glass bottle as a weapon? this movie is crap lol

[@narwhalicorn6229]

@@tee228 As someone who knows how to throw a punch, the movement is only barely similar to that of throwing a baseball. If you are throwing punches as you throw baseballs you will at best accomplish nothing, at worst you will break your hand.

[@narwhalicorn6229]

@@tee228 And also, strength != knowledge of how to throw a punch lol

[@thomasshelby6055]

@@tee228 I agree with the glass bottle part, there were multiple times in the movie where Finney was given many many objects to help fight the grabber, idk if it was the grabbers plan to test him with the bottles and stuff. I was screaming at my TV for Finn to take the cord that one of the kids hid, bring it up to the grabber when he was sleeping and strangle him with it lmao, smash the glass bottle onto his face before as well just to make it sweet. Alas the plot needs to tie in all the phone calls so that will not happen.

[@gevoian]

@@thomasshelby6055 it was def a plan. it was also the plan of his to leave the door unlocked so finn would attempt to escape. the glass and forks were also part of the plan

[@DarkAngel-ow1ck]

I usually can’t stand kids in horror movies, but I adored Finney and Gwen. I felt scared for both of them and was so happy to see them reunite. Plus, Ethan Hawke better keep on breaking his rule about not playing villains, because he is AMAZING at it ❤

[@canyouseethroughmytears]

Agreed!

[@C87-q9j]

And Robin!!

[@jasondyrkacz8270]

Good news: There's a sequel in the works and the three main characters are reprising their roles.

[@Howlingburd19]

The thing I loved was how every single escape attempt that each kid told Finney about all played a part in the trap he used in the end. The rope he used to pull down the window grate was the rope he used to trip The Grabber. The hole he dug per Bruce's instruction was what was used to trap him, the grate that fell when he tried to climb to the window was at the bottom off the hole which was what broke The Grabbers ankle, the hole in the wall to the freezer housed. the meat cuts he used to distract the dog and the phone was eventually what he beat and killed The Grabber with. All of the kids being able to scream at and taunt him down the phone as he died was an amazing touch, especially when you realize that all of the things they had been saying to Finney this whole time were actually what they ended up saying to The Grabber in the end? Brilliant!

[@cagneybillingsley2165]

i hate it when the writer harms the dialog by projecting their own sentiment onto a character. no little kid is going to talk to a bunch of cops like that lol. sounds like something a left wing hollywood type wish he could say

[@WillGoslee]

@@cagneybillingsley2165 they would

[@Ravenbones]

@@cagneybillingsley2165 It's called writing. They are supposed to have fragments of the writers sentiment into them.

[@addyznxanyzz3179]

@@cagneybillingsley2165 lol, people like you are the type that’ll be shocked to find out 8 year olds shoot people on some hood shit😂

[@samuelvincent557]

The part I really liked about that was that, of all the kids, Finn was the only one who could escape, because he used the experience and previous escape attempts to overpower tThe Grabber. But Finn, himself, did the least to try and escape on his own. If it wasn't for the phone, he would given up, from the start. He didn't dig a whole, find and pull a cable from the wall, or anything. Also, interesting note. If you go back and watch the moment when all the killed children show themselves to Finn's sister, on the road, Robin, Finn's friend, was the most physically messed up. That's because he fought The Grabber from the start and didn't wait to try and escape on his own. And he killed him brutally for it. It's also why he tauight Finn the back and forth steps to fight him. He still remembered his fighting style and how to fake him out.

[@4nge180]

the fact that so many sins were taken off throughout the movie shows how good a movie it is 😌

[@SteampunkCreeper]

Always a good time when they take off sins, like prince of egypt

[@leopoldstotch7721]

The movie really had no backstory or story. D tier movue

[@wastedpaladin6319]

@@leopoldstotch7721 its based off a book, if youre worried abt backstory go read it cause yknow, books aren't given a time restraint for their plot

[@SteampunkCreeper]

@@leopoldstotch7721 Story? It's about a dude kidnapping kids and the ghosts of a bunch help the latest escape while his sister tries to help.

[@FourthStreetSaint]

Really? My friend said it was terrible

[@ryanm288]

I think the reason the grabber freaks out so much at the end when the top mask is taken off is because it's the first time his entire face had been exposed at any point in the film (and likely during these kidnapping escapades), likely a side effect of him being crazy to not want his face out and exposed

[@Dishinshoryuken]

I saw it that each mask he wears is a different aspect of his personalities And when the mask comes off, he is brought back to the reality of who he is and what he has inside of him Kind of like when a klansman gets revealed and their lives fall apart

[@kats.511]

this makes total sense to me because if you pay close attention, you notice the mask changes over time. at first the mask doesn’t appear to have a mouth at all. and then sometimes the lower half of the mask is a smile and other times it’s a frown. super interesting

[@antwer1]

@@kats.511 the mask has to be one of the best parts of the movie. Most movies where the killer wears a mask it's just something you can slap on and it'll be creepy but this one has function. At the end of the day there was no need to go beyond like that but they did. Props to props

[@coopercane500]

Considering this is based on a story by Stephen King’s son, I’m surprised there weren’t sins for Stephen King-esque cliches like small town, aggressive bullying, and child with unexplained psychic powers.

