The promo for
The Black Phone, on Amazon Prime: "A sadistic killer kidnaps a teenage boy." In 99% of these movies, it's a girl, and maybe the teenage boy will be old enough to be of beefcake interest.
Scene 1: North Denver, 1978. A little league game, boys posturing for the girls in the stands. Finny (Mason Thames), the pitcher, almost strikes his opponent. He pauses to gaze at the Girl of His Dreams.
This seems to distract him, since now Bruce knocks the ball out of the ball park for a home run. Finney is upset. No beefcake potential. Mason Thames is 16 years old, so he was 13-14 when he filmed the movie. I'll keep watching anyway, to check for gay subtexts. Plus, checking out 1978 is fun.
Scene 2: Switch to the Opponent (Tristan Pravong), riding his bike home and pausing to flirt with girls.
So far this is heteronormative all the way down. Uh-oh, a black van drives slowly down the suburban streets -- the Opponent is done for!
Fade to a montage of missing child posters, old cars, a skinned knee, a spilled booze bottle, a girl licking up blood, and the obligatory empty swing set.
Scene 3: Finny having breakfast with his criticizing, glaring Dad (Jeremy Davies), who works at a nuclear facility (this will become important later, I assume). Sister Gwen, who looks like she belongs on Little House on the Prairie, opens the bread box too loudly, upsetting Abusive Dad.
They walk to school, discussing whether they would prefer to marry Fonzie, Richie, or Potsie from Happy Days. Wait -- Finny is gay and out, in 1978? The missing person fliers from four abducted boys are back up, even though they disappeared six months ago. "You think that they will find them?" Finny asks. "Not the way they want." Morbid girl!
Scene 4: They pause to watch a fight between two long-haired delinquents (Miguel Cazarez Mora, J. Gavin Wilde). One knocks the other unconscious, and continues to punch him until his face is a bloody mess. The onlookers gasp.
No consequences? In 1978, juveniles were not punished for fighting, unless one of them ended up in the hospital. Sister thinks the squashed-face guy had it coming, as he is a giant bully, but Finny disagrees: "No one deserves that!"
Back story: The Grabber has grabbed several boys. There's an urban legend that if you say his name, he will grab you. Sister doesn't believe it, but Finny does.
Scene 5: Class about the layers of the Earth, with a slide show (remember those?). Finny gazes at the Girl of His Dreams again. So not gay; he was just playing along with the "Which Happy Days character will you marry" game. Personally, I'd marry Potsie, f*k Fonzie, and kill Richie.
Scene 6: After class, in the hallway, Finny attracts the attention of a Bully (Jordan Isaiah White) and his cronies. He tries to lose them and hide in the restroom, but they follow, and complain that he's trespassing: this restroom is for boys, not "fags."
Wait -- are they using "fag" as an all-purpose insult, or is Finny actually gay?
Left: Ethan Hawke as the Grabber
Fortunately, the Delinquent from the fight in Scene 4 -- Robin -- comes in to wash more blood off his hands. He promises to protect Finny, so the bullies scram.
Finny immediately whips out his cock -- to use the urinal? They discuss the fight earlier and Texas Chainsaw Massacre -- "the best movie ever!" Then a grinning Robin invites Finney to his house after school to study. Study what, his cock? Holy cow, those guys are dating!
Scene 7: Sister is called to the principal's office to talk to two detectives (Troy Rudeseal, E. Roger Mitchell): she told Missing Boy Bruce's sister that she had a dream that he was taken by a man with black balloons in his van. Two black balloons were found at the crime scene, but that information was not released to the public. What else does Gwen know? "Nothing. It's just that my dreams sometimes come true."
More after the break
