The Black Phone (2021) KILL COUNT

foreign [Music] count where we tally up the victims in all our favorite horror movies I'm James agenise and today we're looking at the black phone which premiered at Fantastic Fest in 2021. the black phone takes place in the 70s and follows a teenager abducted by a local serial killer the kid is locked up in a room with an old phone which he uses to communicate with his captor's previous victims it's a serial killer crime flick with some Supernatural touches that highlights the resiliency of youths the movie is based on the short story of the same name written by Joe Hill his stories have been adapted for the screen before perhaps most notably within the Tall Grass Hill is the son of legendary novelist Stephen King and it shows this adaptation is so full of classic King tropes you'd be forgiven if you thought it took place in Maine the black phone was written by Scott Derrickson with a screenplay co-written by Derrickson and C Robert Cargill these are the guys who brought us the modern classic Sinister as well as the first Doctor Strange movie Derrickson was originally supposed to direct in the Multiverse of Madness too but he left the project due to creative difference says most likely he wanted to make it more of a horror film the good news is that when he left that movie he and Cargill turned around and made this one the black phone is one of many many amazing horror movies that had a wide release in 2022 while it didn't quite Electrify me as much as some of the others I think it's really well made with phenomenal performances specifically from the two lead kids and Ethan Hawke in a rare villainous turn as the Grabber it also manages to have an optimism to it despite the dark subject matter Ethan Hawke called it a scary movie with a heart of gold for anyone who finds comfort in Stephen King's stories with their small towns and magical realism the black phone will surely deliver with a couple of good scares along the way how many kills will the grabber uh what hello oh mom how'd you get this number oh don't you worry about that at all I was just putting together my Christmas list and I was wondering if there was anything you think would be good for me yeah oh yeah that's easy today's spot raycon oh that earbud company you're always talking about oh Mom it is not just earbuds okay they have wireless earbuds headphones and speakers that offer premium sound a comfortable fit and battery life up to 54 hours wow that's so many things you know what I'm gonna add those to my list and hope that you know maybe possibly a good family member might get them for me you know what Mom don't worry about it all right I'd be happy to buy them for you after all they already started about half the price of other premium audio Brands oh look that's so lovely dear oh thank you for thinking of your mother in fact I might even knock out the rest of my list with them since raycon's holiday bundles get me 30 off yeah and then maybe you could also get some for those uh many employees that you have at the dead meats you know what I just might after all with Fitness gaming and everyday earbuds there's something for everyone's interests oh you're right aren't you the best son and boxed okay I gotta go Jamesy I'll talk to you laters bye Bye Mom I'm a great son and boss it worked I'm getting Recons you can get 20 off site wide or 30 off raycon's holiday bundles using Code early BF at the link in the description or at byraycon.com dead meat we'll also try to keep the description updated with the ever updating seasonal offers but you can always go to buy raycon.com dead meat to get the best deals available how many kills can we look up in this movie's black phone book let's find out and get to them the movie begins with ah son of a Steven a baseball game classic King it's 1978 in North Denver and 13 year old pitcher Finney Blake gets bested by rival Bruce Yamada who's a little cocky but still a good Sportsman man your arm is mint you almost had me Bruce slow rides around town looking cooler than I ever have or will be but as good times come to an end when he sees a black van bringing a Fade to Black to this baseball boy an eight millimeter missing person's Montage gives us a taste for this movie's 70 setting I love a good opening credit sequence that isn't just names over landscape shots especially when it evokes the filmmaker's previous horror work keep an eye out for any lawn mowers am I right Finney lives with his younger sister Gwen in a place so Suburban there are connected backyard paths leading to the school but this Denver suburb ain't entirely coolerado there's been a string of child abductions classic King by an unknown culprit nicknamed the Grabber this is the late 70s after all the age of Infamous serial killers like John Wayne Gacy Ted Bundy and David Berkowitz Finney has to face bullying at school classic King but thankfully he has a Karate Kid in his Corner Robin Ariano is one tough mammer Jammer as seen earlier when he was fighting a big bully named moose moose swung a slur and a fist at robin only to get his ass whooped holy Christian Batman