THE BLACK PHONE (2022) Review
Directed by Scott Derrickson
I’m not the type of person who’s confidently brave about scary stuff. But watching horror movies is exciting for me. It is that one genre, if good enough, that really takes my mind off the tons I’m thinking about. And I’m thankful to have watched The Black Phone, because it completely got my mind off my worries and anxieties. Oh, well. It replaced them with something I need to address at that moment.
What a stress-inducing, heart-racing supernatural horror. The Black Phone puts Scott Derrickson in his best form again.
The film is definitely not for the faint of heart. I was already bothered with the visuals in the trailer and the actual film is just way worse. I mean, if you need images for your nightmares, The Black Phone has them for you.
But more than the horror, I’m relieved that the film also is heartwarming. Can you imagine someone being touched and crying while watching a horror movie? That happened to me with The Black Phone. And the soft moment was surprising. It kind of felt like I let my guard down for something that would make me feel vulnerable but the film manages to make a moment feel like it was a problem I was relieved of for years and finally, I’m free. I wanted to cry but I was alone in a very intimate screening.
4 OUT OF 5 STARS
‘The Black Phone’ opens in Philippine cinemas on July 20, with sneak previews on July 11 and July 12 from Universal Pictures Philippines. Rated R-13 by the MTRCB.