Being Film #2 for Hooptober 2025

I had the bar set low for The Black Phone, the latest horror collaboration between the writing/directing team of Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill. On one hand, I wasn’t the biggest fan of either the Sinister films or Deliver Us From Evil, save for the gnarly exorcism. On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed Cargill’s novels and this latest film comes with some true horror bonafides, being an adaptation of a Joe Hill short story. The result is a tight, thrilling film that might be my favorite Derrickson showcase to date, visceral and honest without resorting to funneling in needless exposition or backstory. It’s creepy urban legends mixed with the usual King small-town supernatural, and I fell for it hard.

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