Everything Wrong With The Black Phone in 18 Minutes or Less 

While all of the child actors gave solid performances, the actress playing Gwen, Madeleine McGraw, deserves a special mention. The scene where she begs and pleads for her father to stop beating her with his belt was so emotional and heartbreaking. I can't believe that she was only about 12 during filming!

I usually can’t stand kids in horror movies, but I adored Finney and Gwen. I felt scared for both of them and was so happy to see them reunite. Plus, Ethan Hawke better keep on breaking his rule about not playing villains, because he is AMAZING at it ❤

The reason all the kids forget their names is a parallel; when the media reports on a murder, they only treat and refer to the victims as such and they lose their identities.

It's not that hard to understand the logic. The mom had some psychic abilities that passed down to the kids. The daughter had a stronger ability with various visions. The boy was only sensitive to areas with a lot of ghost activity. And the phone was shown as a receptor for ghost activities at the beginning, but only people with that psychic sensitivity could hear the voices. That's why the killer and other kids couldn't hear but Finn could.

As someone named THE “GRABBER” it kind of makes sense that he could fall asleep without dropping the item in his hand.

Robin teaching Finn to jump back is speculated to be his “mistake” that allowed the grabber to get him. The idea is that Robin is teaching Finn to fight the way he did and allow Finn to beat the Grabber by knowing what he’ll do where Robin was caught off guard. Granted, I also think that the Grabber caught him off guard, got a punch in, and then drugged him. Robin is a tough kid but still a kid regardless.

I would have taken a sin off for "your arm is mint, kid" right as Finney broke the Grabber's neck. Such a beautiful scene. And, for once, actually explains how a child could have that kind of arm strength.

the fact that so many sins were taken off throughout the movie shows how good a movie it is 😌

The thing I loved was how every single escape attempt that each kid told Finney about all played a part in the trap he used in the end. The rope he used to pull down the window grate was the rope he used to trip The Grabber. The hole he dug per Bruce's instruction was what was used to trap him, the grate that fell when he tried to climb to the window was at the bottom off the hole which was what broke The Grabbers ankle, the hole in the wall to the freezer housed. the meat cuts he used to distract the dog and the phone was eventually what he beat and killed The Grabber with. All of the kids being able to scream at and taunt him down the phone as he died was an amazing touch, especially when you realize that all of the things they had been saying to Finney this whole time were actually what they ended up saying to The Grabber in the end? Brilliant!

How did you miss “ it’s for you” One of the best quotes/ scenes in any movie when the grabber is confronted by the ghosts of every kid he’s killed while being strangled by their only lifeline left between them and the living!!

I watched this in theaters not knowing what to expect. The jumpscares were predictable but yeah. The plot twist at the end was sooo good, i enjoyed it :) very nervewrecking too

Considering this is based on a story by Stephen King’s son, I’m surprised there weren’t sins for Stephen King-esque cliches like small town, aggressive bullying, and child with unexplained psychic powers.

I think the reason the grabber freaks out so much at the end when the top mask is taken off is because it's the first time his entire face had been exposed at any point in the film (and likely during these kidnapping escapades), likely a side effect of him being crazy to not want his face out and exposed

“Do demons and ghosts just ignore people who get hugs from their dad and have a great family?” Yes, can confirm. Grew up with a good dad and a great family, no ghosts or demons ever messed with us. Thanks, dad.

actually the reason the cops believed her is because in a earlier scene she knew something about the crime scene that nobody else should’ve known but the police, some of those sins don’t make sense if you just watched the movie .

Gwenny as a character is a gem and played perfectly by Madeleine McGraw, she is such a perfect role model for girls not only her age but much older than her as well.

I agree with you about dads in horror movies. They dont always have to be abusive and I hate that they usually are. However I think something like that is usually important to the protagonist to help them beat their demons (both physical and inner) later in the movie.

At 3:25 Robin is walking with such determination that, when I saw the movie, I thought he was either offering himself as a sacrifice or was working with the Grabber.

I have to give you a sin for not addressing the lack of psychological trauma Finn would have after being forced to kill another human to survive. He’s just happy and normal “call me Finn” at the end. It’s traumatic to take a life even when the perp deserves it. It’s always bugged me when they do this at the end of most horror movies.

I saw this in theaters, and lemme say, It's a totally different experience than at home. The Grabber is such a terrifying antagonist, even if some of his methods are a little silly at times. I also teared up at Robin's speech to Finney. It was so inspiring for a horror film. I really liked The Black Phone frfr

The reason the fighter kid taught Finney to lunge forwards then backwards was so that he could dodge the Grabber trying to... Grab

This movie made you feel like you was in the '70s what a crazy time to be alive...serial killers were running rampant everybody left their doors unlocked thinking they were safe little did you know you had a serial killer living next to you!

