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The Black Phone

Joe Hill (Goodreads Author)

3.94 · Rating details · 37,405 ratings · 3,030 reviews

Joe Hill's award-winning story collection, originally published as 20th Century Ghosts, featuring "The Black Phone," soon to be a major motion picture from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions

Jack Finney is thirteen, alone, and in desperate trouble. For two years now, someone has been stalking the boys of Galesberg, stealing them away, never to be seen again. And n ...more

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Paperback, Movie Tie-In Edition, 316 pages

Published December 28th 2021 by William Morrow & Company (first published January 2005)

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· 37,405 ratings · 3,030 reviews

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Nov 20, 2012 Bill Kerwin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories, weird-fiction, ghost-stories

Seldom does a collection of weird stories feature a style so accomplished, a range of tone and mood so broad, or a generosity so profound. Hill, the son of Stephen King, inherits his father's empathy for the ordeals of childhood as well as his artfulness in constructing a tale, but he also possesses a warmth and an elegance all his own.

At times his stories are chilling and gripping like the horror fiction of King ("The Black Phone"), but at other times they are gentle and elegiac like Bradbury ...more

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Jul 21, 2013 Wil Wheaton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

Absolutely wonderful book. This is a collection of stores that will have you crying, checking for monsters under the bed, and wondering how the hell Joe Hill came up with that.

Comparisons to Joe's dad will be unavoidable, especially from those of us who read Night Shift and Skeleton Crew at a certain age ... and though I believe Joe has more than earned the right to be far, far out of his father's shadow, I say with love that the comparisons are well-deserved. This is a sensational collection, a ...more

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Dec 05, 2008 Will Byrnes rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories, horror

Joe Hill - image from Daily Sundial

The crab apple does not fall far from the poisoned tree. While the sensibility is his own, it is eminently clear that Joe Hill has been gifted with DNA predisposed to horror greatness.

Before Heart-Shaped Box, Hill wrote short stories. He still does.

I was immediately taken with his ability to draw the reader in. For most of the stories here, I quickly felt that I could settle back in my chair and let Hill lead me wherever he wanted. He engages quickly and stron ...more

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Aug 19, 2019 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror-gothic-etc, library-book

Read with some friends over at Horror Aficionados. I have to say I was expecting some true horror stores but I wasn’t feeling half of them. I’m giving it 3 stars for the ones I did like though.

BEST NEW HORRORwas the creepiest one and I loved it!

The other ones I liked were

Pop Art
You Will Hear The Locust Sing (was okay)
The Black Phone
Last Breath

And the added Typewriter store in the ad section

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

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Dec 30, 2016 Mir rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ghosts, short-stories

"Best New Horror" - Fun concept and well executed for most of the story, but my interest tanked when the editor finally tracks down the author. Maybe I was supposed to laugh at the cliche-ness? 4 stars for the 1st half, 2 for the second = 3

"20th Century Ghosts" - There was a delicacy to this haunted movie theater story that I appreciated, although I felt it ran too long (or rather, too wordy) for what it was. 3 stars

"Dead-wood" - Instances of ghostly trees. You know, Joe, it would be okay to wri ...more

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Aug 24, 2019 Ginger rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, buddy-read

I really enjoyed this compilation of short stories by Joe Hill! They are not all horror so know that going in when you read this.

Overall, I would give this compliation 4 stars!

I've broken down all the short stories below and what I liked about them. Some were "okay" and not a favorite but the writing was still good.
Joe Hill has a fantastic imagination and his writing is top notch in my books!

Best New Horror – 5 stars!
This was one of my favorite short stories. I loved the take on the producer try ...more

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Mar 25, 2017 Char rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-fantasy, evil-children, psychological-horror, dark-fiction, coming-of-age, all-time-favorites, short-stories-read, ghost-stories, favorites, short-story-coll-anthologies-read

4.5 stars!

