Inside the Making of The Black Phone: How Scott Derrickson Turned Joe Hill’s Story Into a Horror Hit

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If horror is your favorite genre, you’re probably aware that consistency is somewhat of an issue. Because many horror films are produced on small budgets, fans often roll the dice when seeking out the latest horror film to hit theaters.

The genre is often low-risk, high-reward, with plenty of small-budget productions turning gigantic profits due to good word-of-mouth and high cinema turnout.

Jeremy Davies, Mason Thames, and Madeleine McGraw attend the Universal Pictures' "The Black Phone"Jeremy Davies, Mason Thames, and Madeleine McGraw attend the Universal Pictures’ “The Black Phone” Los Angeles Premiere on June 21, 2022, in Hollywood, California (Credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock)

One example is 2009’s Paranormal Activity, which was filmed on a shoestring budget of $215,000 and ended up grossing $193.4 million at the box office. Even earlier than Paranormal Activity was the cult classic The Blair Witch Project (1999), which famously grossed $248.6 million against a paltry budget of approximately $250,000.

Finally hitting theaters on June 24, 2022, The Black Phone proved to be a real treat for fans of the horror genre, as it combined genuine scares with a heartfelt coming-of-age story. In this article, we’ll be exploring the production of The Black Phone and which ingredients truly allowed the film to have a recipe for success.

The Making of The Black Phone: How Scott Derrickson Brought Joe Hill’s Story to Life

Although the film only saw the light of day in 2021, development on the film technically began nearly a decade before that date, when, in 2005, director Scott Derrickson purchased a copy of a short story collection from author Joe Hill, who is the son of legendary horror author Stephen King. You can buy Joe Hill’s award-winning story collection on Amazon.

This collection of short stories included The Black Phone. After reading the story, Derrickson “immediately recognized that the story’s concept would make for a good horror film.”

Scott Derrickson is an American filmmaker best known for directing films like The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Sinister, Deliver Us from Evil, Doctor Strange, and The Black PhoneScott Derrickson is an American filmmaker best known for directing films like The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Sinister, Deliver Us from Evil, Doctor Strange, and The Black Phone (Credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock)

Derrickson showed the story to his longtime collaborator, American screenwriter C. Robert Cargill. They have since worked together on horror films like Sinister (2012), Sinister 2 (2015), and the Marvel superhero movie Doctor Strange (2016).

They eventually shelved their plans to adapt the novel when they began working for Marvel. However, they picked it up again once Derrickson left Marvel Studios following creative differences on the sequel to Doctor Strange.

In The Black Phone, Jeremy Davies plays Terrence Blake, E. Roger Mitchell portrays Detective Wright, Madeleine McGraw stars as Gwen Blake, and Troy Rudeseal is Detective MillerIn The Black Phone, Jeremy Davies plays Terrence Blake, E. Roger Mitchell portrays Detective Wright, Madeleine McGraw stars as Gwen Blake, and Troy Rudeseal is Detective Miller (Credit: Universal Pictures)

When writing the film’s adaptation, Derrickson decided to incorporate aspects of his own childhood into Hill’s story, as Derrickson “…grew up in a violent household and a violent neighborhood.”

The Black Phone: Plot Overview and Key Characters

Set in 1978, The Black Phone follows the character of The Grabber (Ethan Hawke), a psychotic serial child abductor and murderer who wreaks havoc in the suburbs surrounding Denver.

While this is taking place, preteen siblings Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) live in the area where their classmates fall victim to The Grabber.

Mason Thames plays Finney Blake, a captive teenager, and Madeleine McGraw plays Gwen, Finney's sister who experiences psychic dreams, in the 2021 American supernatural horror film The Black Phone, directed by Scott DerricksonMason Thames plays Finney Blake, a captive teenager, and Madeleine McGraw plays Gwen, Finney’s sister who experiences psychic dreams, in the 2021 American supernatural horror film The Black Phone, directed by Scott Derrickson (Credit: Universal Pictures)

Gwen experiences psychic dreams from the victims of The Grabber, causing the authorities to believe that she has inside knowledge of the crimes.

Eventually, Finney is abducted by The Grabber and communicates with the ghosts of his prior victims (as well as his sister Gwen) to plan his escape from his confinement.

Casting Ethan Hawke as The Grabber: How Hollywood’s Leading Man Took on a Dark Role

Casting for the film began shortly after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the younger actors being cast via remote auditions over the internet.

Actor Mason Thames discussed the awkwardness of this process, stating, “…we had bad Wi-Fi. I’d say a line, and they would take a few seconds to say something back. It got a bit awkward. Eventually, I got a callback.”

Ethan Hawks, who plays The Grabber in the film, was offered the role by Derrickson, as Derrickson had worked with Hawke previously on Sinister (2012). In Sinister, Hawke played the role of Ellison Oswalt, the victim of the killer demon in that film.