I think a child with a GOOD upbringing facing some horror would be more interesting, since it's such a stark contrast to their normal life. If they get their ass kicked and terrorized 24/7, it's just another day for them!

Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) looked familiar to me and it was because I mistook her for her little sister Violet McGraw (younger Nell in Haunting of Hill House). Anyway both are truly talented actresses!

I saw the trailer before a movie and was completely confused because i was practically certain it was a “silence your phone “ ad until they said when the movie would come out. I sat there like the calculating meme until the movie started

The movie deserves a sin off at the end when the grabber hears the voices on the phone and they all taunt him. It gave me chills and I was so pumped lol

Saw this movie 3 times in theaters. It shocked me how good it was. The child actors were amazing. The masks were super creepy. Blumhouse movies have been killing it recently.

God, I love this movie. And while it's not as likely to happen nowadays, watching this from a parent's POV ((I have two of my own.)) I felt the same terrifying feeling Finny was. And I cheered when he took The Grabber down.

McGraw nailed her role. The ending was awesome and satisfying!

"You dumb F@#king Fart Knockers!" Is one of the best movie lines of the whole year. 😂 Gwen was easily the best part of this excellent movie.

They establish at the beginning of the movie that the police officers believe the girl's dreams. She was the only one who knew about the black balloons, and it was not known to the public. So, when she calls them with a house number and a description, they are going to act on it. If the movie hadn't gone out of its way to have that earlier scene I'd agree with the sin, but in this case I think they did a good job of communicating the frustration of the police officers wanting to solve the case and them being convinced her dreams mean something.

Theghost kids dont start talking on the first call or say more than his name in the second because theyre new to being ghosts and gaining control of their ability to onnect with the other side. Finn has a touch of the shining or whatever from his mom and the psychic connection takes awhile to build. You wouldnt expect a fresh poltergeist to be able to just go nuts right away. Also explains why the kid used the bottle to point, speaking was too draining so using an object to point was all he could do

I love thatmost of the points off was because of Madeline's acting and the lines written for her character in particular. She has a real future in acting with all that talent and she is still so young. It is amazing to see.

The acting from the children in this movie is some of the best I’ve ever seen, the young girl especially. I think the brother-sister bond is the best part of the movie.

I love when it's very clear that Jeremy really likes a movie. We still get the jokes and sins but also genuine praise and sin removals

The whole theater cheered when he killed the grabber. The whole movie people were reacting. It was awesome.

Actually, the bike lock used on the door isn't the Paperboy's. The bike lock Belonged to Griffen, the first victim, while The Paperboy, or Billy, was the second.

I loved the fact that he said call him Finn. If I’m not mistaken that’s how some movies say end. Fin. He basically said call him the end. Might be a reach but I thought it was cool.

One of my favorites! Thank you for sinning it! Gwen’s profanity and Finney’s final call with Robin are my favorite parts

The having to repeat “nighty night naughty boy” is such a funny idea 😂😂 he has to keep hitting him until it knocks him out lmfaoo

This movie was pretty good, i went in with low expectations and it was actually pretty good, but sad part was my crush kissed my best friend whilst watching this movie.

@16:32 to be fair, the cops approached the sister because she had knowledge of unreleased information and after questioning her and her dad(and likely others around her) determined whether its true or not, she is giving reliable information. i think the fact she independently suggested a location they had already investigated gives her a lot of credibility from a logical perspective. if you dont believe in ghosts you could assume she’s witnessing the crime, traumitized/lying but compelled to intervene, or just be desperate for anything possibly useful to move on

I just gotta say, I got a homie who will fall asleep with his glasses in his hand and never drops em😂so IM removing those sins from the count

I like the fact that the mask is a way of him hiding his face from his victims so he doesn't have to look them in the eyes and feel guilty for, you know, capturing and then killing them.

