An incredibly tense thriller movie is on TV tonight

The film is from the director of Doctor Strange, The Gorge, and Sinister.

Based on a short story by Joe Hill (Horns), the film follows a young teenager named Finney (Mason Thames, How to Train Your Dragon) living in the suburbs of North Denver, Colorado, in the 1970s. While walking home from school, the teen is abducted by a serial killer known as The Grabber (Oscar-nominee Ethan Hawke, The Weight) and held prisoner.

Somehow, Finney is able to communicate with the ghosts of The Grabber's past victims via a mysterious disconnected black phone hanging on the basement wall where he is trapped. With help from these spirits, the young teen plots an escape.

Thanks to Derrickson's moody, stylish direction, Hawke's terrifying villain, and two incredible child performances by Thames and Madeline McGraw (who plays Finney's sister), The Black Phone was a huge hit at the box office and with critics.

Watch the trailer for The Black Phone right here:

This is to such an extent that an also great sequel, Black Phone 2, was released in cinemas last October, with Hawke, McGraw, and Thames all reprising their roles.

As for the original The Black Phone, it's airing on TV tonight/tomorrow morning on the channel Film4 at 1.25am. We'd recommend recording the movie to watch later or renting the film on Apple TV, Google Play, Prime Video, Rakuten TV, and the Sky Store.

Here are the other movies airing on TV tonight (Thursday, 29 October):

For JOE's list of all the movies on TV this week, click here. You can also find more horror film recommendations from us at this link.