My favorite stories were:

Pop Art
20th Century Ghost
Better Than Home
My Father's Mask
Voluntary Committal

My thought on this collection cannot possibly make a dent in all of reviews already written about this book. Suffice it to say: I loved it and it gets my highest recommendation. ...more

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Mar 03, 2015 Kelli rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, short-stories

Joe Hill makes me feel like I'm seven again. More specifically, I'm seven and he is the nine-year-old kid down the street hanging out with me in my tree fort telling me scary stories and urban legends that he swears are true. His voice is hushed, as if he is letting me in on a little known secret and I'm not quite sure whether to believe him but I'm mesmerized and a little afraid.

Joe Hill gets the underdog and the misunderstood. He also writes childhood well, but it is when writing that mislabel ...more

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May 14, 2017 Nandakishore Mridula rated it really liked it · review of another edition

When I read NOS4A2, I had pegged Joe Hill as a horror writer of the calibre of his celebrated father. When I started this book, I expected much of the same fare: however, I was pleasantly surprised. “20th Century Ghosts” is less about ghosts than other sorts of boogeymen: more subtle, more scary, and all definitely weird.

It starts off with a traditional story (“Best New Horror”) about a horror anthology editor trapped in something like one of his own tales: despite the story-within-the-story str When I read NOS4A2, I had pegged Joe Hill as a horror writer of the calibre of his celebrated father. When I started this book, I expected much of the same fare: however, I was pleasantly surprised. “20th Century Ghosts” is less about ghosts than other sorts of boogeymen: more subtle, more scary, and all definitely weird.

It starts off with a traditional story (“Best New Horror”) about a horror anthology editor trapped in something like one of his own tales: despite the story-within-the-story structure of the first part, this tale becomes highly predictable towards the end and falls rather flat. In fact, all the stories using familiar tropes in this collection (“The Black Phone” about a serial killer, and the novella “Voluntary Committal” about an idiot savant and tunnels to distant dimensions) suffer from predictability. Joe Hill comes into his own, I think, when he throws away the manual and drifts off into the territory of the weird.

Take “Pop Art”, a story of an inflatable boy – no, not a toy but a living being born to flesh and blood parents, in an alternate universe where such things are possible: or “My Father’s Mask”, where the goofy family game played by a family slowly slides into reality: or “The Cape”, where the superhero myth takes a violent twist. None of these can be called horror, but we are definitely in the land of Kafka. Speaking of whom, there is a sort of tribute to one of his all-time great stories, The Metamorphosis – in “You Will Hear the Locust Sing”, a youngster in the same dilemma as Greg Samsa decides to take his life in hands, with true American fortitude.

The question “what happened after Count Dracula was defeated?” is answered in “Abraham’s Boys”, but it may not be everyone’s cup of tea to see this negative take on a classic of the horror genre. I found it powerful, however – especially how the author depicts the tortured world of the Van Helsing children with such cruel clarity. Indeed, the disturbed and often terrifying world of misfit children and broken homes is a common theme in this collection – it permeates eight of the sixteen stories. Is it so bad in America now, one wonders.

There are a stories without any element of horror (“Better Than Home”, “The Widow’s Breakfast”, “Bobby Conroy Comes Back from the Dead”) which are still unsettling because of the human misery left unsaid underneath the bland narration. This is one thing that Joe Hill does beautifully; his prose is sometimes so prosaic and unemotional, almost Hemingway-esque, still it conveys a depth of feeling.

Among all these stories, the title story stands out as the only one where a traditional ghost appears. But there is nothing frightening about this ghost – in fact, she is rather endearing and sexy. Through her, the author manages to convey what the magic of movies was before television forced itself into our living rooms.

