Netflix streaming 'absolutely terrifying' horror that makes people 'unwell'

Netflix has added an 'absolutely terrifying' horror that left people 'running out of theatres' when it first came out. Titled The Black Phone, the 'chilling' movie is now available to watch on the streaming platform (as of May 3).

The film, starring Ethan Hawke, first came out in UK cinemas in 2022. It follows the story of a 13-year-old after he gets abducted by a serial killer.

Its official synopsis reads: "Finney Shaw is a shy but clever 13-year-old boy who's being held in a soundproof basement by a sadistic, masked killer. When a disconnected phone on the wall starts to ring, he soon discovers that he can hear the voices of the murderer's previous victims - and they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn't happen to Finney."

Many people have been pleased to see The Black Phone on Netflix. Abi excitedly tweeted: "THE BLACK PHONE IS ON NETFLIX NOW." Evermoredlxed said: "THEYRE ADDING THE BLACK PHONE TO NETFLIX?!! YESYESYES." Girlspilled exclaimed: "The Black Phone is on Netflix YIPPEE."

Taking to X back in 2022, one cinema-goer called Zach Pope claimed the film was 'so scary' it caused some people to become 'unwell'. He said: "The best part of watching #TheBlackPhone tonight was right after a jump scare someone FARTED really loudly (sounded like they s*** themselves) & proceeded to run out of the theater… they never came back. I think the film did its job."

Another X user, called JeromeM94Movies, added: "The Black Phone is easily Scott Derrickson’s best film since Sinister, Ethan Hawke is absolutely terrifying and gives a very unsettling performance. Mason Thames and Madeline McGraw give great performances. The atmosphere combined with the surprisingly effective jumpscares."

Jlai3Lai posted: "Just finished watching the Black Phone, which I’d highly recommend. Thrilling and terrifying at the same time. I did not realize before seeing it that it was based on a short story by Stephen King’s son. Very cool."

The Black Phone was originally published as a short story in Joe Hill's collection 20th Century Ghosts. It was first published in October 2005 in the UK.

The Black Phone has been rated 6.9/10 on IMDb and 88% out of 100 on Rotten Tomatoes. Amazon UK has scored it 4.1/5 and 83% of Google users say they like the film.

For fans of the film, there will be a sequel coming out next year. Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions has announced The Black Phone 2 will be released June 27, 2025. According to reports, the intention of the sequel is to “launch of a sinister new franchise.”