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The Black Phone

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The Black Phone
Theatrical release poster
Directed byScott Derrickson
Screenplay by
Based on"The Black Phone"
by Joe Hill
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBrett Jutkiewicz
Edited byFrédéric Thoraval
Music byMark Korven
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • September 25, 2021 (2021-09-25) (Fantastic Fest)
  • June 24, 2022 (2022-06-24) (United States)
Running time
103 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$16–18 million
Box office$161.4 million[2][3]

The Black Phone is a 2021 American supernatural horror film[4] directed by Scott Derrickson and written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, who both produced with Jason Blum. It is an adaptation of the 2004 short story of the same name by Joe Hill. The film stars Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, James Ransone, and Ethan Hawke. In the film, an abducted teenager (Thames) uses a mysterious telephone to communicate with the previous victims of his deranged captor (Hawke).

Derrickson came on board to direct The Black Phone after departing Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness over creative differences. Filming occurred over two months in Wilmington and surrounding counties in the state of North Carolina. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 25, 2021, and was theatrically released by Universal Pictures on June 24, 2022. A critical and commercial success, it grossed $161 million against a budget of $16-18 million and received praise for its performances, faithfulness to the source-material, screenplay, and humor.

Plot

In 1978, a serial child abductor and murderer nicknamed "The Grabber" prowls the streets of a Denver suburb. Siblings Finney and Gwen Blake live in the area with their abusive, alcoholic father. At school, Finney is frequently bullied and harassed. He has a friendship with a classmate, Robin, who fends off the bullies. A boy that Finney knew, Bruce, is abducted by the Grabber. Gwen, who has psychic dreams much like her late mother, dreams of Bruce's kidnapping. Detectives Wright and Miller interview Gwen at school, believing she has inside knowledge. She refuses to help, but is still punished by the siblings' father for speaking with the detectives. Shortly after, the Grabber abducts Robin.

Days later, the Grabber kidnaps Finney. He awakens in a soundproofed basement. On the wall is a disconnected black rotary phone. Later, Finney hears the phone ring and answers it. Bruce's ghost tells Finney about a floor tile he can remove to dig a tunnel to escape.

The police search for Finney is unsuccessful. The Grabber brings Finney food and leaves the door unlocked. Finney is tempted to sneak out. Billy, another boy on the phone, calls and explains this is a game that the Grabber plays. He is waiting to punish Finney if he leaves the basement. Billy instructs him to use a cord to get out via the basement window. His attempts break the bars on the window grate, preventing him from climbing back up. Gwen dreams of Billy being abducted and confides in her father.

Wright and Miller speak to an eccentric man called Max who is staying in the area with his brother. It is revealed Finney is in the clueless Max's basement, and the Grabber is his brother. Finney speaks to another victim, Griffin, on the phone. Griffin gives Finney the lock combination and informs him the Grabber is asleep upstairs. Finney sneaks upstairs and unlocks the door but the Grabber's dog alerts him of the escape. Finney is quickly recaptured.

Finney hears from another victim, a delinquent called Vance, whom Finney was scared of. Following Vance's instructions, Finney breaks a hole in the wall and enters the back of the freezer in the adjacent storage room, but the freezer door is locked tight. Finney hits his breaking point and begins to cry. The phone rings one more time. Robin comforts Finney and encourages him to stand up and fight for himself. He teaches Finney to punch and to pack dirt inside the phone receiver to use as a weapon.

Gwen has a vision of the Grabber's house. She contacts Wright and Miller. Max realizes Finney is being held in the house and rushes to the basement to free him, only for his brother to kill him with an axe. The police rush to the house that Gwen found. In the basement, they find the buried bodies of the victims. Deciding it is time to end the game with Finney, the Grabber attacks him with the axe. Using the byproducts from his failed escape attempts, Finney immobilizes the Grabber. As the ghosts taunt the Grabber over the phone, Finney snaps his neck with the phone cord.

Distracting the dog with meat from the freezer, Finney exits the house, which turns out to be across the street from the burial site. He reunites with Gwen. The siblings' father arrives and tearfully begs forgiveness for his earlier treatment of them. Back at school, a confident Finney sits next to his crush in class and says to her she can call him Finn.

