Rowan Erickson

Definitely not a horror movie. It reads more like a supernatural thriller. The pacing is slow, and occasionally feels like it's dragging the plot out. The villain(played by Ethan Hawke) is intimidating and playful, but ultimately uninteresting. The child actors are appropriately awkward. The climax is almost worth sitting through the film, and there's enough meat to the plot to keep you in your seat. I love Stephen King's work, and it's clear he's had some influence on his son, who wrote the short story this film is based on. From dads beating their kids to bumblingly irrelevant comic relief to the nonsensical presence of the lord and savior himself, King is well and truly present. While I appreciate the dream sequence/flashback moments they added very little to the film by way of character development/backstory for the other victims of the so-called "Grabber" and advancement of the psychic sister b-plot. I really think Finney and his connection to the titular black phone added enough of the supernatural element to the film. The police's seeming reliance on the sister's dreams is neither fleshed out, necessary, nor based in any kind of reality, not to mention the extreme slowness of the dramatics.