In The Black Phone, Ethan Hawke’s The Grabber kidnaped young Finney in 1978, aiming to make the boy his sixth victim in the Denver suburbs. Fortunately, Finney got supernatural help from ghosts of the dead boys in the villain’s basement. They helped Finney would formulate a plan to escape, but when the families of both Finney and The Grabber started factoring in more, a bunch of plot holes and unanswered questions arose.
Why Didn’t Finney’s Sister Reveal Her Intel in The Black Phone?
Finney’s sister, Gwen, had dreams of the victims and the black balloons The Grabber left as his signature. Only the cops knew about this, so they believed she was psychic. Yet, after they asked for her help, Gwen never told them about her latest dream. She saw a red brick house and a tree and even got the house number, which would have pinpointed the exact location of the lair. Instead, she waited until she found the place on a random bike ride around town to call the cops.
Why Didn’t Finney’s Dad Help The Black Phone’s Cops?
Finney’s dad, Terrence, hated Gwen’s powers because her mom killed herself due to the stress of similar abilities. However, when Finney went missing, he warmed to Gwen and finally believed her. However, he only took her to search for the place that night. Terrence didn’t look the next day in the daytime, nor did he relay info to the cops. Even if Terrence had to work, the data would have put the cops on the right track.
Why Did The Grabber Leave So Many Weapons?
In the basement, Finney had a rocket ship toy he used as a screwdriver. But weirdly, the villain didn’t search him when he drugged and snatched him from the streets. Shockingly, The Grabber also left Finney with glass bottles after providing him a soda. But most importantly, the villain left the decommissioned phone in the wall, allowing Finney to use the receiver as a weapon in the finale.
How Did The Grabber Not Spot Signs of Scheming?
Finney got word from a ghost about digging a hole in the ground to escape. He did it and covered his tracks at night, but his clothes got dirty. Sure, he washed his hands in the toilet tank, but it’s odd The Grabber didn’t see his clothes looking filthy. Meanwhile, another ghost helped Finney try to escape through the window. It failed, resulting in the window’s metal grill falling to the floor. Yet, the Grabber never noticed the window or the grill, which disappeared from the movie.
Why Wasn’t the Town on Lockdown in The Black Phone?
These kidnappings happen over a year, with Robin and Bruce’s (Finney’s friends) abductions occurring weeks apart. Finney got taken right after, so it’s confusing why the cops wouldn’t place the town in lockdown. No curfew got set, nor were there blockades put up before Finney’s abduction. That was a bad decision because the cops were looking for a black van and knew The Grabber had black balloons. Seeing as Gwen corroborated this, they would have easily caught the villain, who kept driving around town with the same vehicle and the balloons in the back.
How Did Max Know His Brother Was Evil in The Black Phone?
The cops canvassed and interrogated a sleuth named Max. However, he was a cocaine addict who just felt overzealous. Shockingly, he was also The Grabber’s brother and was unaware Finney was in the soundproof cellar. Yet, by looking at the map he made, Max was clued in to check the basement. Had Max found the van or learned his brother wasn’t working, this would have added up. Instead, he wandered downstairs aimlessly, and the villain killed him with an ax.
Where Was Max During Naughty Boy in The Black Phone?
The Grabber’s game was he’d leave the door unlocked, allowing boys a chance to escape. He’d then kill them, dubbing the game “Naughty Boy.” Shockingly, he fell asleep when he played the game with Finney, allowing the boy to slip out of the house. However, the game made no sense with Max at home. It was strange The Grabber assumed Max would remain asleep and allowed Max to live there temporarily while Finney was a prisoner.
Why Didn’t Finney Stab The Grabber?
When Finney went upstairs and saw the villain sleeping during Naughty Boy, he passed right by the kitchen. There were many knives around, so Finney could have taken one to stab him or slit his throat. One could say Finney wasn’t into violence, but the finale had him strangling the tyrant with the phone cord and snapping his neck, so the warrior spirit was there.
What Was the Tank Cover Made From in The Black Phone?
When Finney got recaptured, he used the toilet tank cover to smash a hole into the wall near the freezer. One ghost thought he might be able to kick his way out. Sadly, that didn’t work out but what was mind-boggling was how Finney used the porcelain cover to do this. It was a concrete wall, so one would think the cover would have cracked.
Why Didn’t The Grabber Terminate Finney?
Finney snuck out during Naughty Boy because the door got clamped by one of the victims’ bike locks. The ghost gave Finney the code, but The Grabber never asked about this, nor did he ramp up the punishment on Finney. Per the rules, the villain should have brought Finney back to kill him, especially knowing Finney had some luck on his side. But the film never explained why The Grabber delayed the death.
Why Didn’t The Grabber Change the Lock?
For some reason, The Grabber decided to leave the same lock on the door. One would think he’d change it or upgrade, especially knowing Finney found the code and possibly had the resilience to escape again. This questionable lack of foresight allowed Finney to enter the same code after breaking The Grabber’s neck and running to freedom.
To see these plot holes for yourself, The Black Phone is now in theaters.