Cast

Ethan Hawke at the 2018 Montclair Film Festival in Montclair, New Jersey.
Ethan Hawke stars in The Black Phone as The Grabber.
  • Mason Thames as Finn "Finney" Blake, a young teenager captured by The Grabber
  • Madeleine McGraw as Gwendolyn "Gwen" Blake, Finney's sister experiencing psychic dreams
  • Ethan Hawke as The Grabber, a psychotic child kidnapper and serial killer
  • Jeremy Davies as Terrence Blake, Finney and Gwen's alcoholic and abusive widower father
  • E. Roger Mitchell as Detective Wright
  • Troy Rudeseal as Detective Miller
  • James Ransone as Max, the Grabber's eccentric brother
  • Miguel Cazarez Mora as Robin, Finney's friend who becomes a victim of the Grabber
  • Brady Hepner as Vance Hopper, one of The Grabber’s victims
  • Tristan Pravong as Bruce, one of The Grabber’s victims
  • Jacob Moran as Billy, one of The Grabber’s victims
  • Banks Repeta as Griffin, one of The Grabber’s victims

Production

Scott Derrickson at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.
Director Scott Derrickson

Scott Derrickson and frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill decided to adapt Joe Hill's short story "The Black Phone" into a feature film while the former was working on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, a sequel to Doctor Strange, which he had directed and co-written with Cargill. Cargill promised to postpone the project until Derrickson, who had a commitment with Marvel Studios, became available to direct. In January 2020, Derrickson came on board to helm The Black Phone soon after departing from the Doctor Strange sequel due to creative differences.[5][6]

The Black Phone was officially announced in October, with child actors Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw set to star.[7][8] Thames said his audition took place over Zoom soon after the COVID-19 pandemic began: "It was quite weird and we had bad Wi-Fi. I'd say a line and it would take a few seconds for them to say something back. It got a bit awkward. Eventually I got a callback."[9] In early 2021, Jeremy Davies,[10] Ethan Hawke,[11] and James Ransone were added to the cast.[12] Hawke said he was initially hesitant on playing the villain because he did not want to be remembered for a "scary" performance for the rest of his career, but changed his mind after realizing he was in his 50s. "Villains might be my future," he added.[13]

The film was shot on a $16–18 million budget.[14][15] Principal photography began on February 9, 2021, and concluded on March 27.[16][17] Filming took place at EUE/Screen Gems in Wilmington, North Carolina, and around the counties of New Hanover, Brunswick, and Columbus, under the working title Static.[18][19][20] Mark Korven composed the score during post-production,[21] and the film was completed by December 2021.[9]

For the construction of the film, Derrickson was inspired by the films The 400 Blows (1959), The Devil's Backbone (2001), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.[22]

Marketing

Lon Chaney in character for "London After Midnight"
The Grabber's appearance was compared to Lon Chaney's character from London After Midnight.

The marketing campaign from Universal Pictures for The Black Phone began with the release of a trailer on August 25, 2021, at CinemaCon.[23] Variety said the film looked "scarier than the COVID-19 delta variant" and called it "the next possible franchise for Universal and Blumhouse."[24] Screen Rant described the reactions to the trailer at CinemaCon as "intense".[25] The film's poster was released on September 25, 2021. Screen Rant found it to be "terrifying" and said it would be "interesting to see if the film lives up to the hype".[25] Collider said the mask in the poster evoked Lon Chaney's character from London After Midnight (1927).[26] MovieWeb said the poster would "be behind your eyelids as you fall asleep tonight. ... we won't be able to see Ethan Hawke again without thinking of him as the terrifying and twisted Grabber. I've heard tell of his 'no villains rule', but clearly he's thrown that out the window."[27] The trailer was released online on October 13, 2021. It was described by Vulture as a "stranger danger PSA".[28] The A.V. Club said it looked like Hawke was "having a ball as the Pennywise-meets-Wonka child killer."[29]

Release

The Black Phone was theatrically released in the United States by Universal Pictures on June 24, 2022.[30] It was originally set for release on January 28 and later February 4 before being delayed again to June 24.[30][31][32] The film had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 25, 2021,[33] closed the Overlook Film Festival on June 5, 2022, and screened at the Tribeca Festival on June 18, 2022.[34][35] The film was released for VOD on July 14, 2022 and made available to stream through Peacock on August 12, 2022.[36] The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 16, 2022 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.[37] As part of an 18-month deal, the film streamed on Peacock for four months, before going to Amazon Prime Video on December 27, 2022, before moving back to Peacock after ten months, where it will stream for a final four months.

