Ethan Hawke and director Scott Derrickson previously collaborated on the chilling horror tale Sinister, and while their latest, The Black Phone, may not live up to the terror of that first film, it still provides plenty of reasons to watch.

Set in 1978, Finney (Mason Thames) is a shy 13-year-old boy from the suburbs who lives with his sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), and single father, Terrence (Jeremy Davies). Fear and paranoia hover over the town following the spate of abductions of young boys by a perpetrator nicknamed “The Grabber” (Ethan Hawke). Not long after we’re introduced to him, young Finney falls into the clutches of the predator. He finds himself trapped in a soundproof basement where a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, connecting Finney to The Grabber’s previous victims who are determined to help him avoid their same fate.

The premise itself isn’t particularly remarkable and there are very few unexpected twists lobbed at the film’s audience. Instead, The Black Phone relies on its remarkable young cast to centre us in this glimpse of nightmarish childhood trauma.

Based on a story by horror author Joe Hill, The Black Phone is more than just a beyond-the-grave revenge thriller. Though the horror falls short of truly terrifying—other than a few well-placed jump-scares—it lands an emotional punch. While there are moments of creepiness and ghostly sights, the strongest element of the film is the relationship between siblings Finney and Gwen.

Casting children in a horror can often be hit or miss but Thames and McGraw are magnetic on screen. With nuanced and well-balanced performances, both young actors are exceptional whether they are sharing a scene together or appearing alongside their shitty alcoholic dad (Davies). The emotional and complex relationship between parent and child are some of the rawest and darkest scenes in the film, with Davies perfectly emphasizing the worst qualities in his character. For Thames and McGraw, there is real talent here, and it’ll be exciting to see what both of these young actors do next.

Of course, what’s a horror movie without a villain? Hawke may be cribbing some style notes from the Babadook but his oft-masked Grabber is the type of villain that hides his most horrific tendencies under the surface. Despite being the central bad guy, Hawke takes a backseat to Thames, which is the right move when it comes to telling this story. That said, he has a real flair for playing the killer who is haunted by his own past trauma.

Though it may not be scary enough for seasoned horror fans, The Black Phone is an intelligent and thoughtful story that is well worth a trip to the cinema this summer.

The Black Phone is now out in theatres.