is Robin going for the Impaler nah he stopped short of a kill switch but he definitely makes moose on prettier though we learned that Finney helps Robin with his math homework this doesn't feel like a transactional relationship these two boys seem like actual friends or at the very least affectionate mentor and mentee you're gonna have to stand up for yourself one of these days finny's home life is also a big bag of suck his dad Terence has such a short fuse mere bredbox banging and serial slurping can set him straight the fuck off you see you can slip that a little louder Finn's Pap is abusive and alcoholic as hell but the kids adapt and find a way to live with him watching William Castle movies probably helps oh shit The Tingler then he must be a podcast listener the Blake home is the best showcase case of this movie's attention to period detail production designer Patty podesta helped recreate director Scott derrickson's memories of growing up in late 1970s North Denver in fact it was his decision to set the movie Here Joe Hill's original story takes place in Illinois and it's not just the set deck and wardrobe that makes this feel so much like the 70s cinematographer Brett jokowicz matched the movie's visual style to the ERA with his lighting and color palette he used a lot of Browns and sepias and shot with lenses that gave the film a softer period look Finney wakes up the next morning to some real-life horror Gwen being abused by their dad she had been questioned at school earlier by two detectives looking into the missing kids they heard that Gwen told a friend about a dream she had where the Grabber had black balloons a detail that's true but hasn't been released to the public turns out Gwen's got a bit of the shine or otherwise nondescript magical power classic King Terence is irate that Gwen's been talking about prophetic dreams and in a painful scene beats her until she repeats that she doesn't have powers my dreams are just dreams my dreams are just dreams amazing work by young actor Madeline McGraw who Derrickson says came up with that final somewhat defiant line delivery on her own my favorite acting moment in the whole movie and maybe in anything I've ever done she turns and she looks at me she gets mad and she's like my dreams are just dreams and I didn't tell her to do that that's a nine-year-old girl knowing her character great acting from a kid who's not old enough to watch his previous work I've been begging my mom to let me watch Sinister but she said definitely not she's even shaking her head right now I love that Gwen is a strong little kid who's not overly precocious even when she's cussing out cops like she were Beavis yeah I took him down because obviously I'm the Grabber you dumb fucking fart Knockerz now we see that her toughness is a way to mask the trauma she has from her broken home finny's crappy life is about to get crappier since Robin like Bruce before him stumbles upon that same black van and suffers the same black fade out with his buddy buddy bodyguard gone Vinnie and Gwen have to fend for themselves in a super violent kid fight which I mean you know what that is man it's classic King I'll stop pointing out king tropes now but this does make me want to do a random video all about him after school the young Walker crossfades his way home damn all these dissolves for just one street slow ass motherfucking Finney over here the pace picks up when Finney comes across a black van and a figure stumbles out of it sounded like an Animaniac oh I'm sorry what was that oh okay because at first I thought it was more like this Feller says he's a part-time magician and to prove it he says abracadrabia man nothing worse than a mouthful of sleeping bass Finney comes too in a grimy basement where the man now revealed to be the Grabber shows off his creepy PPE nothing bad is going to happen here you know I'm not sure why but I'm having a hard time believing this guy the Grabber is played by Ethan Hawke who previously worked with Derrickson on Sinister we've also seen him as the family patriarch in the middling original Purge the black phone relies on Hawk's performance for its tension and he delivers giving the Grabber an unsettling almost split-like instability the Grabber locks up for the night so Finney explores his new scare B and B which includes a dingy bathroom and some rolled up floor mats it also includes the titular telephone which despite being disconnected Rings one night the Grabber says it's just static electricity since the phone hasn't worked since his Boyhood that's a problem for Finney because the Grabbers also sound proof this basement in crawl space no one can hear you scream a couple of nights go by and the phone rings again this time there's a caller on the line the boy on the other end doesn't remember his own name but he does say some familiar phrases [Applause] Finney realizes he's talking to the ghost of Bruce Yamada first time caller long time dead kid his early life and abduction are played in another code of chromie Montage Bruce tells him that the phone rings for everyone but finny's the only one who's been