Why is “The Black Phone” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “violence, bloody images, language and some drug use.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a couple of bloody murders with one man being struck in the head by an axe, several fights between teenagers with a lot of blood shown, a teen boy fighting a man, a child being
whipped by her father, several implied murders of children, a few arguments, and at least 26 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence &
strong language. Show After a town is terrorized by “The Grabber,” who’s kidnapping children, a 13-year-old boy (Mason Thames) finds himself locked in a basement. When he starts receiving calls on a black phone in the room, the callers seem to be trying to help him survive. Also with Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke, Jeremy Davies, E. Roger Mitchell, Troy Rudeseal, James Ransone, Miguel Cazarez Mora, Rebecca Clarke, J. Gaven Wilde, Spencer Fitzgerald, Jordan Isaiah White, Brady Ryan and Tristan Pravong. Directed by Scott Derrickson. A couple of lines of dialogue are spoken in Spanish without translation. [Running Time: 1:43] The Black Phone SEX/NUDITY 1 – A pre-teen girl makes kissing noises when talking to her teen brother about a teen girl. A teen boy and a teen girl flirt. The Black Phone VIOLENCE/GORE 7 – A man swings an axe into another man’s head and blood sprays on him; the victim falls dead onto the floor with the axe still in his head. A man swings an axe toward a teen boy and lunges toward him, the boy moves away and when the man follows him, he breaks through a hole in the floor, lands on a grate and snaps his ankle (we see the ankle bend unnaturally), and the boy hits
the man in the face repeatedly with a phone receiver, wraps the cord around his neck and snaps his neck. The Black Phone LANGUAGE 7– About 26 F-words, 2 obscene hand gestures, 15 scatological terms, 7 anatomical terms, 5 mild obscenities, 2 derogatory terms for gay people, 1 derogatory term for Hispanic people, name-calling (slimy little beaner, the Grabber, idiot, my idiot, jerk face, chicken, stupid, moron, cowards, dumb fart knockers, pathetic, dumb [scatological term deleted], [anatomical term deleted] weed, noid, dip [scatological term deleted]), exclamations (shut-up, freaking out), 4 religious profanities (GD), 4 religious exclamations (e.g. Holy [scatological term deleted], Holy Mary Mother of God, Jesus). | profanity glossary | The Black Phone SUBSTANCE USE– A man snorts cocaine in a few scenes, and a man sprays what seems like a sedative into a teen boy’s mouth and he falls unconscious (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). A man opens and drinks from a beer at a children’s baseball game, many beer bottles are shown on counters and tables in many scenes throughout the movie, a man sleeping in a chair holds a partially empty bottle of beer and his teen son puts it on a table next to him, and a man appears to have a drinking problem. The Black Phone DISCUSSION TOPICS– Alcoholism, suicide, grief, the supernatural, psychic abilities, child abuse, friendship, standing up for yourself, kidnapping, serial murder. Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements. We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits. Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review. How scary is black phone?The Black Phone has some jump scares that work to shock the audience, but the true horror lies in the trauma that is conveyed through the relatable characters. This is an intelligent thriller that takes its time to establish its narrative and tension. While the jump scares are present, they are few and far between.
Can 13 year olds watch rated R?Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their children.
Are there jump scares in black phone?He kidnaps a child named Finney who tries to escape using calls he receives from a black phone in the room he's trapped in. The film is scary. There's effective jump-scares but it also creates tension with slow builds and emphasises claustrophobia. Ethan Hawke is great.
Is black phone based on a true story?Thankfully, The Black Phone is not based on a true story. The narrative is based on the 2004 short story by Joe Hill, who happens to be the son of the legendary horror author Stephen King.
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