Is The Black Phone scary?

Yes, properly. The Black Phone is the real thing without being an endurance test.

How gory is The Black Phone?

Light gore and strong violence.

What is The Black Phone rated, and is it OK for kids?

Real scares, several jump scares and strong violence. The R is earned, so not for kids.

The Black Phone (2022)

Film · 1h 43m · Rated R

Horror, Thriller

A kidnapped boy in a soundproof basement receives ghostly calls from a killer's past victims.

Suspenseful. A full-attention watch at a measured pace. Emotionally it is heavy.

Streaming on Netflix.

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The Black Phone parents guide

Of what we could confirm, nothing runs past an R: real scares and several jump scares.

Scare: Properly scary; Frightening, not just tense.
Jump scares: Several; More than a couple of sudden jolts.
Gore: Light gore; Some blood or injury, briefly.
Violence: Strong violence; Violence is frequent or intense.
Sex and nudity: None flagged; It is rated R, so treat our zero as unconfirmed.
Language: Moderate; Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is The Black Phone scary?: Yes, properly. The Black Phone is the real thing without being an endurance test.
How gory is The Black Phone?: Light gore and strong violence.
What is The Black Phone rated, and is it OK for kids?: Real scares, several jump scares and strong violence. The R is earned, so not for kids.

What is The Black Phone about?

Finney Blake, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

Bittersweet. It earns its ending, but not everyone gets what they want.