able to hear their voices I was surprised to learn these calls weren't done in post-production the phone was hooked up so the kid actors could actually talk during the scenes we hooked it up so that when we pick up this phone on the outside of the set of the black phone inside will ring Bruce tells Finney about a loose tile in the bathroom which he removes to try and Shawshank his way to Freedom he hides the progress with one of the mats and turns in for another kidnap like a like a napping kid the next day before Sunrise the Grabber brings him breakfast on his way out he seemingly forgets to lock the door but when Finney moves to escape he receives another phone call it's a different voice this time who Finney identifies as deceased Paperboy Billy Showalter another Montage shows his life in kidnapping done by a Pennywise and Grabber Billy tells Finney the unlocked door is a trap and that the Grabber is waiting to beat him when he tries to leave damn look like that Grabber been grabbing them dumbbells know what I mean Billy also mentions that he tore a cable loose and hid it away Finney finds it and using a rolled up mat as a guide snakes it around the bars of the basement's only window wow I gotta call this kid the next time I lose the drawstring inside my hoodie Finney tries to climb to freedom but is unable to unlatch the window before the great breaks off the survival scenes are one of the best parts of the black phone I love watching a smart capable character try their best to escape an awful situation Gwen is having visions of a live-action NES Paperboy adaptation but the telepathic teenager would rather just know where her brother is unable to find Finney on her own she asks for help from her super shitty dad Terence reveals their mother also had Visions meaning Gwen's power is inherited this might explain why Finney is the only one who is able to hear the ghost voices but Finney and Gwen's mom eventually became overwhelmed by the visions and took her own life I just I don't know I'm I don't want that future for you sweetheart ah the old this is for your own good argument that's never fucked up a kid before Terence is played by prolific character actor Jeremy Davies who wasn't ravenous which we've covered on the podcast and of course lost yeah yeah Saving Private Ryan and all that dude will forever be Daniel Faraday to me the police are conducting their own search for Finney while going door to door they meet Max an eccentric out-of-towner who's crashing on his brother's couch Max is played by James Ransom last seen on the kill count as adult Eddie in it chapter 2. he's also a Derrickson regular having appeared in both Sinister movies as Deputy so-and-so Max is working on an amateur investigation and believes he's narrowed down where the Grabber lives the cops don't take him seriously though probably since Ziggy been dipping into white Mike's Supply maybe if Max spent less time powdering his nose he'd realize the boy he's looking for is in the basement right below him since the brother he's staying with has been Moon knighting as the Grabber Finney has brought another meal by the Grabber who's perplexed by the break in his murder routine everything's different nothing's going right it's enough to put the sad mouth on his mask the Grabbers instantly iconic mask was designed by Gore daddy Tom savini with input from Derrickson and sketch artist Levi Simpson they were inspired by movies like Mr sardonicus and The Man Who Laughs the modular mask with its three different mouths was created by special effects supervisor Jason Baker in his Pittsburgh Studio he had to make nearly 40 copies thanks to the mouth variations stunt requirements and coveted restrictions because of kovid that we couldn't let Ethan in the photo double share the same mask as he'd be breathing on it you know whole cross-contamination thing so then we had to make a whole separate set for the photo double the mask is a resin fiberglass hybrid with comfortable foam inside the one I have here on set wasn't screen used in the movie but it was used for promotional materials and sent by a friend at Universal thanks John Luca the Grabber says he'll let Finney go if he tells him his name but after catching him in a lie he leaves with the door unlocked to tempt him again Finney doesn't take the bait and is awoken that night by some extreme yoga this back bending Specter is Griffin's stag another victim whose ghostly appearance will get him added to the kill count does that mean I should have counted the Grady girls in The Shining kill count I mean yeah sure probably Griffin tells Finney the Grabber is playing a game called Naughty Boy as long as Finney doesn't play the Grabber can't kill him yet but that'll only be true for a little bit longer so he'd better find a way out of there Griffin says The house's door is secured with a bike lock that once belonged to him he wrote the combination on the wall but can't remember how the digits break up whether it's 23 31-7 or 233-17 or what have you the afterlife Amnesia means Finney will have to try all the combinations all while playing another game don't