Ethan Hawke is no stranger to horror movies, from The Purge to Sinister, and now he’s brought his A-game for another terrifying movie, The Black Phone. Directed by Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange), this movie is an adaptation of a short story written by Joe Hill. Derrickson co-wrote the adapted screenplay with C. Robert Cargill (Sinister) and the two of them produced the film alongside Jason Blum.
The Black Phone is set in 1978, where a young boy named Finney (Mason Thames) is kidnapped by a serial child abductor known as “The Grabber” (Hawke). He’s held captive in a basement that has a black phone hanging on the wall, but it is disconnected. The phone rings and Finney answers it, only to discover that the voices on the other side of the line belong to the Grabber’s previous victims. They each try to help him survive by giving him warnings and advice on how to defend himself and escape.
If you’ve seen The Black Phone, and you’re looking to continue riding that horror high, then this list will point you in the right direction.
The Boy Behind the Door (2020)
David Charbonier and Justin Powell made their writer-director duo debut in 2020 with their first feature film, The Boy Behind the Door. This movie is about two young boys who are abducted while they are walking through the woods. Bobby, who is played by Lonnie Chavis (This Is Us), wakes up in the trunk of a car and is about to make his escape when he hears his best friend Kevin (Ezra Dewey) screaming for help. Bobby enters the house where Kevin is being kept chained in the attic, and the two of them have to fight for their lives against two adults with nefarious intentions.
While this movie has no supernatural aspect as The Black Phone does, the similarity between the two movies is equally horrifying as the two boys play a dangerous game of cat and mouse with their captors.
The Boy Behind the Door is available to stream on Amazon Prime and Roku.
The Orphanage (2007)
The Orphanage (also known as El Orfanato) is another directorial debut film, this time from Spanish director J. A. Bayona. 30 years after she is adopted, Laura (Belén Rueda) returns to the orphanage that she came from with plans to re-open the orphanage as a facility for disabled children with her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) and their 7-year-old adopted son, Simón (Roger Príncep).
It is revealed that Simón is HIV positive, and shortly after moving into the home, he begins to talk about and draw pictures of his new “imaginary friend,” Tomás. During the party for the orphanage’s reopening, Simón goes missing after an argument between him and Laura. Not long after his disappearance, Laura begins to hear and see things that she interprets as messages from the beyond, trying to help her find her son.
The Orphanage is available to rent or purchase on multiple streaming platforms such as Amazon, Google Play, and Apple TV.
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Based on Alice Sebold’s novel of the same name, The Lovely Bones follows a young girl named Susie Salmon, played by Saoirse Ronan (Ladybird) who was abducted and murdered by her neighbor, George Harvey (Stanley Tucci). She watches the aftermath from an ethereal “in-between” and is torn between seeking vengeance on her murderer and letting her family heal from their loss. Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) and Rachel Weisz (Black Widow) play the roles of Susie’s grieving parents, along with Rose McIver (iZombie) as Susie’s younger sister.
As Susie struggles with her inner turmoil, she is led toward heaven by Holly (Nikki SooHoo), but she has unfinished business in the mortal world that she can’t let go of.
The Lovely Bones is available to stream on Amazon Prime and Paramount+.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
This movie is the second installment in the Cloverfield franchise and the directorial debut of Dan Trachtenberg. Produced by J. J. Abrams, the film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Birds of Prey) as Michelle, a woman who wakes up with a leg injury in an underground bunker after her car was struck by another vehicle. Howard, played by John Goodman (Argo), enters the room and informs her that there was “an attack” and that he brought her there for her safety after he discovered her in her wrecked car. He tells her that the air outside was toxic and that she should be grateful that he saved her.
After Howard displays some aggressive and violent behavior, Michelle and the third inhabitant of the bunker, Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), decide to take their chances with the potentially toxic environment outside and plan their escape.
10 Cloverfield Lane is available to rent or purchase from Amazon, Vudu, and Google Play.
What Lies Beneath (2000)
Michelle Pfeiffer (Dark Shadows) plays Claire Spencer in this supernatural thriller directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back To The Future). Claire has a slightly strained relationship with her husband Norman (Harrison Ford), especially after their daughter leaves for college. Left with an empty nest, she becomes intrigued by their new neighbors, Mary and Warren, who have a volatile relationship. After she overhears a heated argument between them, she becomes concerned for Mary, who seemingly disappears after the conflict.
Soon after Mary’s disappearance, Claire begins to experience supernatural occurrences around her house, which she assumes are Mary’s desperate attempts to contact her from beyond the grave.
What Lies Beneath is available to rent or purchase on Amazon, Vudu, and Apple TV.
Split (2016)
Split is a psychological thriller written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan starring Anya Taylor-Joy (The Northman) and James McAvoy (His Dark Materials). The movie has a sequel called Glass which is the third installment in a potential superhero universe created by Shyamalan, originating with his 2000 film, Unbreakable.
When Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) and two other girls are abducted from a parking lot at the King of Prussia Mall, the three of them find themselves locked up in an underground room. Their abductor, Dennis (McAvoy) explains to them that they are there as food for “the Beast.” They quickly realize that Dennis is one of 23 personalities that share control over the body of Kevin Wendell Crumb. Kevin suffers from DID (Disassociative Identity Disorder) and cannot always control his alter egos like Dennis, Patricia, or most frighteningly, “the Beast,” who supposedly has superhuman abilities and a hunger for human flesh.
Split is available to rent or purchase on multiple platforms such as Amazon, Apple TV, or Google Play.
Kiss the Girls (1997)
Based on the James Patterson novel of the same name, Kiss the Girls is not a supernatural thriller but follows a serial killer who targets women who are strong-willed and successful. He calls himself “Casanova,” and keeps the women held captive as his personal harem in an underground bunker somewhere outside of Durham, North Carolina. He gives the captive women a set of rules that they must obey if they want to stay alive. If they break these rules, he takes them into the woods and kills them.
One woman, Kate (Ashley Judd), manages to escape, and later joins forces with Detective Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), who has traveled to North Carolina to help investigate the disappearance of his niece, Naomi, whom he suspects is being held captive by Casanova.
Kiss The Girls is available to stream on Amazon Prime, Paramount +, and Roku.
The Haunting (1999)
Starring Liam Neeson (Taken), Lili Taylor (The Conjuring), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago), and Owen Wilson (Loki), this movie is based on the 1963 film of the same name, which itself was based on Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting of Hill House. There are now several versions of this story such as Stephen King’s 2002 miniseries Rose Red, and Mike Flanagan’s 2018 Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House.
The Haunting was directed by Jan de Bont (Twister) and focuses on Eleanor “Nell” Vance (Lili Taylor) who suffers from insomnia. After the death of her mother, Nell faces homelessness and agrees to participate in an insomnia study hosted by Dr. David Marrow (Liam Neeson) at a secluded mansion in rural Massachusetts. During the first night of the study, an accident occurs, resulting in two of the participants dropping out to head to the nearest hospital. Unexplainable supernatural events begin to plague the remaining participants, who are now trapped on the estate for the remainder of the study. Despite the clearly aggressive supernatural forces, Nell believes that some of the spirits who reside there are trying to help her.
The Haunting is available to stream on platforms such as Amazon Prime, Paramount+, and Roku.
IT (2017)
While there are no children being held captive in this movie, it’s undeniable that The Black Phone bears a strong resemblance to the story. Joe Hill certainly takes after his father Stephen King in his creative (and horrifying) writing capabilities. The small, fictitious town of Derry, Maine is riddled with “missing person” posters featuring children who have seemingly disappeared without a trace. The terrifying Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) might don red balloons instead of black, but he targets children nonetheless.
After his younger brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) disappears during a rainstorm, Bill Denbrough (Jaeden Martell) continues to search for him with his trusted group of friends, Richie (Finn Wolfhard), Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer), Beverly (Sophia Lillis), Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor), Mike (Chosen Jacobs), and Stanley (Wyatt Oleff). What they discover is an ancient evil being, known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, who resurfaces once every 27 years to feed on the fear and flesh of the children of Derry. Together, the troupe, known as “The Losers Club,” have to find a way to face their biggest fears and defeat the killer clown.
IT is available to stream on Netflix and HBO Max.
Horns (2013)
This movie doesn’t deal with serial killers or kidnapping victims attempting to escape their captivity, but the story comes from the same twisted mind that created The Black Phone. Based on the Joe Hill novel of the same name, Horns stars Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) as Ignatius “Ig” Perrish. After he is falsely accused of raping and murdering his long-time girlfriend, Merrin (Juno Temple), Ig begins to sprout large devilish horns from his head. He soon learns that these horns grant him the ability to influence those around him to do and say the thoughts and impulses that they would usually keep to themselves. He uses these newfound powers to hunt down Merrin’s true killer, leaving a bloody wake behind him.
Directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes), the cast of Horns also includes David Morse (Disturbia), Joe Anderson (Across The Universe), James Remar (Dexter), and Max Minghella (The Handmaid’s Tale).
Horns is available to stream on Roku and Tubi.
As proven with The Black Phone, writer Joe Hill, leading actor Ethan Hawke, and director Scott Derrickson are far from novices when it comes to the horror genre. As Hill continues to build his repertoire of film and TV show adaptations such as NOS4A2, In The Tall Grass, and Locke & Key, we look forward to seeing what he has coming next.
If you’ve enjoyed his established works, keep an eye out here for articles featuring the upcoming TV miniseries adaptation of his 2016 novel, The Fireman.