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Despite this consensus, parents will want to be aware that The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) from “The Black Phone” is a terrifying villain. With his changing masks and twisted sensibilities, the killer puts Finney (Mason Thames) through a truly terrifying ordeal during his confinement, despite there being little actual violence between the two characters.
There are other concerning instances throughout “The Black Phone” as well, such as Finney and Gwen’s (Madeleine McGraw) abusive, alcoholic father, Mr. Shaw (Jeremy Davies), and a group of nasty bullies that target Finney early on. There is also a lot of foul language, including more extreme epithets that reference gender or sexuality.
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However, despite its chilling story of a child abducted by a sadistic killer, “The Black Phone” gives The Grabber’s dead victims some agency in the film, leading to a cathartic and ultimately hopeful conclusion, even as it dives into traumatic memories from its director’s own childhood.
Finally, while parents no doubt wish they didn’t live in a world where they had to worry about real-life child abductors, the film does depict how they might operate, which is useful information for any kid who can handle the film’s intense subject matter.