Reception

Box office

The Black Phone grossed $90.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $71.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $161.4 million.[2][3] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $67.8 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues.[38]

The Black Phone was released alongside Elvis, and was projected to gross $15–20 million from 3,150 theaters in its opening weekend.[39] The film made $10.2 million on its first day, including $3 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to make $23.6 million in its first three days, finishing fourth at the box office, and an additional $12.5 million from 45 international markets for a $35.8 million global debut.[40][41] Women made up 51% of the audience during its opening, with those in the age range of 18–34 (its target audience[14]) comprising 64% of ticket sales and those below 25 comprising 53%.[42] The film then made $14.2 million over the four-day Independence Day weekend, finishing fifth.[43][44]

Critical response

As per the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 258 critic reviews are considered positive, with an average rating of 7 out of 10, and critics consensus: "The Black Phone might have been even more frightening, but it remains an entertaining, well-acted adaptation of scarily good source material."[45] As per the review aggregator Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100 based on 38 critic reviews, considered as "generally favorable".[46] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak gave the film an 86% overall positive score, with 67% saying they would definitely recommend it.[42]

Screen Rant described the critical response as generally positive, with some criticism for the pacing and "number of scares" but praise for its faithfulness to the source material, Derrickson's direction, and Hawke's performance.[47] Heidi Venable of CinemaBlend agreed, pointing out reviews complimenting the child actors, musical score, and screenplay, and wrote, "It sounds like this Joe Hill adaptation should please moviegoers, as long as audiences know they're in for something deeper than just tried-and-true jump scares."[48]

Accolades

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2022
 Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards Best Horror The Black Phone Nominated [49]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards Original Score — Horror Film Mark Korven Nominated [50]
Saturn Awards Best Horror Film The Black Phone Won [51]
Best Supporting Actor in a Film Ethan Hawke Nominated
Best Writing Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill Nominated
Best Younger Actor in a Film Madeleine McGraw Nominated
Mason Thames Nominated
2023
 Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards Best Horror Film The Black Phone Won [52]

Potential sequel

In June 2022, Derrickson said that while Hill was protective of his story, the author had pitched him a "wonderful idea" for a sequel that he was open to directing if the first film was a success.[53] In August, Derrickson and Hill confirmed that there were discussions with the studio to make a sequel. Derrickson referred to the financial success of The Black Phone as one of the catalysts for the development of the project.[54] Hill said his inspiration to writing a sequel was based on the "iconic imagery" of the Grabber's masks.[55]

In April 2023 at CinemaCon, Jason Blum identified The Black Phone as one of the studio's newest franchises, teasing additional plans for a sequel.[56]