If you are a connoisseur of the unconventional, a fan of the disturbing and likes your literature to keep you awake than put you to sleep, this is the book for you. ...more

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Mar 15, 2018 Crystal added it · review of another edition

I did it
I finished
the only story I couldn't make it through was the cockroach one.
I much prefer his full length novels ...more

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May 17, 2016 Ron rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, anthology-collection, short-story

More often than not, Joe Hill characterizes the child’s life within these stories. I think that’s where our imaginations and fears are strongest, and when things scare us the most. When we are grown, most of that is gone…until we pick up a certain book. Shit, I love the way Hill writes. It is so utterly readable. He makes me believe in ghosts and the supernatural, but even more in the power of a simple story. I say that because not even half of the stories included here are meant to be frighteni ...more

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Dec 18, 2008 Lisa rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This was the most awful grueling book to get through. The stories had great starts (some of them anyways) but then just ended with no warning, and not even at a place that really made much sense. Some of these stories I think could have made an excellent book on their own had they been fully completed. It was very difficult to make my way through these stories. I kept hoping they would get better or I'd find one really great story in the mess. Some really grabbed my interest in the begining but ...more

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Oct 24, 2019 Bradley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, 2019-shelf

Oddly enough, this collection was something of a hit or miss with me. When the stories hit, they hit hard and wonderfully and had me chortling with glee. Best Horror Story was easily my favorite. I really liked a number of the others, as well.

What really got me, though, were the stories that, while emotionally engaging and had me chomping at the bit for more, just STOPPED. Anyone who has read these particular stories will know what I mean. Some of the best ended right where we should have gotten ...more

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Jul 10, 2018 Paul O’Neill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A fantastic collection of stories, tightly written (like a certain family member). Short stories aren’t usually my thing but between this and his more recent collection of four novellas, Strange Weather, Joe Hill has maybe changed my mind.

Some stories were better than others but there wasn’t a single dudd in this collection. My favourites were Pop Art (boy makes friends with Art, a balloon), Better Than Home (a nice Father-Son story) and the longer story at the end of the book, Voluntary Commit ...more

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Sep 05, 2008 Sandi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, 2008

Short story collections can be hit or miss. Some stories may be wonderful, others may be clunkers. Every story in “20th Century Ghosts” is wonderful, some are even superlative. While Hill is a horror writer, not all of the stories in this book are horror. And, some of the ones that deal with the typical subjects of horror are not horrific. To me, the best stories in this collection are:

“20th Century Ghost”, a touching story about a haunted movie theater.

“Abraham’s Boys”, a tale about teen-age re ...more

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May 14, 2020 Zain rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, read-2019, short-stories, collection, paranormal

The book has an old fashioned look and I like that.

What I also like is the title. It’s also old school.

The spookiness is okay, but I think I was expecting more from this author.

You know what I mean.

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Jun 13, 2018 Tim rated it did not like it · review of another edition

The title seems false and the stories are lame. 0 of 10 stars

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Oct 23, 2019 Trish rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is my first ever Joe Hill book. Well, it is a collection of short stories to be exact.

For the single titles of the stories, please refer to my status updates, where you can also see the individual ratings.
As you can see, not every story was a winner for me but the majority was great. And among those with a low(er) rating, I noticed that the writing itself was always of high quality. One simply didn't belong in a horror collection in my opinion and one or two other(s) seemed too short, like ...more

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Jan 04, 2016 Brandon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: short-story-collections, fiction, horror, signed-by-author, 2016

For a long time, this book was my “white whale”. Up to recently, I had three of Joe Hill’s novels (Heart-Shaped Box, Horns, NOS4A2) in hardcover and although 20th Century Ghosts was easily accessible in paperback or for download on my Kindle, I felt I needed to match my existing format and seek out the rare hardbound edition.

With every second-hand bookstore I entered, this illusive short story collection was front and centre in my mind. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t find it. A few months ago I For a long time, this book was my “white whale”. Up to recently, I had three of Joe Hill’s novels (Heart-Shaped Box, Horns, NOS4A2) in hardcover and although 20th Century Ghosts was easily accessible in paperback or for download on my Kindle, I felt I needed to match my existing format and seek out the rare hardbound edition.

With every second-hand bookstore I entered, this illusive short story collection was front and centre in my mind. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t find it. A few months ago I had all but given up until my lovely girlfriend surprised me with a copy for Christmas! Did I mention it was signed? My name might not be “Tom” but who cares? Close enough.