wake grabby from Parker Brothers Finney successfully escapes his Gattaca prison but on his way out a barking bad boy wakes up his catnapping kidnapper Finney screams for help outside but the Grabber catches up to him and threatens him into silence you say one fucking word you know you like a pig with no help coming from the neighborhood watch the Grabber puts an end to Finn's Adventure Time and brings him back to the basement Ethan Hawk had been reluctant to play evil characters because he was worried people would see him a different way if he did he frequently mentioned how Jack Nicholson was always seen as crazy after The Shining he decided to give it a shot though because of the material the director and where he was in his career the good news is I'm 51 now and so it might be the time for me to go to the dark side still he found it difficult to play such an evil character because there's no justification for his actions normally I say that I'm always like to be my character's lawyer if I was my character's lawyer in this case I think I would you know I would resign and just let the guy go to the death penalty you know I mean his solution was to play the Grabber like a wounded animal he also said it was easy to turn off the character as soon as the camera's cut catch the balloons okay you can hear all about it in my interview with him director Derrickson and The Mask makers Jason Baker and Tom savini a frustrated Finney is awakened by another call this time from a ghost resting in no amount of Peace this is it a horrifying nightmare in your pathetic little wife then he realizes he's talking to pinball Vance Hopper a notorious school bully who the Grabber grabbed earlier Vance's vicious reputation is Illustrated in a flashback where he beats up two kids who ruined his pinball game we see him taken outside by the police where he's joined by dream Warrior Gwen she sits in for a free ride in the popo mobile and perhaps in seps Vinnie's latest phone call this is it the horrifying nightmare in your pathetic little wife as Gwen takes stock of the Barbie Dream House Vance reveals that when he was a captive he broke through a wall in the bath room he was killed before he could Escape but Finney follows suit busting through concrete with a toilet lid like it were zepindo's skull his exit is blocked by a freezer so he dismantles the rest of the toilet and uses a washer to unscrew the back panel unfortunately the freezer can't be opened from the inside which makes sense it is a freeze her not a freeze him exhausted Finney breaks down believing his fate is sealed it's hard to believe this is 15 year old actor Mason thames's first feature film role due to covid he had to audition through Zoom a process he found awkward due to Wi-Fi issues glad his bandwidth came through since the kid does great going toe-to-toe with veteran actor Ethan Hawk the phone rings yet again but this time the caller is a Friendly Ghost listen happening it's Robin here to comfort his friend in his time of need and to finally get added to the kill count since Robin died recently he's more coherent than the other Spirits we're all created for the movie actually and Joe Hill's story Bruce is the only ghost kid caller but since creepy dead children are a forte of derricksons the others were added to the film their makeup was all practical done by department head Rick poor seems like they had a lot of fun on set Robin says it's time for Finney to start standing up for himself and teaches him how to weaponize the Phantom phone use the phone take a fast step back step forward step back and swing oh they even turned it into a little line dance that's nice with Finney's Training Day complete Robin lets him know this will be the last black phone call and the two friends say an emotional goodbye I miss you Robin you can get out for me here's what we gave you following Robin's advice finny packs the phone tight with dirt to give it hacked then kicks off his ultimate plan to bag that dagnabb Grabber outside Gwen races around the neighborhood looking like an appetizer for a killer clown good thing there aren't actually any scary clowns here just a bunch of scary ghost kids who stop her in front of the house from her Visions which she identifies from its front lawn foliage and address number after booking it back home Gwen holla's back at one of the detectives he volunteers the police Force's tribute to meet her at the house she's found at the same time Max has a coke-fueled Eureka and realizes his brother's house is smack dab in the middle of the abduction Zone as Pink Floyd's on the run blares in the background he makes his way down to the basement where he's shocked to find another house guest no fucking way he takes a little too long to collect his bearings though and fails to notice his brother who buries an ax in Max killing him with one swift blow what a dirty bloody shame the cops arrived to save the day but just like in Silence of the Lambs they're in the wrong place at the right time turns out the house Gwen directed them to is abandoned of the living at least her Visions were never taking her to Vinnie