The movie is based on a short story by Joe Hill, who is Stephen King’s son. It was directed by Scott Derrickson, known for Sinister, Exorcism of Emily Rose, and Doctor Strange. If I’m not mistaken, the last movie he directed was Doctor Strange (2016). From what I’ve read, there were only minor differences between the source material and the film. These changes didn’t impact the overall story. However, there was one change that I personally didn’t like. The original description of The Grabber was an overweight man who was dressed as a clown. A clear inspiration for this character was the real serial killer “John Wayne Gacy”, who committed at least 33 murders in the 1970s.

It’s a good supernatural/horror/thriller film, but not great, in my opinion. The overall production was well done, they did very well in portraying a life in the 70s. Music was also great. Ethan Hawke carried this film, if it weren’t for his casting, I don’t think it would’ve gotten that much attention in the first place. Only Hawke and the daughter had notable performances throughout the film.

Wasted talent of Hawke

Hawke’s portrayal of the “Grabber” has all the traits of a truly sinister, psychologically manipulative, and cleverly intimidating villain, yet his character is barely explored. What you see in the trailers is almost all you get in the full movie. Simply put, the absence of a well-developed villain results in a lack of tension. The film offers few, if any, suspenseful moments, likely due to the underuse of Hawke’s character.

Characters

Finney’s sister, who is depicted as a psychic with a supposed divine connection, is introduced without much explanation or development. The audience is just expected to accept this aspect of her character, even though there’s no real story behind it. Given that Finney is the only victim who can hear the ringing phone (which the Grabber can also hear), it would have been satisfying to explore a connection between them. However, this potential link is never explored or explained, leaving it as an underutilized plot device that’s hinted at but never developed.

The Grabber was a serial child killer and a molester of little boys. This was implied through his words and body language, but not shown directly. I think this made the film weaker. The director clearly went the safe route. The supernatural part felt like the film could do without it, would’ve been better if they made it into a psychological horror, without the spirits talking, although the “black phone” wouldn’t have made sense, that’s just me.

One of the things that turn me off is when a character have an obvious opportunity to do something, but did not, probably just to lengthen the film. There were just a number of things that didn’t made sense, and annoyingly those were obvious ones.

Another 70’s film that I really liked was Pearl (2022).

Conclusion

For the hype that it garnered, and for a film that featured Ethan Hawke, I was expecting more from it honestly, specially after watching “Sinister”. It had a good thing going on, but felt weak on the storytelling. It’s a good psychological horror flick, not great.