20th Century Ghosts is a collection of short stories dealing with the subjects of death, loss and fear. Although Joe Hill is an accomplished horror novelist, not everything in here will give you the willies. In fact, although one of the better stories - the collection’s namesake, 20th Century Ghost - features a spooky specter, it’s more nostalgic and sweet rather than scary.

There are some great ones in here that I really enjoyed. “Best New Horror” tells of a magazine editor who has fallen into a rut - both professionally and personally - before coming across a new story so enthralling that it sets him on a quest to find its reclusive author. “Pop Art” did a real number on me and is probably my favourite of the bunch. It is a sad, coming of age tale about two friends who experience profound loss - did I mention one of them is an inflatable human?

I still struggle with short story collections in that I’m so accustomed to long-form fiction that reading several tales in one session tends to burn me out a lot faster. I need to process a story after I finish one and then refocus on another. Maybe they’re better read in short bursts. I should probably adapt this strategy in the future.

20th Century Ghosts is a glimpse into Hill’s past as several of the stories were written just as he was starting out as a published author - a time when he was relatively unknown and people didn’t know he was Uncle Stevie’s boy. It’s worth checking out for die hard fans and genre fiction enthusiasts alike. ...more

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Feb 14, 2021 Justine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-read, short-fiction, 2021-group-reads-challenge

4.5 stars for the collection as a whole

As always, I find Hill's work compulsively readable and eminently enjoyable. My favourites here are probably "Better than Home" and "Voluntary Committal," followed closely by "Abraham's Boys" and "The Cape." But there's nothing bad or weak in here, just varying degrees of good to excellent.

Best New Horror (4/5) One of those stories that isn't creepy until it is, and the obviousness makes it more so rather than less. I love endings where the reader's mind ke ...more

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May 13, 2012 Edward Lorn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of literary horror

I first heard of Joe Hill after winning a bundle of used hardcovers on Ebay. Among the books in the lot were several King, some limited edition Laymon, a Straub or two, and two first editions by an author of which I had never heard. Heart Shaped Box and 20th Century Ghosts were in fantastic condition, and seemed to have never been read. I threw these two books on my shelf and forgot all about them. Later that year, I found a book at my local BAM entitled Horns. The premise piqued my interest, so I first heard of Joe Hill after winning a bundle of used hardcovers on Ebay. Among the books in the lot were several King, some limited edition Laymon, a Straub or two, and two first editions by an author of which I had never heard. Heart Shaped Box and 20th Century Ghosts were in fantastic condition, and seemed to have never been read. I threw these two books on my shelf and forgot all about them. Later that year, I found a book at my local BAM entitled Horns. The premise piqued my interest, so I bought the hardcover, devoured it over the course of three days, and then went to place the book on my shelf in alphabetic order by author. Low and behold, I laid eyes on two other books by the same writer, the aforementioned ones I'd won in the bundle, which I had forgotten all about. It wasn't until I finished Heart Shaped Box (which was in slightly less perfect condition in comparison to 20th Century Ghosts) and went in search of more Joe Hill goodness on Amazon that I found out that Hill is Stephen King's son. Surprise, surprise! The following year, Hill released NOS4A2 and cemented his place as one of my new favorite authors. Still, I hadn't read 20th Century Ghosts. You may be asking yourself why, and the answer is one that all book collectors can sympathize with: my hardcover copy is a first edition AND it is in pristine condition. I wouldn't crack that book open if you put a gun to my head. But I had to read it, of course I did, so I bought the ebook and added the audio book as a companion purchase. And let me tell you, the audio book is the way to go.

Notes on the Audible Edition: David Ledoux has a unique narrative voice. Every story herein is worth a read, but David's narration gives them that little something extra that just makes 'em pop. On the down side, the music, while thoroughly creepy, was produced at an entirely different volume than the spoken word. I had to turn down my device every time a story ended for fear of rupturing my ear drums when the musical intro for the next story began. Other than that, I recommend the Audible version.

