The Black Phoneis a relatively easy concept to grasp. The film is a period piece, taking place in Denver in 1978. Kids have started disappearing and the media, along with the police, have coined this villain as The Grabber. He claims five victims before grabbing his sixth who is the main character of Finney.
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Most of the movie takes place with Finney trying to escape The Grabber’s basement dwelling. There is a twist though. A black phone is in the corner and the line is cut so that Finney cannot dial out. However, it keeps ringing him somehow. What’s up with this phone and what other details are left unanswered? There will be spoilers forThe Black Phone.
8The Black Phone
There are a lot of unanswered questions regarding the titular black phone. What is it? That’s the most straightforward question to ask but many questions can branch off of that. How can Finney hear it ringing? Does he have gifts like his sister or is this phone magic? Several times in the movies it looks like it is breathing. Whatever it is, this phone allows Finney to talk to the dead. The phone might not even be special at all as the house or areacould be haunted instead. There are so many mysteries with just this one seemingly normal-looking phone.
7The Police Are Stumped
How are the police so baffled by these kidnappings? They know that the criminal leaves behind black balloons and it seems they have a good idea that they also drive a van. That should be enough in what looks like a small town. Couldn’t they go to stores and find out how many sell black balloons and if there is a paper trail? Couldn’t they also look at businesses with vans or ones that are seemingly centered toward kids? An entertainer such as The Grabber should signal a lot of red flagsbut the detectivesin this town are stumped beyond belief.
6What Was The Game?
One of the ghost children eventually warns Finney that The Grabber has set a trap. He leaves the door purposely unlocked sometimes so that he may beat the child if they try to escape. This is called Naughty Boy.
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Is this the only game The Grabber has in mind or is the basement a game too? It’s sort of likean escape roomscenario wherein the player, aka Finney, is given little information and equipment. Still, there are rugs, his bed, the toilet, the window, and several other things which might help him escape. Did The Grabber leave all that stuff down there as part of Naughty Boy too or was he just absentminded?
5Finney’s Escape Plan
Eventually, Finney does manage to escape the basement after one of the children tells him that The Grabber is sleeping. Finney stealths his way upstairs, unlocking the combo lock just as the dog starts barking. Finney books it just as The Grabber starts to chase him with his van. In his screams, Finney alerts two houses. Their front lights turn on but nobody comes out. Weirdly, they didn’t do anything considering the black van was parked weird and was still on. Also, why didn’t Finney run to another house and pound on the door? Better yet, he could have run through the backyards so that the van couldn’t chase him.
4The Grabber’s Job
Along with the phone, The Grabber is one of the biggest mysteries in the movie. What is his job? He says he is an entertainer butThe Black Phonenever shows him at work. Does he still work or is the van just a cover for something else? Also, why is he grabbing kids in the first place and playing Naughty Boy? He makes it seem like he too was locked in the basement at one point meaning either he took over for another kidnapper or his father abused him. Not knowing the origins of a horror movie’s villain is part of what makesthe genre scary. Still, it would have been nice to get some nugget of history.
3Max
Max is the only thing audiences are given inThe Black Phoneregarding The Grabber’s personal history. Max tells the detectives that he lost his job and is only staying with his brother temporarily. Since he is keeping kids in the basement, and he knows Max is trying toinvestigate this mysterytoo, why did The Grabber let him stay?
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The better question is, why did The Grabber leave Max alone? Max could have easily walked into the basement before getting murdered. Shouldn’t Max have been suspicious of his brother when he saw the front door was barred with a combination lock? That’s not a normal thing people use as house locks.
2Finney And Gwen’s Mom
It is said in the film that Gwen and Finney had a mom that committed suicide. She saw things that weren’t there and was acting upon voices. What these actions were, Terrence never says. She could have been seeing ghosts like Gwen or her dreams might have led her downseveral murder mysteries. Whatever the case may be, Terrence did not believe her. This could have been one of the causes of her suicide as she saw no love in her husband anymore. She also might have been killed by a ghost which would be a bigger twist. Also, will this uneasiness happen to Gwen too?
1The Significance Of Finney’s Spaceship
There are two spaceships shown inThe Black Phone. The first one is seen after theopening baseball game. The camera keeps cutting back to Finney on the field with his rocket and Bruce biking around town. The other spaceship is a flashlight and pen combo that Finney uses during school and other scenes in the film. Is there a significance behind his fascination with spaceships or were these two things supposed to represent a theme in the movie instead? It could be a combination of the two ideas but it’s hard to say for now.
