The Black Phone * * * ½

When it comes to entertainment, efficiency, creativity and style, Horror movies seem to be knocking all these mega-budget main-stream films out of the park.

This one was so economically done they even had enough money left over to engage Ethan Hawke.  He's good, but seeing that he wears a mask 99% of the time he was probably unnecessary. (Like we care who the actor is behind the mask.)  The rest of the cast are little known actors who perform well.

Another one for the basement

It's far from original but it's good. Some crazy man in a small town starts taking young teenagers and locking them up on his basement. The scenario has been around for ever, but this one has an interesting twist, giving power to the ghosts and psychics.

It's set in what appears to be the late 70's, early 80's and pays homage to the films from that era. Like many time-shifted films of late, it has a secondary purpose - to deprive everyone of the advantage of mobile phones, internet etc.

Finney is a lad that is often subject to bullying at schools.  His sister Gwen, is the opposite - a girl that won't take nonsense from anyone. They live with their grieving father who is now degenerating into a violent drunk. We learn that his wife, their mother, was a woman who was tortured by dreams and visions.  Now it appears Gwen has the same "gift". 

Young people are going missing.  The cops can't get on top of it.  Gwen is having dreams. She tells the cops which results in making herself a suspect.  How could she know such particular details?  

Then Finney goes missing and we are soon to learn what happened to the others.  Into the basement goes Finney where the only items are a dirty mattress and a wall-mounted phone with the wires cut.  But for Finney it rings.  Who's calling? The ghosts of the previous victims, that's who's calling, and they're all there to coach him out of his situation.

In the meantime Gwen is getting her dreams and visions.....

It's not the most original horror film I have seen but it's good.  And its a whole lot better than some of the big dollar CGI/SFX stuff that's out there.