Intense!!! The Black Phone movie reaction first time watching 

What was your reaction to the Black phone? What would you rate this movie? 1-5 Answer scale? Full Reactions on Patreon: www.patreon.com/baddmedicine Backup channel Subscribe here ru-vid.com/show-UC1CLUwA27dz-94o3FR0o3xg

about the ghost aspect of the movie, it’s likely that finney inherited some of the same psychic abilities his mother had-that’s why bruce says at the beginning that the phone rang for all the other kids as well, but no one heard it. finney is the only one who is able to communicate with the dead! i’ve seen other people theorize that the grabber might also have the same ability, but it affects him more negatively-perhaps he is also being told by some other force to do horrible things, similar to what happened to finney’s mother. either way, i thought this story was absolutely brilliant, loved your guys’ reactions!!

That last "Finn's arm is mint!" before the neck cracked was an excellent writing choice. What an incredible movie, 5/5 for me too!

“Finn’s arm is MINT!” Best part of the movie 🎥. Hands down!!!! I loved this movie 🍿

it’s interesting to me, that no one realizes, that the kid basically saved himself and would’ve been dead if he didn’t fight back because no one was coming to save him at that house. This gave me chills first time I watched it.

When all the children spoke to him at the end it gave me chills.

Everything he got from the kids before that "failed" actually helped him in the end. The hole in the ground that trapped him, the grate from the window snapped his ankle, the cord as a trip & weapon, the steak from the freezer for the dog. That was my favorite part!

He had abilities like his Mom and sister, that’s why he can hear the phone.

I love how all the Grabber's victims helped Finn with the final plan. The cord, the hole, the window protector, the stake, the lock's combination, and Robin told him how to fight

When I rewatched this I realized that when Finney gets kidnapped the grabber say that he should snap Finney's neck for cutting his arm and Then at the end Finney kills the grabber by snapping his neck. That's some good foreshadowing. Another things that made this movie scary was the fact that there were only 2-3 jumpscares in the whole movie. The movie knew that setting and events (a kid getting kidnapped) was scary enough and it worked really well. The supernatural aspect was scary in it's own way without completely distracting from the kidnapping. The director said that if the movie did well he would make a sequel so I really hope that happens cause this is definitely on my top 5 favorite movies (maybe even #1). The movie was based on a short story by Joe Hill (son of Stephen King) and The Grabber is based off John Wayne Gacy as you said.

Them trying to figure it out rationally about it being all in Finn's head is so funny to me. Because this is literally a ghost movie. Finn has psychic abilities like his mom and his sister, while his dont show up the way they do for his sister or mom, when the phone rang he could hear it and hear their voices, that's why Bruce had said, "It rang, but none of us heard it." Just like Ethan Hawkes character he said when he heard it ring he picked it up and heard no sounds on the other side. And his sister trying to connect to find out what happened to Finn she connected to the ghosts, where they were buried that's why she ended up across the street from the right house. Also can I say how much I appreciate how smart Finn and even all the rest of the kids are? When Finn got there the first thing he did was try to remain calm and find a way out, he only let himself cry or at least let in how scared he was after he thought he had tried every option. Not only did he escape twice, but he killed him. (Also my favorite character has gotta still be Robin)

11:10 the girls acting doesn’t get recognised enough , she’s only like 13 irl too lol , everyone’s acting was spot on in this movie , genuinely scary vibe due to the great acting

I believe it was meant to be a “supernatural thing”. Also the order of finny receiving calls is the order the grabber took the kids. Robin was the last call because he was the last one taken before fin was taken.

This movie was sooo good. Idk if someone else commented but FUN FACT: Before this movie Ethan Hawke has said for years he didn't want to play a 'bad guy's role. Guess he finally decided to give it a shot and he killed it!!! My favorite was at the end when Finney said "it's for you". And all the kids gave him some final words and the one kid said 'his arm is mint!' one of my fave movies now. I've already watched it like 3 times. First time in the theatre. Great reaction!