Now, I will not be reviewing each and every story because they're all above average. I will warn that some of these tales have no ending. They are not open endings, or bad ending, but the stories of which I speak are completely devoid of any closing scene. They simply STOP. A perfect example of this is the opener, "Best New Horror", which is also one of the best stories in the collection. My absolute favorite story in the collection is "Pop Art", and that's because of the sheer originality of the tale. Going into 20th Century Ghosts, I knew nothing about "Pop Art", and I hope you have the same option. Even giving you a brief, vague synopsis would ruin the experience, so I will move on. Other notable tales are "20th Century Ghost", "The Black Phone", "The Cape" (which has one of the best endings I've ever read where short stories are concerned), and the uber imaginative "Voluntary Committal". The only story I disliked was "Abraham's Boys". Hill tried too damn hard to breathe new life into overused, out-of-date characters, and it resulted in the book's only failure. That one story slowed the book down and gummed up the collection's works so badly I was compelled to knock off a full star from the overall rating. Yes, it was that bad. If I had to rate "Abraham's Boys" on its own, I would give it two stars. Everything else gets fours and fives.

You should know that these are not short stories; not technically anyway. Hill suffers the same what-ails-him as his father. Neither man seems to grasp the concept of "short", but they write so damn well that you barely notice that their outings are more along the line of novelettes and novellas than they are short stories.

In summation: A terrific collection of longer short stories, and far more literary in scope than your average horror anthology. If you're a fan of Stephen King's Skeleton Crew or Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors, you should enjoy 20th Century Ghosts.

(A Note to Completionists: Hill hides a short story in the afterward, so make sure you don't skip the acknowledgment section. You're welcome.) ...more

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Oct 30, 2021 Miya (taking care of sick people. GERMS! EW!) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I thought this would be just pure terror, but surprisingly (in the best way ever) it has all the feels. Not just fear but every emotion us messy humans have in us. Hands downs this book would make me a Joe Hill fan forever. So good!

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Jan 08, 2013 Matthew rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, supernatural, library, short-stories, horror, at-home-reading, mystery

A great short story collection. Check out my status updates for my opinions on each story.

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Aug 17, 2020 Rachelle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Oh how I love a collection of short stories! Joe Hill delivers yet again, these stories are creepy, bizarre and wonderful.

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May 10, 2021 Spencer Orey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories

Well done stories. They play with classic forms (scary New England) and ideas but find fresh things to say. Also just really listenable (I listened to the audiobook).

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Jun 30, 2022 Майя Ставитская rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The phone always rings twice
– Do you want to join us?. You will be a dead man – you will lie down here, and we will shower you with flowers, read the Bible and sing
Restrained, elegant, dark prose. Not black, but rather deeply gloomy. Quite cynical. There is no power, depth, humanism, unthinkable paternal charm in it, and there is practically no humor with which he knows how to defuse the most tense situations. Where Stephen King is the Sun, Joe Hill is the moon - or rather the moon, the night lu ...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Mauoijenn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dont-go-in-haunted, just-4-thought, dying-dead-death, wacky-bizarre-weird, 2015-rc, creepy-fun-times, king-family-dynasty, shorty-short-stories, ghosts-spirit-ghouls, fantasy-sci-fi

Loved it!!! Loved it!!!! Loved it!!!!!

These stories have got to be the best in any collection I have ever read. Hill's imagination is a wild ride I would stand in line for all day. I can't get enough from this man! Spooky, scary, frightening and just down right crazy... I love it all.
...more

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Mar 14, 2018 Jamie Stewart rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a reread for me and it will always be something special to me. It earned a place on my bookshelf as the best short story collection I had ever read. I often found such collections jarring in the past because of the ever changing tones and paces that can happen when reading collections. However, when I read this book for the first time I was engrossed and found every tale just as engaging as the next. That was then and this is now.