[@greyskies9291]

How did you miss “ it’s for you” One of the best quotes/ scenes in any movie when the grabber is confronted by the ghosts of every kid he’s killed while being strangled by their only lifeline left between them and the living!!

[@blink-oncefeat.multistan1300]

I watched this in theaters not knowing what to expect. The jumpscares were predictable but yeah. The plot twist at the end was sooo good, i enjoyed it :) very nervewrecking too

[@commanderiosifstalin4938]

I think Smile has better jumpscares for horror films this year.

[@locoritto]

@@commanderiosifstalin4938 smile was fucking awesome

[@bayarea510]

This movie was garbage

[@bayarea510]

@@commanderiosifstalin4938 Facts

[@brianmyers13]

Agreed. I was starting to turn negative after the first two visits with no follow-through but then the last 1/3 totally had me captivated. Good movie.

[@Sportsfan88820]

“Do demons and ghosts just ignore people who get hugs from their dad and have a great family?” Yes, can confirm. Grew up with a good dad and a great family, no ghosts or demons ever messed with us. Thanks, dad.

[@amycox5733]

I now thoroughly believe that everyone who had an abusive father experiences things like this but decided not to tell us normies for some reason

[@ilirlluka6789]

Gwenny as a character is a gem and played perfectly by Madeleine McGraw, she is such a perfect role model for girls not only her age but much older than her as well.

[@anthonylesley982]

She sucked

[@WaitingForRuca]

She called the police detectives dumb fucking fart knockers when they didn’t do anything to deserve to be treated that way but okay

[@zymeria.r]

actually the reason the cops believed her is because in a earlier scene she knew something about the crime scene that nobody else should’ve known but the police, some of those sins don’t make sense if you just watched the movie .

[@andrevaughn6980]

He was being disingenuous…as always

[@Real_Nutella]

Still, almost everything they did is unethical, not realistic, or against the law. My dad was a cop for 20 years and it makes me physically cringe to see cop scenes like that in movies.

[@kylahughes9140]

@@Real_Nutella its a fictional movie meaning it’s in a made up universe where this is ok?? If everything in movies were realistic it would be boring 🫤

[@FallenAngelHiroko]

@@Real_Nutella That's because they have to make sure people who need cops don't mistake actor/esses as them. Also, they have to do other crap else real criminals would be able to dupe real cops (specifically the Forensic section). I feel the same way when I watch military movies (being a former USAF). But I know WHY they do it.

[@joshuahoward4556]

​​​@@kylahughes9140 I disagree with your logic. Movies are often judged for how realistic the director can get them. Explaining away inconsistencies by saying this world is a parallel universe of our world so there are small differences is a disguise for wanting to add in more conjured drama. What if you watched a movie where someone was having a hard time at work. To solve this problem they took out a rainbow stick from their pocket and slapped their boss to make them happy and that was the whole movie. Would that be entertaining? Would it be entertaining if it was done correctly? No, it would be boring since you can't sympathize with the resolution of the movie. The difference with The Black Phone is that it makes use of knowledge that most people are aware of but don't and can't have definitive answers. Does the cops rushing at the phone call of a little girl make sense? Not really but it could be believable when you think about how desperate the cops are throughout the movie. They question a little girl based on a rumor heard from her friend. They are going door to door of random houses for any leads. The movie does a decent job of subtly making you feel like the cops are pulling at strings. It would be more realistic if someone had seen something over the course of 6 kidnappings. And it would have helped for the movie to show her phone call at the end with her saying something more definitive for them to mobilize for. But I think it still did fine with what it did. If a movie makes a huge change to how we normally live in our world then that needs to be upfront and obvious so that our expectations change. Like in zombie movies, usually it explains it as that world was like ours until a zombie outbreak suddenly happened. Then the movie is following a certain person or group as they deal with it. The complaint most of the time with zombie movies is that the characters make unrealistic decisions. Most people would wrap something around their body when there's a moment to prepare, they wouldn't just walk around in a short sleeve T-shirt. But the directors want there to be more drama so they don't have the characters do that for suspense. I know this is a huge comment but do you see my point? There's a line that can be crossed when making a movie unrealistic. When you can't sympathize with the characters you see anymore then you lose interest. That's why realistically done movies get the best ratings.

[@Cherryyyy8715]

I saw this in theaters, and lemme say, It's a totally different experience than at home. The Grabber is such a terrifying antagonist, even if some of his methods are a little silly at times. I also teared up at Robin's speech to Finney. It was so inspiring for a horror film. I really liked The Black Phone frfr

[@WildCard-ze3tm]

At 3:25 Robin is walking with such determination that, when I saw the movie, I thought he was either offering himself as a sacrifice or was working with the Grabber.