I was a kid in the 80's and I'll never forget hearing about a clown driving a brown van and kidnapping kids. I was so scared that my mom and brother said my lips were blue (from fear) when I walked in the house. This movie really brought back that feeling. What a movie. The kid actors were incredible.👍

I gotta say, I would have loved to see Finn save Robin, because I really liked Robin's characters and their dynamic. But Robin's story was just destined to be sad/tragic, and was important to the symbolism of Finn growing up and having to stand up for himself because Robin literally can't anymore. I think it was very important that Finn ultimately had to save himself. This was a bittersweet movie--Finn escaped and learned to stand up for himself, but at the cost of a friend and his own innocence. Really underrated movie, I loved how it was shot, filmed, etc.

I was upset Bruce was the first victim we saw because I thought he was so cool, but I was surprised by the sister character. Initially I wrote her off as the cliche annoying kid sister, but she absolutely stole every scene she was in. I was impressed and wanted her to be the main character Side note, I don't know about others but I'm 26 and pretty much everyone I know has hit with a belt, shoe, whatever object was available. Depends on what culture you come from. I disagree with the practice becaue it teaches fear rather than discipline

love y'all's comments abt how the dad is only hitting her backside. the dad's abusive, but it's not blindly abusive he's influenced by the society at the time. also another thing abt that scene that might interest you guys, the filmmakers said in an interview that they deliberately never explicitly show the belt hitting the daughter. they showed just enough for us the audience to understand what's going on, but they refused to be gratuitous and show more than what was necessary

Not only is this based on the short story but the director added some content from his experiences as a child and being bullied. As well as other sources. It was thoroughly though out.

This Movie is based on a short story by Joe Hill (Youngest Son of Stephen King) . This is one of the best adaptations I've seen!

I think the point of them (the boys) "showing" her the house they were at, was because they Wanted Finn to get their killer not for him to get arrested

from the fact that stephen kings son wrote this story i imagine it as the siblings having the shining that was passed down from their mother!

i didn't expect you guys will react to this movie!!! it's my fav horror movie this year tbh

as scary as this movie is, it’s also quite sad. i remember the first time griffin spoke on the phone, i thought, ‘jeez, he sounds so young.’ that made me really sad, AND to hear that he was actually the youngest victim, at least 10 years old? ps; gwen’s actress, maddie, is incredibly talented and that scene always gives me goosebumps. even finney’s expression is upsetting. great reaction as always !

I don't think I've seen you guys so stressed. Even with Stranger Things. My point is that just goes to show how well done this movie was done. Kidnapping is scary enough to me. I was scared of it as a child and now still. This movie terrified me to my core more than horror movies tbh.

I agree, I vote it a 5/5, terrific movie. As for Finn and the phone, I also wondered if he had a similar ability like his mom, that allowed him to receive messages from the other victims?

As always, amazing reaction, your horrified faces at the beginning with that scene with the father hitting the girl and the rest was great! I loved the joke with The Answer at the beginning "ready, willing and able" lol you guys are amazing. I don't know if you all have seen a quiet place but it would be great to have a reaction of you all with that movie.

Just wanted to shout out I really appreciate the insightful and deep conversation you guy have at the end.

My favorite part is the “Fin’s arm is mint!” And then the neck snap it’s just excellent and I love this movie

I went to see this yesterday , I got jumpscared for the first time in years 😂the part where the dead kid just turned up behind him on the phone - 24:14 , it was so loud in the cinema omg

I loved this movie. I went to see it twice at the theater. Joe Hill is definitely his father's son! Excellent writing, excellent acting.

