Scott Derrickson's The Black Phone is one of the noteworthy horror movies to come out in recent years. The film was a great adaptation of Joe Hill's short story, it featured an awesome villain played by Ethan Hawke, and had a notable performance by a young boy called Mason Thames who we're sure could probably have a career in horror if he wanted.
The Black Phone tells the story of a town terrorized by a serial abductor called The Grabber (Hawke). Finney is one of the victims that falls into the hands of the horrible man who's constantly wearing masks and has erratic behavior. He locks Finney in a soundproof basement where he's forced to sleep on a dirty mattress. On the wall, there's a black phone. And when the black phone rings, Finney answers. From the other end, the souls of dead victims speak to him. Some of them make a presence in the room. Finney finds out The Grabber abducted, murdered, and buried them across the street.
Ultimately, Finney gets the courage to fight the man with a little help from his new friends in this scary horror film from a director who knows how to do them. If The Black Phone's your thing, and you're still up for more horror, we have a treat for you: a list of similar films that can help you stay in the mood. Just don't say we didn't warn you.
10 10 Cloverfield Lane
10 Cloverfield Lane is two films in one. On one hand, we have a captivity story about a couple that's trying to escape from a seemingly bad guy that's keeping them locked in an underground bunker. But, the film is also about the power of the doubt, about the possibility that what the bad guy says is actually true. In any case, both scenarios have terrible developments and consequences. 10 Cloverfield Lane is an underrated horror film with impressive performances by its three leads.
9 Creep
Creep is a great concept: a filmmaker accepts a gig to shoot the last messages given by a dying man in a remote location. The thing is maybe all Josef wants is to have a friend, and he happens to find one in Aaron. Yeah, but we all know where this goes when Josef starts showing erratic behavior that doesn't get creepy until the end, which by the way, is a great way to conclude this found footage gem.
8 Sheitan
Not many people saw Sheitan back when it was released in 2006, but this doesn't mean you shouldn't watch it. The story is pretty simple and maybe one you've seen before: a group of friends decides to accept the invitation of a stranger they met in a bar to go visit her family in the countryside. Of course, the man who receives them believes he must prepare a gift for the unborn son his sister is carrying for him after the Devil told him it was okay to do so. Vincent Cassel stars in one of his best roles.
7 Sinister
Derrickson's Sinister is a great companion piece to The Black Phone. It's got creepy kids, also features Ethan Hawke, and disturbing imagery. Only in this one, the supernatural element is discovered through a series of homemade videos that will surely give you nightmares. Or at least, they'll be unnerving enough to make you sell your lawnmower. It tells the story of a true crime writer who finds disturbing videos in the house where he just moved to, and when he starts seeing them, things start happening to his family.
6 Don't Breathe
A great captivity film that doesn't simply rest on the power of its premise. The story is about criminals who decide to enter the house of a vulnerable man to try to rob him, only there's much more than just a blind man in this house. The secrets in Don't Breathe are riveting and make for a great thriller that gets better with each watch.
5 The Devil's Backbone
In Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone, ghosts behave similarly to the ones in The Black Phone. The resemblance of the story is uncanny. It tells the story of children who witness strange occurrences in the orphanage they live in during the Spanish Civil War. Apparently, it has to do with a violent event that took place there years ago, and whose culprit is still free.
4 Kiss the Girls
A '90s thriller that sadly fell under the shadow of more prominent films of the same genre like Se7en and Silence of the Lambs. Regardless, Kiss the Girls is a solid crime film based on James Patterson's novel that tells the story of a ruthless serial killer terrorizing everyone. Fortunately, one of his victims gets away, and she helps a forensic psychologist catch the bad guy.
3 The Lovely Bones
The Lovely Bones didn't deserve the hate it got when it was released. Yes, it's inconsistent sometimes, but it's insanely well-shot and features some pretty good performances. Like The Black Phone, it features someone from the afterlife giving advice in our realm and helping people catch her killer before he strikes again. It's also aesthetically similar to Derrickson's feature.
2 Calvaire
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The 2004 Belgian film Calvaire is one you will probably watch once and never again. It's a horrific journey that messes up your mind from the start as a young traveling artist meets someone that will end his life. Slowly. The artist becomes sort of a puppet to the lonely man's repressed sexual desires. The worst thing? Escaping the house won't be enough.
1 The Boy Behind the Door
The Boy Behind the Door is a great thriller about two friends who get kidnapped by a horrible man, and he locks them up in a remote house. However, the two boys are clever and strong-willed, and they won't stop trying to escape. The performance by young actor Lonnie Chavis is proof that he's got a long career ahead of him.
If you want to revisit The Black Phone, it's available to stream on Prime Video.
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