I dropped my rating by one star because while their are ...more

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Aug 16, 2007 Peggy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I love Fall. Football has returned to the airwaves. The leaves are changing colors, and there’s a cold snap in the…oh, who am I kidding. This is Texas. If we’re lucky, it will only be 85 degrees with 95% humidity as you’re reading this. Still, I really do like the idea of Fall, though, and if I have to make my own chill, well, then, so be it. The best way I know of to bring a chill to the air is to break out the scary stories. Luckily for us, one of the finest collections of contemporary hor I love Fall. Football has returned to the airwaves. The leaves are changing colors, and there’s a cold snap in the…oh, who am I kidding. This is Texas. If we’re lucky, it will only be 85 degrees with 95% humidity as you’re reading this. Still, I really do like the idea of Fall, though, and if I have to make my own chill, well, then, so be it. The best way I know of to bring a chill to the air is to break out the scary stories. Luckily for us, one of the finest collections of contemporary horror stories has just been released in the US.

Some of you may have picked up a debut novel this past Spring called Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (If you didn’t, go ahead and grab one now. I’ll wait.). It was a terrific book: fast-paced, subtle, surprisingly touching, and truly creepy. But you might not know that way back in 2005 a British publisher called PS Publishing took note of a spate of award-winning stories by a new American author and collected them all together into a book called 20th Century Ghosts. The book garnered many award mentions and landed on numerous best-of lists, but it was only available in Britain. Darn greedy Brits. Lucky for us, an American version is finally available, just in time to add some spice to our Fall. As a bonus, because we had to wait so long, we get an extra story not included in the British edition. Take that, greedy Brits!

Joe Hill is a mighty-fine writer, and this collection really showcases his talent. Are you looking for a sweet and subtle ghost story with some cogent points to make about aging and regret? Look no further than “20th Century Ghost.” Did you ever wonder what it would be like if you introduced Franz Kafka to the Nuclear Age (or just have a fondness for giant bugs)? Check out “You Will Hear the Locust Sing.” Maybe you favor a meditation on friendship and persecution? Take a look at “Pop Art,” which Christopher Golden (rightly) called transcendent. But wait a minute. I was talking about chills, wasn’t I? Maybe that’s what you want; the hard stuff. Like “Black Phone,” where a small child trapped in a very bad place receives phone calls from the dead. Or “Last Breath,” which starts out creepy and then sinks into downright disturbing. No, I know. You need a harsh story. A modern story. A story that actually uses your knowledge of horror conventions to build its atmosphere. You need “Year’s Best Horror.”

20th Century Ghosts is a terrific collection, and one that really makes use of Joe Hill’s talents. The stories differ in tone but share a style and subtlety and emotional impact – Hill weaves a web of such dark beauty that you long to be ensnared.
...more

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Jan 16, 2011 Richard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of short stories, coming of age tales, and horror stories

Shelves: essential-horror, horror, cool-concept, lovey-dovey, short-stuff

*Re-Read (audio) in 2015 (originally read in 2010)*

4.5 stars
This is a great story collection, which is interesting, because I was pretty disappointed by author Joe Hill's first two novels, Heart-Shaped Box and Horns . I thought they both started very strong and then fizzled about half-way through. Maybe Hill is better writing in the short form?

The theme running most of these stories are kids coming of age through unexplained events and phenomenon that will stay with them forever, even as ...more

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잇플릭스《 i t - f l i x . c o m 》일본망가,리버풀사우샘프턴 실시간중계,스포츠실시길중계,오피스타,오피가이드,밤토끼,섹툰,툰코,최신웹툰,프리미어리그분석,첼시 맨시티 실시간중계,해외축구중계,호두코믹스,늑대닷컴	1	2	Feb 28, 2021 08:29PM
Horror Aficionados : 20th Century Ghosts - Joe Hill	141	54	Sep 02, 2019 05:46PM
Literary Horror: Oct 2018 Group Read: 20th Century Ghosts	25	34	Oct 31, 2018 08:53PM

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About Joe Hill

Joe Hill

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Joe Hill's debut, Heart-Shaped Box, won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel. His second, Horns, was made into a film freakfest starring Daniel Radcliffe. His other novels include NOS4A2, and his #1 New York Times Best-Seller, The Fireman... which was also the winner of a 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Horror Novel.

He writes short stories too. Some of them were gathered together in ...more