So there are so many things about this movie that speaks volumes and let me just explain some things. Firstly, Finn did not know but he also had abilities whereas his sister had visions but he could communicate with the dead and it was very much realistic to him as this was his experience and something that got HIM out alive. Which also leads one to ask why did Gwen’s visions not lead her and the cops straight to Finn. It is almost like Gwen’s visions KNEW he was going to be OKAY and focused mainly on FINDING THE CHILDREN who were unalived by the grabber. This is what I found so fascinating about the movie and when you think about it everyone knows psychic visions areVALID but not always 100% accurate. That is something you hear commonly because visions always change according to predicaments and situations around the vision. The future is never SET in stone remember? I feel like Gwen wanting to find Finn was focused so much on her because that is her brother however her gift is a gift which is for doing the GREATER GOOD. In this case, it was not about finding Finn it was about leading her to the children that the cops could not solve themselves. This also made enough room for the audience to understand that her vision with this case was to help those parents looking for their kids get CLOSURE they deserved period. When you think about it, it really takes a moment for you to be like oh woww. I really appreciated how instead of leading her to Finn it led her across the street. I feel like they wanted the movie to also have more realistic elements to it because I mean even in real life psychics do exist and vision error is a thing but sometimes it is the best kind of error. If Gwen only found Finn then where would that closure be for the families who wanted to desperately find and know the whereabouts of their children. Lastly, when it comes to the dad, to the guy who said when he beat her the belt was turned on the other side NICE SPECULATION I did not even notice that. Additionally, I wanted to add as a psych major and from comments I read… I came up with a minor theory. I read that people believed the dad was not abusive just to be abusive but because he wanted to SAVE Gwen from the same fate her mom ended up in. I still do not believe in beating kids nor do I believe that he was the best father (alcoholic parents always a no-no) however one may truly speculate MAYBE he was doing the best thing for her which we know that is what HE THOUGHT but Gwen still has a gift regardless and it helped her solve these heinous crimes . Now psychologically I thought about something I have learned in previous psych classes. There is something in psychology called reinforcement and punishers. Essentially, a reinforcer is a consequence that increases a behavior to happen more in the future and in contrast a PUNISHER is a consequence that makes a behavior less likely in the future. In this case I would apply my theory about the punisher in the fact that the dad did beat Gwen and made her say ALOUD that her dreams are just dreams which were associated with the pain of the belt and her distress from being beat. Anyways this movie can be broken down into aspects for days but I am glad it did really well and you guys enjoyed it !

I’m sure a bunch of folks have noted it, but I haven’t read all the comments so, sorry, just in case… Nope, Oak, the phone calls weren’t in his mind, they were supernatural. Honestly? They made it pretty clear. His mom had some “powers” like this and his sister inherited some. Guess what? So did he. Also you mentioned that he knew all the kids. Nope. He didn’t. One even told him he was unknown and forgotten… I think it was the kid with the combination lock. Also, Bruce told him that no one else could hear them… only Finny could. Because only Finny had the power. His ability to communicate with the dead kids is clearly a power he got from his mother.

I took it as him having the same sort of psychic powers as his mum and sister. He just sees things differently? Who knows 😆

Its supernatural because the first couple grabbings are from kids he doesnt know, he just knows of them due to the papers & people talking, also he only met Bruce once. Whatever psychic abilities their mother has, her kids have. The father explained that the voices the mother heard eventually told her to do things, very much how the victims told Finn to do things. So the gift is split between the kids. Gwen got the visions, Finn got the hearing voices. This leads me to believe that the grabber wasn't psychic at all. Which is why when the grabber said he answered the phone & heard nothing, & only heard the voices when Finn had the phone in his hand. Love this reaction! You guys dont disappoint!

when he is beating the grabber with the phone🤣 I was yelling at the TV and swinging my own arm for him to keep hitting him, such a visceral satisfaction when he delivers the final blow😎

Some fun notes that don't really matter: the phone calls are in the order the kids were killed. In the missing posters you can see Bruce was taken in July and Robin in Sept. So the Grabber was getting 2 kids a month which is insane. Also Griffin said he carved the numbers at shoulder height when sitting down, and you see the numbers are lower than that for Finn cause he's so much taller! Kinda pointless, but loved the small details

I still don't understand how Vance was taken, the last we see him, he's going to the police station, and then in his dream, he ends up at the Grabber's house. I also wonder about the timeline for the abductions, as Robin still has all his memories, but Bruce doesn't. I wonder if Robin was kept alive in the other house right up until Finny was kidnapped or if he was killed before that; either way, another great horror film with Ethan Hawke and another great reaction from a channel that is quickly becoming one of my favorites! Thanks, guys!