[@patiencewallace8453]

Me too. I feel any sane person would walk in the opposite direction. Plus, he was out in the middle of nowhere…

[@rondaherriott]

I have to give you a sin for not addressing the lack of psychological trauma Finn would have after being forced to kill another human to survive. He’s just happy and normal “call me Finn” at the end. It’s traumatic to take a life even when the perp deserves it. It’s always bugged me when they do this at the end of most horror movies.

[@HashknightGaming]

Perhaps they are but they are repressing it.

[@gentblue]

It was 1970s kid. Gen X kids killed 3 psycho boomers every week and buried them down abandoned coal mines to replenish future oil stocks! I know that Finn is technically a boomer too, which is why he took so long and needed ghostly phone calls.

[@DH-xw6jp]

It's repression and cope. No different than a soldier or EMT laughing about someone being splattered like a dropped bowl of chili

[@mancave10369]

I’d like to see a horror movie in which the killer is not killed but arrested

[@gentblue]

@@mancave10369 Not many of these around. Does SeVen count?

[@billyblackattacks]

The movie deserves a sin off at the end when the grabber hears the voices on the phone and they all taunt him. It gave me chills and I was so pumped lol

[@christopherjove7035]

I agree with you about dads in horror movies. They dont always have to be abusive and I hate that they usually are. However I think something like that is usually important to the protagonist to help them beat their demons (both physical and inner) later in the movie.

[@ilikecurry2345]

Maybe they should just make a horror movie where they parody the whole "evil abusive father" thing and make the father the primary antagonist instead of the slasher villain. Bad Dad, rated R.

[@zalyxe]

your pfp is from thanks to them i appreciate you as a human xd

[@terrancecarmichael619]

I wonder why it’s only ever evil dads and not moms😂

[@lunatic5162]

@@terrancecarmichael619 google statistics maybe, genius

[@mancave10369]

@@ilikecurry2345 SCARY MOVIE 6

[@wanderingwildlife6639]

I saw the trailer before a movie and was completely confused because i was practically certain it was a “silence your phone “ ad until they said when the movie would come out. I sat there like the calculating meme until the movie started

[@mancave10369]

Missed opportunity for a trailer

[@DemonLordGamingAC0]

The reason the fighter kid taught Finney to lunge forwards then backwards was so that he could dodge the Grabber trying to... Grab

[@onix9818]

I love thatmost of the points off was because of Madeline's acting and the lines written for her character in particular. She has a real future in acting with all that talent and she is still so young. It is amazing to see.

[@MasterSteef]

"You dumb F@#king Fart Knockers!" Is one of the best movie lines of the whole year. 😂 Gwen was easily the best part of this excellent movie.

[@alexsmith2885]

Theghost kids dont start talking on the first call or say more than his name in the second because theyre new to being ghosts and gaining control of their ability to onnect with the other side. Finn has a touch of the shining or whatever from his mom and the psychic connection takes awhile to build. You wouldnt expect a fresh poltergeist to be able to just go nuts right away. Also explains why the kid used the bottle to point, speaking was too draining so using an object to point was all he could do

[@salinium]

I think a child with a GOOD upbringing facing some horror would be more interesting, since it's such a stark contrast to their normal life. If they get their ass kicked and terrorized 24/7, it's just another day for them!

[@Marie-pr1ss]

Exactly!!! Why not have them grow up with a normal upbringing, then when the horror starts, they can learn and grow from their experience. Instead of already being desensitized to abuse!!!

[@afiftysixteen9584]

@@Marie-pr1ss because a normal sheltered kid would get killed in the first 10 min. He'd just be crying in the corner until he got taken out.

[@afiftysixteen9584]

Nah. He would die too fast. Never faced anything negative so would have no idea how to deal with the situation. Just like real life. In this situation a kid from a rough upbringing would have a way better chance to get away and fight back than a sheltered kid with a good upbringing who's never even used a fly swatter

[@fullysemiautomatic5618]

@@afiftysixteen9584 yes but that would make it more interesting. If the entire time you think the kid is a pussy and sheltered it would be even more suspenseful to see him in a life or death situation because you truly wouldn’t know what to expect and it would make his fear more realistic and relatable to viewers

[@salinium]

@@afiftysixteen9584 Maybe it's not that he's never faced anything negative, his parents and siblings just don't use him for a punching bag hahahaha

[@187mrsmith]

This movie made you feel like you was in the '70s what a crazy time to be alive...serial killers were running rampant everybody left their doors unlocked thinking they were safe little did you know you had a serial killer living next to you!

[@trinaq]

Precisely, they were very accurate about certain situations which would raise several concerns in 2022 being treated as irrelevant in 1978. The police don't bat an eye at spotting obvious cocaine on Max's table, children are allowed to walk home from school despite the looming threat of a serial killer, and Robin apparently doesn't even get into any trouble for beating another boy up on school grounds.