I’m just going to go over some points that were in this video, in the comments, and on Tiktok. Some are obvious while others aren’t: - It seems to be that the Grabber is based off a true child kidnapper and murderer that was in the 70’s. John Wayne Gacy. Both the Grabber and Gacy kidnapped only children (Gacy also kidnapped young men), specifically boys. As the movie progresses, you will start to see some similarities. Some examples: Burying kids underneath a house, dressing up as “characters” that children would like (Gacy was a clown, the Grabber was a magician), and they both assaulted the young boys. - I brought this up because, well for starters, Griffin is a boy. And that’s one of the reason why he got kidnapped. He was also probably alone at the time and it was very common in the 70’s for alone children to just get snatched up in the open and then get put into a truck. Griffin did mention that no one knew who he was, meaning that he was an easy target. The Grabber most likely watched the children, on where they usually go and act. That’s maybe why he knew Robin was going, to the store to get snacks for him and Finney. This might also be why he had Vance the longest. Vance was obviously not a good kid, and he liked that because he liked “naughty boys.” - Even though it didn’t say that the Grabber has s*xually assaulted the children it is very much implied in the movie. The way the Grabber’s shirt is off while he’s sitting in the chair, Vance’s lines to Finney, and Griffin talking about the “naughty boy” game. - The bed was bolted to the floor, so even if Finney wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to move it. This may be because one of the previous boys moved the bed and was able to get to the window. If that’s the case then it would make sense for the Vance situation. Vance told Finney to get inside the freezer and he was going to be able to escape, because Vance was able to escape that way. But they both probably didn’t know that the freezer was in fact locked from the outside. The Grabber used things and ideas that were from the boys, and uses it to stop escape attempts for the future. For example, the Grabber took Griffin’s bike lock to lock the door, and the belt the Grabber uses to get ready to beat Finney belongs to Robin - I noticed that a lot of people wanted Finney to just kill the Gripper. But that wasn’t his #1 motive. His #1 motive was to escape. Finney didn’t know how to stand up for himself too and that was the entire point of the call between him and Robin. Robin motivated him and taught him how to fight because it was clear that Finney was out of escape ideas and didn’t know what to do. He was losing hope. He’s also a kid, and I doubt that every kid’s first instinct is to kill. Finney didn’t grow up to learn that you should only kill or anything like that, he was pushed to breaking point. Once you push someone to their breaking point or even over it, that can mess up their thinking. Whether they do something irrational or they do something completely out of character for them. And even if it was his first instinct, doubts will also come with that thought. He was stronger than Finney, they’re both pretty smart, and the Grabber had weapons. So without that trap he had, I’m not to sure if he would’ve escaped. - Only thing I’m confused about is how the Grabber managed to get both Robin AND Vance. I truly don’t think that Vance wanted to see a magic trick, nor Robin at the time. They’re both also strong and know how to fight but they’re still kids. It seems to be that Robin was going straight to the Grabber, but he was actually going to the store. So I’m thinking that maybe he was just minding his business, but he still didn’t even stop and stare at the guy coming towards him?? Now I have no idea what happened to Vance. I came up with the theory that Vance lied about his address when he got arrested because he didn’t want to make his mom disappointed, (he’s canonically a momma’s boy) this leads to him walking into the house where the bodies were hidden. That’s where he got caught. But then again, this was all in Gwen’s dream. So unless the author of the book states how they got kidnapped, I guess it’s up for our imagination.

you forgot to sin the part where finney RUNS IN A STRAIGHT LINE on the pavement while being chased by the van when he could have just turned any direction into another house lol

9:02 One thing I appreciated about this movie is that it doesn’t just go for the 100% pure evil abuser trope like many many many movies have before, because a lot of abusers aren’t aware of/inadvertently abusing the abusee. There are some genuinely manipulative and cruel people in the world but many abusers are just broken people doing their best and dealing with their own pain and demons, but genuinely care about the people in their life, even if they’re abusive.

Honestly the scariest thing to do after watching this movie is walking out of the theater alone at night in the bad part of town. I practically ran to my car.

2:22 man I just need a compilation of every time a movie made Jeremy laugh. It’s just so fun to hear

What’s crazy is this has really been the only horror movie I’ve seen recently that I’ve actually liked. I went to the theater to watch it and it kept me tense most of the movie (me and this other guy actually leaving because we both thought something absolutely terrible was about to happen) and as someone who needs to be doing something while watching a movie it’s crazy I barely touched my phone while watching it

In regards to these phone ghosts, I'm reminded of a line from True Blood- "why do dead people gotta be so cryptic? It ain't cute."

so a quick explanation, robin knew his name because he was the most recent child to have passed, bruce didn’t, being the first of the movie.

I love your videos, and I always have, but this is one of the first times I've actually wanted to see the movie that's been video'd because of your take on it. Good job!

This movie was so good! I had moments I laughed and was purely shocked and cheered lol

I don't understand how none of the kids thought to break the glass bottle the Grabber gave them and use a shard to attack him when he comes down or when he's sleeping at the top of the stairs.

I really enjoyed this when I saw it in theaters, honestly.

I fell in love with this movie and you've made some valid points but I'm choosing to ignore them because this movie is the reason I breathe

I been waiting for this one! Ever since I saw it in theaters I was hoping you'd do this. It was a great movie though.

Please do "One Missed Call". Love your videos!

I was wondering if that basement window was shatterproof or something? Could have stacked the carpets and used the phone or toilet lid to break it and climb out.

The one problem I have with this movie is when Finney went to open the door while the grabber was asleep, he definitely should've just grabbed a knife from the kitchen and killed the grabber

As usual I’m clicking in the hope for sin removals

I freakin loved this film. Thanks for doing this one. I feel this is BY FAR ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR. Loved the authentic baseball youth league footage. I loved all of the spirit the kick ass kids had, especially the young sister. Plus I loved how all of the bullies in this film got their comeuppance 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

The kids don’t know their names because they have become the forgotten dead. Everyone remembers the names of serial killers but not their victims. The ghost boys want Timmy to survive so they are not forgotten.