Ethan Hawke plays The Grabber, a psychotic child kidnapper and serial killer, in the film The Black PhoneEthan Hawke plays The Grabber, a psychotic child kidnapper and serial killer, in the film The Black Phone (Credit: Universal Pictures)

Initially, Hawke was apparently not keen on playing the role of The Grabber, a child serial killer.

One of Hollywood’s biggest stars throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Hawke is perhaps most well-known for playing leading male characters in films like Gattaca (1997), Training Day (2001), and What Doesn’t Kill You (2008).

That said, we’re not surprised that Hawke was hesitant to play the role of The Grabber. However, Derrickson revealed that after Hawke read the screenplay, he instantly decided to accept the role of The Grabber. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hawke further elaborated on his decision to accept the role, stating:

“I’ve always had this theory that when you teach an audience how to see the demon inside you, they don’t unsee it for the rest of your career. Jack Nicholson can be playing an acountant and you’re still waiting for him to explore like he did in The Shining. But I realized that I’m on the other side of 60 and it’s time to put a new tool in the tool kit. Villians might be my future.”

Finney Blake, played by Mason Thames, is kidnapped by the Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke, and wakes up in a soundproof basement with a black rotary phone on the wall. Finney answers the ringing phone and is told by Bruce's ghost about a way to escapeFinney Blake, played by Mason Thames, is kidnapped by the Grabber, played by Ethan Hawke, and wakes up in a soundproof basement with a black rotary phone on the wall. Finney answers the ringing phone and is told by Bruce’s ghost about a way to escape (Credit: Universal Pictures)

Villians definitely seem to be the future of Ethan Hawke’s career, as he also recently appeared as the villain Arthur Harrow in Marvel’s Moon Knight miniseries, which premiered in March of 2022.

The Success of The Black Phone: Box Office Triumph and Critical Acclaim

With a strong story and talented actors filling the cast, The Black Phone had all the ingredients to be a successful film.

The film was well regarded by critics and audiences alike. On the popular aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes, it currently has an 81% critic rating and an 88% audience rating.

Ethan Hawke's portrayal of the captivating yet frightening Grabber and Mason Thames's nuanced performance as the captive Finney Blake received widespread critical acclaimEthan Hawke’s portrayal of the captivating yet frightening Grabber and Mason Thames’s nuanced performance as the captive Finney Blake received widespread critical acclaim (Credit: Universal Pictures)

The performances by Ethan Hawke as The Grabber and Mason Thames as Finney Blake were critically acclaimed and consistently praised as highlights of the movie. Film critic Tara Brady of The Irish Times stated, “Hawke and Thames respectively give two big performances to enact a compelling cat-and-mouse game.”

The film went on to haul in a respectable box-office gross of $161.4 million against a relatively small (for Hollywood standards) budget of $16 million.

Is a Sequel to The Black Phone in the Works? Joe Hill’s Idea for a Follow-Up

Following the success of The Black Phone, discussions about a sequel began as early as June 2022, when Joe Hill pitched follow-up ideas to director Scott Derrickson that would further explore the film’s characters.

Derrickson hinted at the possibility of a sequel during his press tour for the movie. Negotiations accelerated after the film’s strong box office performance, and by October 2023, Universal Pictures officially commissioned The Black Phone 2, with a scheduled release date of June 27, 2025.

In The Black Phone, Mason Thames stars as Finney Blake, a teenager captured by The Grabber, while Madeleine McGraw plays Gwen, Finney's sister experiencing psychic dreams, and Jeremy Davies portrays Terrence, their alcoholic and abusive widower fatherIn The Black Phone, Mason Thames stars as Finney Blake, a teenager captured by The Grabber, while Madeleine McGraw plays Gwen, Finney’s sister experiencing psychic dreams, and Jeremy Davies portrays Terrence, their alcoholic and abusive widower father (Credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock)

Derrickson and his longtime collaborator, C. Robert Cargill, will return to their screenwriting duties, while stars Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, and Miguel Cazarez Mora are expected to reprise their roles. In May 2024, Universal postponed the theatrical release of The Black Phone 2 by four months to October 17, 2025, after slotting several new Blumhouse productions into its 2025 calendar.

In addition to the planned sequel, The Black Phone universe was expanded further with the release of the anthology short film “Dreamkill,” part of V/H/S/85, which debuted on Shudder on October 6, 2023. “Dreamkill” is set seven years after the events of The Black Phone and follows the life of Gwen’s cousin, Gunther (played by Dashiell Derrickson), diving deeper into the eerie world established in the original film.

In the horror genre, success typically breeds sequels of dubious quality. We’re hoping that if there is a sequel to The Black Phone, it will follow in the same vein of quality as the first film!