[@TheGrandmaMoses]

Ye, other countries do it like this today, minus the serial killers. I often go shopping and leave my garage door wide open, never a problem. Once I left my keys in my lock from Friday to Monday morning, found them Monday morning in the lock where I left them Friday. Can't think of any other life. You guys can't do that, you allowed them to sell dozens of millions of weapons and you allowed everyone to get one and you tried to keep your suburbs homogenized - and now nobody is safe and everybody is angry. Well done!

[@rahbeeuh]

@@TheGrandmaMoses wdym? Plenty of white neighborhoods don't lock their doors. They have security cameras and some might have weapons so any "suspiciousness" raises both those things.

[@TheGrandmaMoses]

@@rahbeeuh By generating these white suburbs the inner cities were vacated for minorities and minorities only, which compounded already existing problems there like a magnifying glass focuses sunbeams. Now in 2022 you have minorities ( which aren't that minor anymore judging by US population statistics ) which are unhappy and have lots of guns. Which in turn makes the folks that fled the cities afraid, so they have to go into the arms race in the suburbs with cameras or neighbourhood watches ( or even walls! ). And in the end nobody feels safe or happy. At least that's how it looks like from my perspective, not being an english-speaking native and all that. It seems that your fault lines still run along ethnicities, and on top of that you have lots of guns. That simply cannot be a recipe for success.

[@SgtSupaman]

@@TheGrandmaMoses , it's mostly just the democrat-run cities really. Get out of those into the country and small towns and you can leave your doors unlocked and wander around on streets without worrying about getting shot (even though there are more guns out in the country, because the thugs are the problem, not the guns). Not all of America is what you think.

[@Wolfbane382]

God, I love this movie. And while it's not as likely to happen nowadays, watching this from a parent's POV ((I have two of my own.)) I felt the same terrifying feeling Finny was. And I cheered when he took The Grabber down.

[@rahbeeuh]

Not as likely to happen today? Y'mean kidnappings or abductions? While not as likely to happen like they used to, they still happen if we aren't careful with our children.

[@Wolfbane382]

@@rahbeeuh That is what I meant. I do apologize if I worded my comment wrong. >

[@rahbeeuh]

@@Wolfbane382 no worries, it's possible I misunderstood your comment. Thanks for clarifying 😎

[@Wolfbane382]

@@rahbeeuh You're very welcome. ^_^

[@Supl3xcity]

@@rahbeeuh is that not what they said?

[@devin_so_devious]

I love when it's very clear that Jeremy really likes a movie. We still get the jokes and sins but also genuine praise and sin removals

[@DJColdCutz_]

Saw this movie 3 times in theaters. It shocked me how good it was. The child actors were amazing. The masks were super creepy. Blumhouse movies have been killing it recently.

[@Zanza007]

Except Halloween Ends haha

[@DJColdCutz_]

@@Zanza007 I haven’t seen that one yet, and also, #NotMyBlumhouse lol

[@coconutcat4461]

No shit I saw it 3 times too. Once by myself, took my boyfriend and then my sibling. I couldn't get over how amazing it was, looking for the movie poster for my room now!

[@Matsoni85]

Can you give me another one?

[@Matsoni85]

@@DJColdCutz_ Tip me of one movie like this

[@romeoelopez24]

McGraw nailed her role. The ending was awesome and satisfying!

[@anthonylesley982]

Lies

[@rahbeeuh]

Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) looked familiar to me and it was because I mistook her for her little sister Violet McGraw (younger Nell in Haunting of Hill House). Anyway both are truly talented actresses!

[@anthonylesley982]

Madeleine sucked

[@619jasso]

Yes! She was truly the standout for the kids in that series! Truly made me love and cry for her as her story unfolded.

[@rahbeeuh]

@@619jasso ohh y'mean Violet? Yeah I was heartbroken for her and the way her story unfolded. It was quite the story to follow that's for sure

[@rahbeeuh]

@Justin Gary definitely

[@93pinkrockgirl]

Yep all the McGraw siblings are actors. Violet was just in M3gan and played a great part! I hope her and Madeline get more parts because they’re both great.

[@FrancoFuentes]

I just gotta say, I got a homie who will fall asleep with his glasses in his hand and never drops em😂so IM removing those sins from the count

[@VERDICTInsanity]

The acting from the children in this movie is some of the best I’ve ever seen, the young girl especially. I think the brother-sister bond is the best part of the movie.

[@enishi4ty5]

@16:32 to be fair, the cops approached the sister because she had knowledge of unreleased information and after questioning her and her dad(and likely others around her) determined whether its true or not, she is giving reliable information. i think the fact she independently suggested a location they had already investigated gives her a lot of credibility from a logical perspective. if you dont believe in ghosts you could assume she’s witnessing the crime, traumitized/lying but compelled to intervene, or just be desperate for anything possibly useful to move on

[@sbg649]

Like the most logical assumption is she witnessed something in her brain submerged her memories but they keep showing up in her dreams not realizing they were memories. Vision or not but it makes sense they listened.