It's so funny that Oak refuses to accept 'supernatural' explanations. Their mother was psychic and so are her children. Daughter has premonitions as dreams and the son is a medium. The phone was the channel to connection with the deceased children. The others could hear the phone but not the voices because everyone has psychic ability at varying degrees. I loved the idea behind this film because this is what channeling feels like at times. Also, they received a lot of consulting from real psychics who work with the FBI on missing children cases.

Cant believe i choose jurrasic world dominion over this movie while in the theater, this movie just hit a refresh on originality

Ethan Hawke is killing it this year!

finney can talk to dead people and his sister can see things

I can imagine Finney and his sister growing up to become detectives and using their powers to find people and finding out they’re part of a larger plot in the supernatural world.

me screaming "his sister is literally a psychic" watching this lmofjasidjaij why were the gworls so puzzled

This movie was so intense in theaters! Sets the tone for the next horror movies

The voices have to be real. The brother heard what ghost boy said in his sisters dream. Like they have a shared ability to speak with the dead and maybe even each other if they kept trying to hone their ability! But they can’t have both imagined this same kid saying this same thing this same night out of the blue. So they are X-men confirmed!!

Definitely 5/5 just for the originality alone, then for the kids amazing acting and Ethan Hawke doesn’t miss!

What was creepy about this movie was during the 70s in the US when this movie was set many young men and boys became the victim of horrific serial killers like Dean Corll, Randy Kraft etc.

I don't know how I hadn't subscribed to you guys yet as I've really enjoyed your Harry Potter and Hunger Games reaction! And now you're reacting to my favourite new horror?! So keen to watch this. Definitely subscribed now :')

I really enjoyed this at the theaters. It's rare when you get a good one off self contained scary movie with no hints of a sequel

This movie blew me away! I had no expectations for it, I find the grabber far more scarier with the fact that you don’t know anything about him other then he had a brother. I absolutely love when Robin is teaching him to hit with the phone, how they slowly go in sync with each other was so good! And of course the very end when he kills him! A movie that’s a little similar that I highly suggest is Split, it is amazing! James McAvoy alone is worth the watch, he was phenomenal!

My reply is for Oak..💥 You're a very deep thinker..I could see your reaction as I waited for your turn to speak...you wear your heart on your sleeve... In '87 I lost my 16 year old only child..I won't go into any details...had I known the subject of the movie I wouldn't have watched it...thank you for seeing our side of parenthood and loss... Be good guys...🌿🌿🌿

How did they all miss the point that the MOM had Psychic abilities? Why would they not pick up on the fact that both kids would inherit some form of that from the Mom? It just worked differently for Finney than his sister.

the editing on this video was incredible u made sure to include everything loved it!!

You guys should watch "Prisoners" (2013) with Hugh Jackman Its a great Thriller!!

I want a sequel of the brother and sister being a ghost-investigating duo

I just discovered your channel through the hunger games videos (which I loved, watching people watch them for the first time is so fun) and I’m so happy your doing this movie because it’s my favorite movie from this year!!!

I liked how they slowly revealed the grabber's plan for the abducted kid. I didn't know exactly what the grabber wanted to do to him until they showed him waiting with his belt. Thats creepy af.

38:35 made me think of kids who weren't lucky enough to be saved or get out. How many kids felt that and died terrified or never got their bodies found? Desperately crying kids always get me.

Defense a 5 outta 5 for me even the kid actors were great.. the lil girl getting beat with the belt made me sick to my stomach...great review guys!!!

I watched this film in a cinema at midnight 😅 SCREAMED TWICE

the reaction made me feel like we were all boys watching this together. my first time watching this movie i was just so fixed on the girl. we all have female family members we see the same strength in. she was a SOLDIER this whole movie and i was rooting for her the whole time. finney was lucky to have a sister like her.

