Jonathan (Frankie Muniz) is a single man who works at a local convenience store.  Lonely and sick of being single, Jonathan even gets envious when he sees the couple visiting his store.  One night, while watching TV, an ad appears on his screen, advertising the opportunity for single people to meet one another and possibly connect. He decides to dial the advertised number and soon has the chance to meet with a young woman named Dena (Chelsea Edmundson).

The two go to a local café, and both Jonathan and Dena seem to hit it off, leading to a one-night stand. The next day Dena disappeared with no note as to why she left early. Jonathan attempts to call her, but the number he has for her does not exist anymore.  He begins to investigate what happened to her, but instead, he soon discovers that he has become part of an evil, supernatural plot. Johnathan himself also begins to find a very unusual rash on his body which begins to spread and worsen over time.

I was quite surprised to see Frankie Muniz appearing as a lead actor as he’s best known for either working in comedy or for his work on the well-known hit TV series “Malcolm in the Middle”.  Thankfully, the actor gives a positive performance with only a couple of lines of dialogue that are either questionable or delivered poorly.  Either way, I thought this film was a significant change and a tremendous challenge for the actor to tackle instead of repeating the same beats as before.  He was also quite fun to watch as a character, even though he makes a few unwise choices along the way.

The Black String is a slow-burning horror film.  The pacing, for the most part, is okay, and I enjoyed Johnathan’s character introduction showing his frustrations at being single.  The plot is also pleasing for those seeking a new type of horror film, but I will state that the film’s third act and finale felt disappointing and relatively weak.  The film’s visuals are pleasing, and I enjoyed seeing some of the film’s creativity, particularly when it comes to the supernatural element which begins to surround Jonathan, including dream sequences.

Overall, I was pretty surprised to see actor Frankie Muniz return to the big screen featuring in a horror movie.  For the most part, the actor performs adequately, and the same can be said about the film plot.  As a horror movie, it’s undoubtedly an excellent slow-burn film, with my only significant disappointments relating to the film’s third and final act. 

5.2/10

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Review Written by Peter Walkden