[@skyrushyesminderaserno1150]

One of my favorites! Thank you for sinning it! Gwen’s profanity and Finney’s final call with Robin are my favorite parts

[@Zanza007]

They establish at the beginning of the movie that the police officers believe the girl's dreams. She was the only one who knew about the black balloons, and it was not known to the public. So, when she calls them with a house number and a description, they are going to act on it. If the movie hadn't gone out of its way to have that earlier scene I'd agree with the sin, but in this case I think they did a good job of communicating the frustration of the police officers wanting to solve the case and them being convinced her dreams mean something.

[@logeyperogi1805]

Even if they didn’t believe in the whole dreams and ghosts stuff, they’d still likely send at least two officers to investigate for her Police who just write people off as crazy and don’t actually do anything are assholes, because even if I’m not psychic, I’d still hope the police would at least look into my suggestion, rather than write it off as impossible and stupid

[@CollinThomasEverett]

The having to repeat “nighty night naughty boy” is such a funny idea 😂😂 he has to keep hitting him until it knocks him out lmfaoo

[@ZombieNoodles13]

9:02 One thing I appreciated about this movie is that it doesn’t just go for the 100% pure evil abuser trope like many many many movies have before, because a lot of abusers aren’t aware of/inadvertently abusing the abusee. There are some genuinely manipulative and cruel people in the world but many abusers are just broken people doing their best and dealing with their own pain and demons, but genuinely care about the people in their life, even if they’re abusive.

[@randomnessltd]

I like the fact that the mask is a way of him hiding his face from his victims so he doesn't have to look them in the eyes and feel guilty for, you know, capturing and then killing them.

[@latiana6934]

I loved the fact that he said call him Finn. If I’m not mistaken that’s how some movies say end. Fin. He basically said call him the end. Might be a reach but I thought it was cool.

[@jenx5870]

Finis is actually the Latin phrase for the end, so the theory doesn't hold up. It was a good thought, though.

[@LucidVibes87]

Fin is actually french for end so it actually does hold up.

[@Zatoka.]

The whole theater cheered when he killed the grabber. The whole movie people were reacting. It was awesome.

[@TheDemonizedTD]

Bruh same it's one of those amazing moments where it feels like the entire theater came in a van together lmao. Ee laughed at Gwen, screamed and rooted collectively when Finn was trying to escape, and clapped when he killed him. You would've thought we were all friends in there 😂

[@samvoss6697]

When Gwen called the cops fartknockers and asked Jesus WTF, everyone in the theater were laughing so hard!

[@Jackofalltrades420]

Honestly the scariest thing to do after watching this movie is walking out of the theater alone at night in the bad part of town. I practically ran to my car.

[@moonlily1]

In regards to these phone ghosts, I'm reminded of a line from True Blood- "why do dead people gotta be so cryptic? It ain't cute."

[@helveteisme]

you forgot to sin the part where finney RUNS IN A STRAIGHT LINE on the pavement while being chased by the van when he could have just turned any direction into another house lol

[@addison-2557]

I assume because he hadn’t eaten a real meal in like days and was running on pure adrenaline. So he was not thinking straight 😂

[@saiki5484]

This movie was pretty good, i went in with low expectations and it was actually pretty good, but sad part was my crush kissed my best friend whilst watching this movie.

[@trinaq]

Aww, my condolences, you have all of my sympathy! 💖

[@PAINDAGOAT29]

Damn, that's sad 😔

[@chiefturion7134]

Are they even your best friend at that point?

[@rileighbeans1695]

PAHAHQHGQ OH NOOOO

[@duvan-solis]

@@chiefturion7134 I mean, why be bitter if your friend is achieving things...

[@vickielawson3114]

11:19 - You misinterpreted that line wildly. Ghost kid means you’re basically invisible as a child but after your abduction, you’re statewide news. Sin yourself!

[@vickielawson3114]

I haven’t even seen this movie and I knew what that line meant!

[@sunshot55]

Actually, the bike lock used on the door isn't the Paperboy's. The bike lock Belonged to Griffen, the first victim, while The Paperboy, or Billy, was the second.

[@jasondyrkacz8270]

Griffen couldn't tell Finney the combination?

[@sunshot55]

@@jasondyrkacz8270 he couldn't remember it, he tells Finn he wrote it on the wall so he wouldn't forget it

[@mwahbeverly]

