Stephen King Loved This Ethan Hawke Horror Movie Streaming On Netflix

Stephen King's many, many books often deal with horrific concepts and themes, which is why he is widely regarded as one of the best horror authors of all time. The man isn't afraid to tackle some provocative subject matter, and his characters are never off limits to the terror that ensues. His novel "IT" is particularly notable for inflicting unspeakable terror on children without holding back, and its story goes to some pretty dark places. As such, it makes sense that he would appreciate director Scott Derrickson's acclaimed adaptation of "The Black Phone," a horror film that stars Ethan Hawke as a child-abducting, scary mask-wearing creep known as The Grabber. Not only that, King also feels it's comparable to a movie adapted from one of his non-horror works.

"The Black Phone," of course, is based on the short story of the same name by King's son, Joe Hill. Derrickson's movie, however, reminded the author specifically of "Stand by Me," a film based on King's novella "The Body" and generally regarded as one of the all-time best Stephen King movies. That film similarly deals with children being forced to confront death, and while it isn't as gruesome as "IT," it's still a powerful coming-of-age tale in its own right. As Derrickson once told /Film:

"I know that [author Joe Hill] showed it to his dad. And Stephen King's comment [...] He saw it and apparently loved it. And his comment to Joe was, 'It's 'Stand by Me' in hell,' which I thought was great."

Getting King's seal of approval is a badge of honor for any project and all the more reason to stream "The Black Phone," which is currently on Netflix. What's more, the author's description of the movie actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

As directed by Rob Reiner, "Stand By Me" tells the tale of a group of young friends who set out to find a dead body on the outskirts of their hometown. Their subsequent adventure sees them confronting their turbulent home lives, prejudice, and loss, so don't go into the movie expecting a feel-good caper about the experience of growing up.

"The Black Phone," meanwhile, centers on Finney (Mason Thames), a 13-year-old boy who's kidnapped by the aforementioned Grabber and locked up in a basement. During his captivity, Finney discovers a phone that allows him to communicate with the ghosts of the killer's previous child victims. As horror fans will tell you, it's also far from a pleasant movie.

Ultimately, "Stand by Me" and "The Black Phone" are both films that deal with the loss of innocence and involve young characters being subjected to abuse, psychological torture, and other unpleasant things we don't associate with a happy childhood. Thematically, they have a lot in common, but "The Black Phone" adds a hellish element by throwing in a serial killer who wears a devilish mask and keeps his young victims locked up in a dark, underground room. 

Moreover, it just so happens that "Stand by Me" is streaming on Netflix at the moment, much like "The Black Phone." So ... why not double bill both features and have a miserable, albeit excellent, time?