I like how you put an un-skippable commercial right after your mistake about the window bars... Finn uses them in the hole as a trap that breaks the grabbers ankle.

My take on the whole “none of the ghosts know their names except robin” thing was that Finnie obviously has inherited some psychic powers from his mother, and since HE was the conduit to the spirits rather than the phone the ghosts channel off of his energy. Finnie didn’t really know any of the other victims personally but Robin was his friend. They didn’t know their names because Finnie didn’t know their names when they were alive. Or something like that. Would also explain why all of the sudden he could see one of the kids randomly. His spirit clearly held on to the most anger from his life time and it gave him more energy to use, as evidenced by being able to appear as a full body apparition and his screams being able to cause an “earth quake” for Finn.

I did laugh out loud when the police instantly scrambled, no questions asked based off the dream of a 9 year old

If I had £1 for every time I saw a 2022 adaptation of a horror novella whose author loved it (the adap) so much it inspired him to write a sequel, I would have £2. Not a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice.

I watched this in theatres and i was pleased! Its a solid horror film, but i do wish they would have elaborated on the killers backstory a bit, but hey, i give it 2 thumbs up!

I literally just watched this movie for the first time and you uploaded this earlier in this same day, yk it good vibes

The only channel where l watch the sponsorship part of the video, only because l love his voice.

You forgot the time he stabbed the grabber, and then got kidnapped, and the grabber didn't take his weapon.

I had a blast with this movie. Ethan Hawke had a year, dude.

The crowding the plate would absolutely result in a brushback pitch. Take a half step back, Mo Vaughn. Up and in to send a message, every pitcher knows that.

I know I was thinking the exact same thing! THIS is how you should deal with parent trauma! I have never seen a horror movie do it this well and this movie deserves insane credit for it!

Well it's certainly not the mild mannered grocery manager he mentions, but Jeremy Davies *did* play a naive and kinda shy office jockey Corporal in 'Saving Private Ryan'

man, i'm so confused! these movies need to hire cinemasins to make their trailers because they be giving it ALL away in 2 minutes VS cinemasins being intriguing and mysterious for 18+ mins. It's amazing.

I was waiting for you to do this one 😭

I will say, the ghosts fucking with Finney is definitely the kids just having fun then the responsible one saying "guys stop we should help him"

I thought Robin still knew who he was because he was the most recently killed so maybe his memory didn't fade yet

one of my fav movies and watching this made me laugh so much lmao

Been waiting for this one. Can’t wait!!😊😊

I watched "you dumb f*cking fart knockers" way more times than I should have and my ribs hurt 🤣

The movie was really good, i was surprised how little they used and how effective it was.

The father was assuredly not "fuckin evil," he's broken, fearful and drunk. When he punished her with a belt, the movie doesn't suggest he does this randomly or with some kind of sadism -- he really believes he's doing the right thing. He supplicates at the end, and has some self-knowledge. Wasn't crazy about the channel's new narration, and the writing's snark has a meaner edge without the fun and zaniness the older episodes had :/

Been waiting for this heck yeahhh

A sin for Finney beating the Grabber with the phone rather than the toilet tank he used to bash to the freezer. Also, he didn’t even try to kill the Grabber when he was ASLEEP

I wonder if this will become a franchise that will become crappier over time. Maybe the mask will become a horror icon.

This was a great movie! I see what, hundreds of movie commercials a year. I go to the movies maybe 2x a year. This was one of em and the first since covid. I was so excited bc something told me it would be great n i was not disappointed! These kids acted better than most modern day actors! The dad physically scared me! The brother was hilarious and kinda sad! And of course ethan hawke pulled off an amazing, terrifying character while behind a mask! Great sins vid, great movie, i cant wait for the next one!

I loved this movie so I'm thrilled to see you've done a cinema sins on it.

I told my dad that Finney looks like the love child of Dustin from Stranger Things, and Tom Holland during the baseball scene, and he busted out laughing 😂

All jokes aside, this movie was awesome and these kids were amazing actors. Both Mcgraw girls are going to be Oscar winners eventually.

this is one i’ve been waiting for

i cant believe cinema sins is still at it. and im glad im still around for it too. fuck yeah cinemasins keep being awesome

Loved the movie. Ethan Hawke, the kids and the dad are amazing. The score assists the scares.

13:20 the transition was so good holy shit I laughed

Yay! I've been waiting for this! xx

3:54 Also, stealing the "red-headed bully" from _A Christmas Story._ **DING!**

Deputy so and so was too funny once I seen him I felt like I was watching sinister part 2 or at least the part two we should have got

This movie was ok more then anything