I’m just going to go over some points that were in this video, in the comments, and on Tiktok. Some are obvious while others aren’t: - It seems to be that the Grabber is based off a true child kidnapper and murderer that was in the 70’s. John Wayne Gacy. Both the Grabber and Gacy kidnapped only children (Gacy also kidnapped young men), specifically boys. As the movie progresses, you will start to see some similarities. Some examples: Burying kids underneath a house, dressing up as “characters” that children would like (Gacy was a clown, the Grabber was a magician), and they both assaulted the young boys. - I brought this up because, well for starters, Griffin is a boy. And that’s one of the reason why he got kidnapped. He was also probably alone at the time and it was very common in the 70’s for alone children to just get snatched up in the open and then get put into a truck. Griffin did mention that no one knew who he was, meaning that he was an easy target. The Grabber most likely watched the children, on where they usually go and act. That’s maybe why he knew Robin was going, to the store to get snacks for him and Finney. This might also be why he had Vance the longest. Vance was obviously not a good kid, and he liked that because he liked “naughty boys.” - Even though it didn’t say that the Grabber has s*xually assaulted the children it is very much implied in the movie. The way the Grabber’s shirt is off while he’s sitting in the chair, Vance’s lines to Finney, and Griffin talking about the “naughty boy” game. - The bed was bolted to the floor, so even if Finney wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to move it. This may be because one of the previous boys moved the bed and was able to get to the window. If that’s the case then it would make sense for the Vance situation. Vance told Finney to get inside the freezer and he was going to be able to escape, because Vance was able to escape that way. But they both probably didn’t know that the freezer was in fact locked from the outside. The Grabber used things and ideas that were from the boys, and uses it to stop escape attempts for the future. For example, the Grabber took Griffin’s bike lock to lock the door, and the belt the Grabber uses to get ready to beat Finney belongs to Robin - I noticed that a lot of people wanted Finney to just kill the Gripper. But that wasn’t his #1 motive. His #1 motive was to escape. Finney didn’t know how to stand up for himself too and that was the entire point of the call between him and Robin. Robin motivated him and taught him how to fight because it was clear that Finney was out of escape ideas and didn’t know what to do. He was losing hope. He’s also a kid, and I doubt that every kid’s first instinct is to kill. Finney didn’t grow up to learn that you should only kill or anything like that, he was pushed to breaking point. Once you push someone to their breaking point or even over it, that can mess up their thinking. Whether they do something irrational or they do something completely out of character for them. And even if it was his first instinct, doubts will also come with that thought. He was stronger than Finney, they’re both pretty smart, and the Grabber had weapons. So without that trap he had, I’m not to sure if he would’ve escaped. - Only thing I’m confused about is how the Grabber managed to get both Robin AND Vance. I truly don’t think that Vance wanted to see a magic trick, nor Robin at the time. They’re both also strong and know how to fight but they’re still kids. It seems to be that Robin was going straight to the Grabber, but he was actually going to the store. So I’m thinking that maybe he was just minding his business, but he still didn’t even stop and stare at the guy coming towards him?? Now I have no idea what happened to Vance. I came up with the theory that Vance lied about his address when he got arrested because he didn’t want to make his mom disappointed, (he’s canonically a momma’s boy) this leads to him walking into the house where the bodies were hidden. That’s where he got caught. But then again, this was all in Gwen’s dream. So unless the author of the book states how they got kidnapped, I guess it’s up for our imagination.

[@floridasavannah]

That last point is where I called bs on the movie. Most serial killers are whimps who want to feel a sense of power by dominating people weaker than them (children, petite women, smaller gay men, etc...) and never ever go after strong men. The 1st victim was physically a grown man with enough strength to hurt the cops. The only logic I could find is that he might have been the Grabber's own son/1st victim. That he was abusive to the kid for being "naughty" and went onto others when he was killed.

[@snoodledumpling4486]

Oooooh, he was dressed up like a magician. I was wondering why he looked like a store brand Kindersnatcher.

[@arirenzi-surprenant]

@@floridasavannah that’s what I thought!! I didn’t understand how he ended up getting Vance or why he was at the Grabbers house. I thought he was the Grabbers son.

[@jimmiesavage437]

CPTSD. That's why they can hold onto things while being asleep. It's an acute alertness that happens when you experience extreme trauma

[@cleverbunny7541]

2:22 man I just need a compilation of every time a movie made Jeremy laugh. It’s just so fun to hear

[@tylor4613]

so a quick explanation, robin knew his name because he was the most recent child to have passed, bruce didn’t, being the first of the movie.

[@russellvitranoiii3504]

I love your videos, and I always have, but this is one of the first times I've actually wanted to see the movie that's been video'd because of your take on it. Good job!

[@marcy2225]

What’s crazy is this has really been the only horror movie I’ve seen recently that I’ve actually liked. I went to the theater to watch it and it kept me tense most of the movie (me and this other guy actually leaving because we both thought something absolutely terrible was about to happen) and as someone who needs to be doing something while watching a movie it’s crazy I barely touched my phone while watching it

[@fangal12]

I did laugh out loud when the police instantly scrambled, no questions asked based off the dream of a 9 year old

[@henners98]

As usual I’m clicking in the hope for sin removals

[@joanmilton9986]

Finn should have gotten dinged for committing the Prometheus running away from things sin. He should have cut to his right and ran through the backyards.

[@mimonikeda5768]

I don't understand how none of the kids thought to break the glass bottle the Grabber gave them and use a shard to attack him when he comes down or when he's sleeping at the top of the stairs.