It's definitely meant to be supernatural. This was a movie based off a book written by one of Stephen King's sons. The movie did a lot of good things to make this feel so real. The fights between kids, the way they dressed and acted. But also, the way Finn's father punished. To us, in 2023 it is SO hard to see a dad take a belt to his kid who is screaming, crying. But that was an everyday event in the 70s and 80s. You could beat your kid with a belt in front of a cop back then and the cop would have stayed out of it because it's a parent/kid problem and not a problem for the police. I'm a child of the 70s and 80s and I've seen parents discipline in this way in front of other people. But it is so hard to see now because this is not the way we typically discipline kids now, and those who do are seen as abusers rather than as typical parents. Anyway...I loved this movie and I like watching your reactions!

I don’t usually like scary movies but this was definitely a 5/5 for me

Just found you guys and really enjoyed your commentary. I don't knew your names yet but to the man in the black hat, You are 100% right. Every decision you make and thought you have changes after you have children. You're little girl is still small, but one day, you will be telling her than when you won't let her have/do something. My kids have kids now and we have had this discussion many times. Gonna check out more of your stuff. Very intelligent, well spoken group. ✌💖😃

OMG I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH, IVE BEEN WANTING TO WATCH THE MOVIE BUT COULDNT TYSM FOR DOING THIS!!!

I don’t know if this is up your alley movie-wise but Escape from Pretoria (with Daniel Radcliffe, based on a true story) is one of my favorite suspense movies of all time. It’s not a “scary movie” per se but it has minimal dialogue and it’s truly one of a kind. I also really enjoyed the black phone after watching it last night and was excited to see your reactions!

Great reaction guys. You let the movie breathe and didn't interfere with lengthy explanations.

Everybodies reaction to this is always golden

the thing with the detectives talking to gwen is that i don’t think they originally believed her dreams were real but they believed she knew something and was trying to cove for them that’s why they continue to question her because they think she’ll eventually mess up and say something

The Oak, that was such an interesting point you brought up about the "spanking" scene! I'm of the same mind as you, I don't agree with that type of punishment. That being said, what the father did and HOW he did it does seem more like "discipline" rather than, let's say, "vengeance". Like, he is trying to teach her that she shouldn't act like her mom, and his action comes from a place a fear, and even deeper than that a great sadness. Whereas, if he were throwing her around and sl*pping her in the face or p*nching her, it would seem MORE like him trying to control her, because he wants power over her and vengeance for disrupting his work life, and not because he ultimately wants to keep her safe and to not relive the trauma of losing his wife who had the same dreams. Your comment really gave that scene so much more nuance than I had ever considered before! Very interesting!

Such a great plot and great acting. 5/5 LOVE THIS MOVIE!

I have watched this movie so many times I watched it with my 12 year old daughter and her friends. We all cried when the sister ran to her brother at the end. This movie was so moving

RWA. LETS GOOOOOOOOO! Well done, great reaction fellas.

I really like this channel and I can't wait to see you guys watch this crazy movie!

What I realized with he can’t hear Finney so how could Finney hear him. The reason the phone would get bigger and smaller and gave that weird creaking sound. That’s the sound the stairs made when The Grabber walked down them. The ghost kids would warn Finney that he was coming down the stairs by making the phone bigger and smaller while it creaked. To amplify the sounds of the stairs. I only realized it after watching it a second time. Also i thought that Finney would write a little note for Max so he would know Finney is down in the basement. When he got the code for the house door. That’s probably what I would’ve done and just slipped it somewhere he’d see it. Or somewhere The Grabber wouldn’t think to look.

The scene with the movie clip is William Castle's The Tingler. All his premieres had classic gimmicks, , like seats vibrating, which were gold. Wish they still did these....