References

  1. ^ "The Black Phone (15)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved June 24, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ a b "The Black Phone". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "The Black Phone". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  4. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (June 23, 2022). "The Black Phone Review: The Dead Have Your Number". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  5. ^ Reyes, Mike (May 25, 2021). "Doctor Strange 2: Why Scott Derrickson And C. Robert Cargill Left The Marvel Sequel". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  6. ^ Lang, Brent; Donnelly, Matt (January 9, 2020). "Doctor Strange 2 Director Scott Derrickson Drops Out (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  7. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 30, 2020). "Scott Derrickson To Direct Black Phone For Blumhouse & Universal". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  8. ^ McNary, Dave (October 30, 2020). "Doctor Strange Director Scott Derrickson Boards Blumhouse Horror Movie Black Phone". Variety. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Pener, Degen (June 17, 2022). "Next Big Thing: The Black Phone Star Mason Thames on The Scariest Thing in the Blumhouse Horror Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  10. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 13, 2021). "Jeremy Davies Joins Scott Derrickson Blumhouse Film The Black Phone". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  11. ^ Kit, Borys (January 28, 2021). "Ethan Hawke to Star in Scott Derrickson's Horror Thriller The Black Phone". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  12. ^ Kit, Borys (March 19, 2021). "It Chapter 2 Actor James Ransone Joins Scott Derrickson's Horror Thriller The Black Phone (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  13. ^ Lawrence, Derek (January 24, 2022). "Ethan Hawke is finally ready to embrace his inner villain". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  14. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 22, 2022). "Top Gun: Maverick Could Upset Elvis At Weekend Box Office As Tom Cruise Pic Flies To $500M Stateside". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
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  22. ^ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (June 20, 2022). "How Real-Life and Fictional Horror Seeped Into 'The Black Phone'". The New York Times. Retrieved July 20, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Tartaglione, Nancy (August 25, 2021). "Universal Poignant CinemaCon Reel With Sing 2, Marry Me, Black Phone & More Shines Spotlight On Exhibition Workers". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  24. ^ Donnelly, Matt (August 25, 2021). "Ethan Hawke Horror Film The Black Phone, Poised as Next Blumhouse Smash, Traumatizes CinemaCon". Variety. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  25. ^ a b Shirey, Paul (September 25, 2021). "Black Phone Poster Reveals Ethan Hawke's Terrifying Villain". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  26. ^ Brady, Erin (September 25, 2021). "The Black Phone Poster Introduces a Terrifying Ethan Hawke". Collider. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  27. ^ Sebren, Brandy Lynn (September 27, 2021). "The Black Phone Poster Reveals Ethan Hawke as Masked Killer 'The Grabber'". MovieWeb. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  28. ^ Curto, Justin (October 13, 2021). "The Black Phone Trailer Is a Stranger-Danger PSA". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  29. ^ Schimkowitz, Matt (October 13, 2021). "Ethan Hawke is one of those creepy magicians in the Black Phone trailer". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 14, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  30. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 16, 2021). "Blumhouse's The Black Phone Will Now Ring In The Summer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  31. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 27, 2021). "Universal Sets Winter 2022 Release For Blumhouse Scott Derrickson Horror Movie The Black Phone". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  32. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 1, 2021). "The Black Phone: Universal Shifts Blumhouse Scott Derrickson Horror Pic A Week Later This Winter". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  33. ^ Melendez, Marcos (September 9, 2021). "Fantastic Fest 2021 Final Final Wave Features Scott Derrickson's The Black Phone and Netflix's There's Someone Inside Your House". Collider. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  34. ^ Vlessing, Etan (April 26, 2022). "Ethan Hawke's Horror Thriller The Black Phone to Close Overlook Fest". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  35. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (April 19, 2022). "Tribeca Festival Lineup Includes Corner Office With Jon Hamm, Ray Romano's Somewhere In Queens, More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  36. ^ Hayes, Dade (December 9, 2021). "NBCUniversal's New Theatrical Window Scheme To Bring Films To Peacock After As Few As 45 Days Of Release". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  37. ^ "The Black Phone DVD Release Date August 16, 2022". www.dvdsreleasedates.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  38. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 13, 2023). "Small Movies, Big Profits: An Oscar Winner And Horror Hits Among Overachievers In Deadline's 2022 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  39. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (June 22, 2022). "Box Office: Elvis Targets $30 Million Debut, The Black Phone Aims for $15 Million". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  40. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (June 26, 2022). "Top Gun Tops $1B WW, Jurassic World Dominion Nears $750M Global & Elvis Enters With $51M – International Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  41. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 25". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  42. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 27, 2022). "Elvis Shakes No. 1 Away From Top Gun: Maverick After Dead Heat With $31M+ – Monday AM Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  43. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 26". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  44. ^ "Domestic 2022 Weekend 26 | July 1–4, 2022 - July 4th long weekend (US)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  45. ^ "The Black Phone". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 6, 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  46. ^ "The Black Phone". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  47. ^ Harrison, Alexander (September 27, 2021). "Black Phone Reviews Hype Doctor Strange Director's New Horror Movie". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  48. ^ Venable, Heidi (June 19, 2022). "The Black Phone Reviews Are In, See What Critics Are Saying About Ethan Hawke's New Horror Flick". CinemaBlend. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  49. ^ Neglia, Matt (July 1, 2022). "The 2022 Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) Midseason Award Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  50. ^ "2022 HMMA Nominations". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  51. ^ "Saturn Awards Nominations: The Batman, Nightmare Alley, Spider-Man, Better Call Saul Top List". Deadline Hollywood. August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  52. ^ Clayton, Davis (December 15, 2022). "A24's 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Leads HCA Film Awards Total Nominations With 16". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  53. ^ Killian, Chris (June 21, 2022). "The Black Phone Director Teases Potential Sequel Plans". ComicBook.com. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  54. ^ Cavanaugh, Patrick (August 12, 2022). "The Black Phone Director Teases There Have Been Conversations About Sequel". ComicBook.com. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  55. ^ Cavanaugh, Patrick (August 16, 2022). "The Black Phone Author Joe Hill on Watching His Eerie Adventure Come to Life". ComicBook.com. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  56. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (April 27, 2023). "Blumhouse Confirms Their Next Big Horror Franchises". Retrieved April 28, 2023.
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