[@slothsyndrome.5551]

*Ding*

[@lifeofrex4377]

@@slothsyndrome.5551 Yep

[@quinnhullett4714]

That or the toilet tank lid to knock out The Grabber. Can’t belieeeeve he didn’t use that more…

[@thomasshelby6055]

You cant do that! You gotta listen to the ghost kids for their ghost advices that never worked lmao.

[@verneshabritt3262]

Who's to say they didn't and that's why their dead. In the book it explains that Robin never even made it to the basement because he fought back

[@artuitous]

I been waiting for this one! Ever since I saw it in theaters I was hoping you'd do this. It was a great movie though.

[@dustinrose4047]

I thought Robin still knew who he was because he was the most recently killed so maybe his memory didn't fade yet

[@rabbitfishtv]

The kids don’t know their names because they have become the forgotten dead. Everyone remembers the names of serial killers but not their victims. The ghost boys want Timmy to survive so they are not forgotten.

[@CafefantasmaMX]

But Vance and Robin does remember their names….

[@camhongluu4189]

“Bat phone” for Bruce and Robin is a subtle joke! Goddang it’s so fast I burst out!!

[@galaxythepanda]

The one problem I have with this movie is when Finney went to open the door while the grabber was asleep, he definitely should've just grabbed a knife from the kitchen and killed the grabber

[@Itc17]

Fr and with all the glass bottles the grabber gave him what was stopping him from camping the door and stabbing him with a broken one

[@shaebubblegum3212]

This movie was so good! I had moments I laughed and was purely shocked and cheered lol

[@vengeful_bread]

You forgot the time he stabbed the grabber, and then got kidnapped, and the grabber didn't take his weapon.

[@autumnluck97]

He said that

[@ursularowe3353]

I really enjoyed this when I saw it in theaters, honestly.

[@aspecimen6939]

I accidentally watched this movie by choosing the wrong stream on a piracy site so I had no idea what the name was. Meaning I had no idea what the significance of the phone was. Next level movie experience

[@Mythraen]

"But after you cut out my guts... won't I already be dead." Guts are intestines (the only organ you're likely to strangle someone with), and you do not die the moment they're removed. In fact, in every fiction where it's been brought up, I always hear that a gut wound is a slow and painful way to die.

[@jenx5870]

Disembowelment has been an historical form of punishment and torture for quite some time. Thankfully (?) after several minutes, most people become unconscious from blood loss. Those who don't, likely go into shock, which does have a natural painkiller involved in the process, and can cause euphoria. However, they do suffer horribly before that occurs. Of course, severe pain and psychological horror can occur for some of the victims for hours instead of minutes, if the procedure is done "correctly". May the innocent victims of such a process RIP.

[@kitouchyy]

I fell in love with this movie and you've made some valid points but I'm choosing to ignore them because this movie is the reason I breathe

[@KS-PNW]

I think it's unfair to sin a story written by Stephen King's son for having Stephen King tropes in it. Just my opinion...

[@amycox5733]

@@KS-PNW actually I think it’s one of the situations where it is most fair. Like, King is to horror as Tolkien is to fantasy, there’s gonna be at least some reference or similarity. But if I was his kid, I’d avoid, I’d wanna make my own name

[@NitsuaEsahc]

I told my dad that Finney looks like the love child of Dustin from Stranger Things, and Tom Holland during the baseball scene, and he busted out laughing 😂

[@tierranialator]

My take on the whole “none of the ghosts know their names except robin” thing was that Finnie obviously has inherited some psychic powers from his mother, and since HE was the conduit to the spirits rather than the phone the ghosts channel off of his energy. Finnie didn’t really know any of the other victims personally but Robin was his friend. They didn’t know their names because Finnie didn’t know their names when they were alive. Or something like that. Would also explain why all of the sudden he could see one of the kids randomly. His spirit clearly held on to the most anger from his life time and it gave him more energy to use, as evidenced by being able to appear as a full body apparition and his screams being able to cause an “earth quake” for Finn.

[@MrCheatCode]

I like how you put an un-skippable commercial right after your mistake about the window bars... Finn uses them in the hole as a trap that breaks the grabbers ankle.

[@pdw8635]

The crowding the plate would absolutely result in a brushback pitch. Take a half step back, Mo Vaughn. Up and in to send a message, every pitcher knows that.

[@velgax]

13:20 the transition was so good holy shit I laughed

[@gothical_gacha]

I will say, the ghosts fucking with Finney is definitely the kids just having fun then the responsible one saying "guys stop we should help him"

[@twentywordsorlessYT]

If I had £1 for every time I saw a 2022 adaptation of a horror novella whose author loved it (the adap) so much it inspired him to write a sequel, I would have £2. Not a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice.

[@HashknightGaming]

Didn't the guy who wrote game of thrones do this several times?

[@twentywordsorlessYT]

@@HashknightGaming Huh?

[@HashknightGaming]

@@twentywordsorlessYT I do believe the guy was writing them for the show.

[@karirose3513]

Please do "One Missed Call". Love your videos!

[@GNARK1LL420]

I was wondering if that basement window was shatterproof or something? Could have stacked the carpets and used the phone or toilet lid to break it and climb out.