but rather to the grabber's dead kids Society Carpe Dem kids bodies coppers that means Finney still needs to fend off the white devil and his White Fang by himself he Dodges an ax swing and runs to the bathroom leading the Grabber right into finny's trap house I love how the advice from all the previous basement boys plays into this final confrontation Finney uses Billy's cable to trip the Grabber into the pit that he dug earlier using the tile Bruce told him about the Grabber breaks his ankle on the grate pulled down from the window then he puts Robin's training to good use beating the bad man down with the phone Mason Thames was excited to do a lot of his character's physical scenes himself working under stunt coordinator Mark ricardi he said the only downside was the fake sweat they had to use I know it's the most random thing but it was like the greasiest nastiest thing ever and I ever you know I was disgusting the Grabber gets grabby but is distracted when Finney pulls his mask off allowing the boy to wrap the phone's cable around his neck the phone rings once more but now the bell's stolen for the Grabber who hears his previous victims taunting him through the receiver welcome to to the end of your pathetic little one Finn's arm is meant with the final crank yank Vinnie daybreaks the grabber's neck and his body slides down beneath the floor to save the gravedigger some time Finney placates the dog with a stake from the freezer then makes his way upstairs he opens the combination lock and strolls out to Freedom we see that Finney's been kept in the house just across the street from where the bodies were being stored one tearfully reunites with her brother and they're shortly joined by their dad Terence begs them for forgiveness but since they've probably heard this song before the siblings opt for a silent side hug instead sometime later Finney returns to school where his reputation as a serial killer killer earns him some cred with his Newfound Swagger Finney strolls into science class and the movie ends with him confidently sitting next to a girl he likes venifinivici how many people wound up as dead as an out of service telephone or you know landlines in general let's find out and get to the phone numbers mom I'm trying to film a kill cow hello yeah yeah you can get to the numbers what you're going to want to do okay is say a joke it's for laughter take a step back walk off screen and count do it with me okay [Music] say a joke pause for laughter take a step back walk off screen and count one more time say a joke pause for laughter to take a step back walk off screen and count you're ready man go get him tiger I really wish James hadn't killed me because dude Bros the new kill count you seven people died in the black phone most of whom were kids each that's a bummer the victims were all male giving us a big blue pie chart for a small black phone you know this count and gender breakdown has only happened once before on this show with Christine coincidentally based on a story by Stephen King with a run time of 103 minutes that left us with a kill on average every 14.71 minutes I'll give the golden Chainsaw for coolest kill to the Grabber most of this movie's kills are off screen and it's grabifying to see finny finally stand up for himself and I won't give a doll machete for this movie it would feel weird to penalize a child murder for not being on screen and that's it the black phone premiered at Fantastic Fest before getting a wider release in 2022. now next Friday is a proof of concept short of the movie We're trying to produce called pregame please be sure to tune in we're really excited to share it with you all until then I'm James agenise this has been the kill cow thanks a lot for watching this kill cow if you guys have been enjoying the sponsored segments later lately you have been Bellevue to thank for those Ben is dead meets executive assistant and does a lot for the company including writing these unique sponsor segments because I ran out of ideas for them like years ago as always thanks to zorin for jumping in and doing them with me he's like the perfect goofy neighbor character to have on this show I ordered the exact Cheech and Chong shirt that Robin wears in this movie but it didn't come in time so thankfully I also got a backup I want to thank some patrons like Tony pero Austin Bryant Aurora Judd Alison Whitehead Aja the Marmite and Tariq the Sandy Pakistani Italian alright thanks everyone be good people

Channel: Dead Meat

Views: 4,753,951

Keywords: horror, dead meat, movies, scary, films, kills, kill count, body count, james a. janisse, jaj, pine commander boogie, DMKC, dead meat kill count, the black phone, the black phone movie, the black phone move review, the black phone movie explained, the black phone movie reaction, the black phone 2021, the, black, phone, 2021, horror movie review, horror movie, horror movie reaction, scary movie, scary movie review, scary movie reaction, the black phone reaction, cody leach, jason blum

Id: Kl7Ip3Yw9Fg

Length: 23min 42sec (1422 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 13 2022