YESSS idk how yall are going to react to this but I'm sure I'll enjoy the vid 100%

Great reaction video. This film was the best horror, suspense film I have seen in quite some time. I like how they didn't give Ethan Hawke's character The Grabber any backstory so you wonder why he did what he did. I imagine he was abused by his father in the same basement and his name was Johnny because he called Finny "Johnny" when he first put Finny in the basement. The young actors in this brilliant film were the standouts. Mason Thames who plays Finney reminds of of a combination of a young Tom Holland, a young Heath Ledger and a young River Phoenix. Thames has the good looks, stoic charm and acting skills that will take him places in the future. Madeleine Mcgraw who plays Gwen reminds me of a young Angelina Jolie with her combination of grace, strength and dramatic acting skills that will take her places in the future. I wish them both much happiness and success.

I love the whole aspect of this movie. And the acting ability of these children are certainly up to par and Ethan Hawke too. His acting here prove how versatile he is as an actor. The mentioned mother here and Lorraine Warren from the conjuring makes me wonder if the 70's or 60's are famed with clairvoyants.

It's not usually the kind of movie I watch, so even though I haven't seen the movie prior to this, I still watched your reaction (cause you guys are awesome). And man... I got chills. What the fuck. I wasn't expecting this!

I only watched this movie initially because my kiddo wanted to see it - i honestly figured it would be terrible. What a pleasant surprise, amirite?! It was an excellent flick!! The kid who plays Finney is Ethan Hawke's son, in case you didn't know

5/5 Finn hearing the kids through the phone, might be the writers way of telling us that Gwen wasn't the only kid who inherited supernatural gifts from their mother. Bruce said that the phone rang for each kid, but Finn was the only one who could hear it. Appearantly The Grabber also heard the ringing..but ignored it. He assumed he wasn't in his right mind. I deffoently liked the direction they took with this film. I saw it twice in theatres, once alone. The 2nd time with my sister and friends. Watching it twice helped me catch on to the foreshadowing early on I wonder, have u watched Super 8?

Hadn’t thought about it but the beginning kinda does make it seem like a documentary

This is just a theory of mine. Based on what we know from Sinister. I feel like it correlates with Black Phone. That weird line going across the basement, The “Grabber”died and became the ghost from Sinister aka “The Taker of Children”, the masks the Grabber wore is similar the Sinister ghost.

This was absolutely amazing.

I got to watch this in the theatre. I knew before going in that the beginning could be a bit slow so I was prepared. But, yea, it's good. You're guessing with it the entire time!

Honestly, I watched this reaction at 3am and wow that was terrifying. Thank you for introducing me to a cool horror flick.

Madeleine McGraw (his sister) did such a good job.

The only paranormal/psychological thriller that made me cry. The characters in this movie were (besides the cops) were well written. And the acting was superb. Especially the heaviest parts. I imagine there was a whole lot of jokes and games on set.

It’s meant to be a supernatural film like all of Derrickson’s horror films. Absolutely phenomenal movie

The writer of the book 'The Black Phone' is 'Joe Hill' who is Stephen King's son . .So ,there you go..

Hey guys im a fairly new to finding ur channel, i found it through the Harry Potter reactions as it was my first time watching the movies/reading the books. I was curious what the meaning behind your names are? Also i have a suggestion if yall are interested, the Maze Runner trilogy is a lot of fun and i think you guys would enjoy them. Cheers guys!

Watching this with you for the first time!

My only gripe with this movie is that the Grabber gave him a glass bottle and he still never even thought to break it and turn it into a weapon. Saw it for the first time tonight though and thoroughly loved it!

Joe Hill is the author of the short story! They really did a great job adapting it!!!

I adored this movie! Thanks!

Got the poster for this. Loved this movie.

Idk if you guys have seen Saving Private Ryan, but the dad in this movie is played by the same guy who played Corporal Upham (the translator). He also played a mean Charlie Manson in Helter Skelter.

Can u imagine if in the end, only the sister ciuld see him because he actually turned out to get murdered in the basement so he was a ghost when he escaped. It wouldve been a cool twist but a way more depressing ending