[@Dishinshoryuken]

Soundproof glass is usually more sturdy strong than regular glass

[@gabriel7664]

If you're a parent...this will be the best scary movie you never want to see again.

[@sweetbabyboo5]

I absolutely agree!

[@Lydia-dd9bo]

5:20 - Didn't you know?- Deaf people have x-ray vision, duh?

[@EthanDarke]

Well it's certainly not the mild mannered grocery manager he mentions, but Jeremy Davies *did* play a naive and kinda shy office jockey Corporal in 'Saving Private Ryan'

[@chemtrooper]

“Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came. You want to go where people know, our troubles are all the same. You want to go where everybody knows your name.” 😂

[@abrahamfarraj84]

I had a blast with this movie. Ethan Hawke had a year, dude.

[@rossigrace5031]

I watched "you dumb f*cking fart knockers" way more times than I should have and my ribs hurt 🤣

[@hannahsings19]

I watched this in theatres and i was pleased! Its a solid horror film, but i do wish they would have elaborated on the killers backstory a bit, but hey, i give it 2 thumbs up!

[@KS-PNW]

I'd recommend reading the book if you want more background info

[@ridefree9160]

I'd be down for a sequel where they show that

[@LoveHandle4890]

Ironic how a mental health ad played during the review of a psychological thriller.

[@Starfals]

The movie was really good, i was surprised how little they used and how effective it was.

[@nnamexx2056]

A sin for Finney beating the Grabber with the phone rather than the toilet tank he used to bash to the freezer. Also, he didn’t even try to kill the Grabber when he was ASLEEP

[@MOBROOKS]

I freakin loved this film. Thanks for doing this one. I feel this is BY FAR ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR. Loved the authentic baseball youth league footage. I loved all of the spirit the kick ass kids had, especially the young sister. Plus I loved how all of the bullies in this film got their comeuppance 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@bayarea510]

it was extended predictable and had only like 3 deaths

[@MOBROOKS]

@@bayarea510 Actually there were 5 deaths and they were all significant and they all had character. Oh I get it. You thought this was gonna be a slasher film. In that case I can see why you were disappointed because this is definitely not that. The Black Phone is a suspense thriller with supernatural elements, Kind of like the Sixth Sense. However, don’t fret. Halloween kills is out. That seems to be more your kind of thing. Enjoy.

[@randomyoutubeuser53462]

@@MOBROOKS but there was alot of parts that werent explained

[@sdfkjgh]

17:22 Frankly, I'd rather he sang Neil Cicierega's T.I.M.E. What he's doing sounds more like Judge Mentok doing some rather intense mind-taking. **DINGDING!**

[@Jorie921]

All jokes aside, this movie was awesome and these kids were amazing actors. Both Mcgraw girls are going to be Oscar winners eventually.

[@sdfkjgh]

3:54 Also, stealing the "red-headed bully" from _A Christmas Story._ **DING!**

[@Avacutie]

one of my fav movies and watching this made me laugh so much lmao

[@bigboybenkenobi]

how the fuck have you seen this already

[@maximilian1716]

@@bigboybenkenobi its been out for months? lol

[@Sams_fangirlera]

@@maximilian1716 their talking about the video because they commented like 1 minute after the video came out and said it made them laugh

[@josephparks8975]

To be fair. If I were a detective and a kid told me that they saw something in a vision, I might think perhaps they were dealing with the trauma of something they really saw and possible look into it.

[@thedjuanmooreshow2356]

Watch this in theaters couldn't even stay to the end man was this a rough one

[@Kiahhhhhhhh]

It was so bad

[@bayarea510]

@@Kiahhhhhhhh right! This movie was a let down

[@afiftysixteen9584]

Damn hate to see the movies you think are good

[@afiftysixteen9584]

@@Kiahhhhhhhh if you're a scared little girl

[@errorunderscore8087]

It is a crime that the line "my dreams are just dreams" that gwen yells after their dad beats her. The actress did that all by herself and it was amazing

[@grapeshot]

I wonder if this will become a franchise that will become crappier over time. Maybe the mask will become a horror icon.

[@kieranwatt1937]

doubtful. it's trash, and did fuck all new that's not been done before. it doesn't stand out enough for people IMO

[@Celticrose9999]

@@kieranwatt1937 you mean it somehow had less new ideas than the dozen or so FRANCHISES of masked baddies chasing around hot girls armed with some variation of a bladed weapon? Seriously? Innovation doesn't equate to "popular" or even "good"

[@motherplayer]

Oh yeah. Just wait for the sequel when they completely de-mystify the grabber and his methods and even end up over-explaining it all because ambiguity is for box office bombs.

[@taylorglover73]

Also that 28th sin was EXACTLY what I was thinking

[@XTruelyOmnipotentX]

This movie was ok more then anything

[@bambicrandi]

The ending kind of fell short for me. It wasn’t really a twist, it was more of an “oh, that makes sense.” I was expecting more at the end.