Prior to directing the 2016 Marvel flick Doctor Strange, Scott Derrickson was known for his frightening work in the horror genre from the terrifying 2011 film Sinister, the chilling 2005 flick The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and the ominous and dark 2014 movie Deliver Us From Evil. Next year Derrickson returns to the genre with The Black Phone, produced by horror maestro Jason Blum from a script co-written by Derrickson and his frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill.
With the film’s release date becoming closer and closer, you are probably quite curious what exactly The Black Phone entails. We got you covered:
Is There a Trailer for The Black Phone?
In case you missed it, here is the first official trailer for The Black Phone which debuted online on October 13, just in time for it to play before another Blumhouse movie: Halloween Kills. The trailer definitely plays on the creep factor as well as feeling reminiscent of Andy Muschietti’s first It film.
A second trailer for the film debuted online on April 26, six months after the debut of the first trailer (though the film's delay to June is likely the reason) and right before the film played for exhibitors at this year's CinemaCon. The trailer doesn't necessarily provide us with any new information, though it does include several blurbs from critics, praising the unhinged performance from Ethan Hawke as well as the fact that the film is indeed, downright terrifying.
What Is The Black Phone About?
The Black Phone twists the typical abduction story on its head. The film is set in the 1970s in the suburbs of Colorado, where kids are being hunted down by a serial killer known as The Grabber. Enter young Finney Shaw, who after being tricked by the Grabber disguised as a magician, is kidnapped and locked away in a soundproof basement. The young abductee finds an old disconnected black phone and learns of its ability to transmit the voices of all of the Grabber’s young victims who want to help him escape. In the meantime, Finney’s sister Gwen starts having visions that could lead her down a path to help her find her kidnapped brother.
What Is The Black Phone Rated?
If you like your horror films to be R-rated, well you are in luck with The Black Phone! The film is rated R by the MPA for violence, bloody images, language, and some drug use. So if you were nervous that Derrickson might cut back on the gnarlier aspects of the story, there is no need to fear as this will not be a film for the young ones.
Is The Black Phone Based On Anything?
It is. In fact, The Black Phone is based on the 2004 short story of the same name written by Joe Hill, the son of legendary horror author Stephen King. If you are interested in checking out the short story before seeing the movie, it can be found in Hill’s short story collection 20th Century Ghosts.
This won't be the first adaptation of one of Hill's works. Hill's novel Horns was turned into a movie in 2014, which was directed by Crawl filmmaker Alexander Aja and starred Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple, and Max Minghella. Hill's comic series Locke & Key was turned into a hit series on Netflix after being stuck in development hell for years. The series stars Darby Stanchfield, Jackson Robert Scott, Emilia Jones and Connor Jessup and recently debuted its second season with a third season already on the way. Hill's novel NOS4A2 was adapted into an AMC series with Star Trek star Zachary Quinto co-starring alongside Ashleigh Cummings. In The Tall Grass, which was based off a novella Hill wrote with his father King became a movie on Netflix directed by Vincenzo Natali and featured horror veteran Patrick Wilson. On top of all of that, several of Hill's works were also adapted into episodes of the Shudder anthology series Creepshow.
Who Is In The Black Phone?
Ethan Hawke stars as the unhinged serial killer the Grabber, clad in a variety of kooky outfits and demonic masks. Hawke has long stayed away from playing villains on screen, making it a personal rule for himself, but Derrickson was clearly able to convince Hawke to break that rule. Hawke had previously worked with Derrickson on Sinister where played the lead role of a father whose daughter becomes enamored by a murderous deity known as Bughuul. As entertainment connoisseurs already know The Black Phone won’t even be Hawke’s only villainous role in 2022 as he played the cult leader Arthur Harrow opposite Oscar Isaac in the Marvel Studios Disney+ series Moon Knight. Outside of Sinister, Hawke isn’t a newbie to the horror genre having also had roles in genre pics such as The Purge and Daybreakers.
Hawke isn’t the only returning player for the film as James Ransone, who also worked with Derrickson on Sinister, will have a role in the film as well. You may also recognize Ransone from his role as grown-up Eddie Kaspbrak in the 2019 horror sequel It: Chapter Two.
Jeremy Davies will also have a supporting role in the film as the father of the two children at the center of the story. Davies is known for his roles on hit television series such as Lost and Justified.
Playing the role of our protagonist Finney Shaw is relative newcomer Mason Thames. Thames previously had a minor recurring role on the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind as well as a guest spot on the CW show Walker. Madeleine McGraw who plays Gwen Shaw has appeared in several high-profile projects such as voicing characters in Toy Story 4, The Mitchells vs the Machines, and Cars 3. She has also had small roles in films such as Ant-Man and the Wasp, American Sniper, and Pacific Rim: Uprising.
When Does The Black Phone Hit Theaters?
The Black Phone will finally be heading to theaters on June 24, 2022. The chilling flick will now be opening against Baz Luhrmann's highly stylized rock n' roll biopic Elvis starring Austin Butler in the title role and Tom Hanks as the King's notorious manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It was initially set to be released on February 3, where it would have been opening alongside the Roland Emmerich sci-fi pic Moonfall and Jackass Forever. In addition, the film was previously scheduled to be released a week earlier on January 28, but it was eventually pushed back a week. The summer release date appears to be a sign of confidence from Universal and Blumhouse, likely trying to recapture the success of other summer horror flicks such as The Conjuring.
When Did The Black Phone Film?
The Black Phone was originally announced shortly after it was revealed that Derrickson had dropped out of his directing duties for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness over creative differences. Sam Raimi ended up directing the highly anticipated Marvel sequel, while Derrickson scouted out his next project. Derrickson had been wanting to make The Black Phone for some time and was even developing the film while still working on the Marvel sequel and had even planned to hand the directing reins to the horror film to someone else. Once Derrickson dropped out, he took the opportunity to direct the film himself.
The Black Phone began production back in February of 2021 and concluded in late March. Despite the film being set in Colorado, filming took place in Wilmington, North Carolina and its surrounding counties. Brett Jutkiewicz served as the director of photography after filming other genre fare like several episodes of Stranger Things, the horror-comedy film Ready Or Not, and the fifth installment of SCREAM.
What Are Critics Saying About The Black Phone?
Despite it not hitting theaters until this Summer, The Black Phone held its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas back in September. The film currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 14 reviews and an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. Critics have praised the film’s performances particularly from Hawke and Thames and have favorably compared the film to Derrickson’s Sinister.
What Is Next For Scott Derrickson After The Black Phone?
Even after leaving the Doctor Strange sequel, Derrickson definitely had plenty on his docket and still does. He is currently attached to direct Bermuda, an action thriller centered around the Bermuda Triangle starring Chris Evans, for SkyDance. Derrickson is also attached to direct the long-gestating sequel to the beloved film Labyrinth for Sony. It also would not be too surprising if Derrickson continues his relationship with Blumhouse if The Black Phone proves to be successful.
Will The Black Phone Be Able To Stream Day & Date On Peacock?
As of right now the trailer and poster seem to indicate that the film will only be “in theaters” on June 24 and will not follow along with other recent Blumhouse films such as Halloween Kills and Firestarter. The film will eventually be able to stream on the Universal-owned Peacock, in fact under the recent distribution deal the film will be available to stream on the service four months after it hits theaters, so if you want to see the film but still do not feel safe going to the theaters, you’ll be able to stream it on Peacock.