Finney (Thames), a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer (Hawke) 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. The film is produced by Derrickson & Cargill’s Crooked Highway and presented by Universal and Blumhouse.

For in-depth thoughts on The Black Phone, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

The Black Phone arrives on 4K UHD Blu-Ray courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment a little over a year after the Blu-Ray debut. We were disappointed by the lack of a 4K UHD Blu-Ray option at the time, and now that this decision has been reversed, we are not so sure we should have been so upset. The new 2160p HDR10 transfer does not make a tremendous difference in quality, but it does refine some elements while not rising to the occasion in others. Any small encoding missteps on the Blu-Ray such as aliasing, digital noise, or compression artifacts have been eliminated with this release. Despite this, there are some larger issues at play.

One of the main things to keep in mind with this film is that it is meant to have a dour, slightly desaturated color palette that represents the mood of this era. This is represented pretty well on the accompanying Blu-Ray, but it is taken to another level with the 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc. The HDR10 grade makes it extremely dark even compared to the moody Blu-Ray. A lot of people notoriously hated the Heat 4K UHD Blu-Ray release because it was so dark, but we defended that one. This is much more of an issue here. The opening baseball game appears like it is being played in the waning moments of dusk rather than the overcast day of the Blu-Ray presentation. This is not entirely unpleasant, but it does become an issue when going into environments that are supposed to be dark, such as the basement that takes up the lion’s share of the movie. Some instances are so dark that detail gets completely swallowed up. The film is not unwatchable in a completely dark room, but we cannot imagine attempting to watch this in the daytime with even a small bit of ambient light.

Outside the blanket darkness that shrouds the movie, there are improvements to appreciate. Black levels are very deep without giving into crush. The highlights do not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. The level of detail in this presentation is improved even with the intentionally hazy cinematography. The Super 8 flashbacks have less depth as the format dictates but still look consistent within the overall style. We did not expect this movie to be an eye-popping visual masterpiece on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, but we are surprised that the disc takes such a drastic visual shift from the Blu-Ray which only the right environment will nurture. If you already have the Blu-Ray, you may want to think twice about spending the money to upgrade.

Audio Quality

The Dolby Atmos track is a minor upgrade from the DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio track included on the Blu-Ray, but any upgrade is welcome. The benefits of this track mainly show themselves in the overhead components. These channels expand the environment slightly to make things feel a bit more textured and three-dimensional, even if much of this story takes place in a confined space. The core of the track is terrific and captures the nuances of this unsettling soundscape. The audio is not as bombastic as some horror titles, but it is mighty effective in its intent.

The sonic journey constructed here is very rich with a nuanced design from beginning to end. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear with none of the information feeling lost to any competing sound effects. All of these effects have a precise sense of direction within the mix with certain moments designed to jolt you out of your seat. The movie uses environmental sounds to great effect, and the track retains strong detail even when the action escalates. This film is largely situated in character-based moments, but the film springs to life when it makes sense which packs a substantial punch. The soundtrack and score underscore the story perfectly and flow out with flawless fidelity. The track is an amazing representation of the film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Scott Derrickson delivers a great commentary track in which he discusses the personal nature of this story, how he wanted this film to act as his 400 Blows, why working with the Joe Hill short story made the most sense to accomplish what he wanted, growing up with a childhood of fear and violence, his motivations for certain developments in the film, the shooting locations, directing his young stars and more. This is a really engrossing, honest track that is worth a listen.

Deleted Scenes: Two scenes totaling just over a minute of unused material are provided here which shows more moments of Finney’s unstable home life.

Ethan Hawke’s Evil Turn: A nearly five-minute piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the malicious figure at the center of the story, the memorable performance of Hawke, interactions with the young cast members, acting with a mask and more.

Answering The Call – Behind The Scenes Of The Black Phone: A nearly 11-minute look at the creation of the film, themes of the source material, why the creative team wanted to work together once again, real-life inspirations for the story, the visual aesthetic of the film, the direction of Scott Derrickson and more.

Devil In The Design A five-minute exploration of the production design implemented in the film including motivations behind the set design, costume, hair & makeup, and more.

Super 8 Set: A two-minute look at the decision to shoot the dream sequences in Super 8 and how it connects to the time period of the film.

Shadowprowler – A Short Film By Scott Derrickson: A new 12-minute short film from Derrickson in which a teenager gets more than he bargained for when he attempts to steal some booze. A pretty effective short worth a watch.

Final Thoughts

The Black Phone is not the film that all horror fans may want, but it is a supremely tense, paranormal-tinged murder tale that sticks with you after the credits have finished rolling. Ethan Hawke is the standout with his villainous portrayal which you crave more of, but is made more effective by his scarcity. Story and character development take precedence over gore, but the film offers up enough thrills to satisfy the casual genre audience. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray with an inconsistent A/V presentation and a handful of great special features. We were so excited by the possibility of finally getting this one on a superior format, but the reality is a bit more disappointing than we anticipated. Sticking with the Blu-Ray will probably be the right choice for most audiences.

The Black Phone can be purchased on 4K UHD Blu-Ray directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.