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The Black Phone 2021
SupernaturalSupernatural horror
A 2021 American supernatural horror film, The Black Phone was directed by Scott Derrickson who also wrote the screenplay with C. Robert Cargill, adapting the 2004 short story by Joe Hill. This marks the beginning of the Black Phone franchise. The movie features Mason Thames in the role of Finney, a teenager taken by a serial killer known as the Grabber (Ethan Hawke). While held captive, Finney discovers a mysterious black rotary phone and uses it to communicate with spirits of previous victims of the Grabber in order to plan his escape. Additional cast members include Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, and James Ransone. Derrickson and Cargill produced the film in collaboration with Blumhouse Productions CEO Jason Blum. Universal Pictures handled the commercial release, while financing came through a deal with Blumhouse and tax incentives from North Carolina.
The concept for The Black Phone originated from Derrickson and Cargill’s work on Hill's short story, which appeared in 20th Century Ghosts. Initially, Derrickson had difficulty developing further ideas beyond the original tale, so he focused on other projects. The film lay inactive until he left Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) due to creative disagreements. His early life in suburban Denver, Colorado, helped shape the narrative for The Black Phone. Principal photography started in February 2021 with a $16–18 million budget and concluded the next month. Locations included Wilmington, North Carolina, both on-set and on-location. Mark Korven created the soundtrack, incorporating both modern and retro synthesizer tones.
The Black Phone made its debut at Fantastic Fest on September 25, 2021 before finally opening in U.S. theaters after some postponements on June 24, 2022. It performed well commercially, earning $161.4 million worldwide. Critics responded positively to the acting but were split regarding the film’s premise. The movie's success led to the creation of a larger franchise. This includes a short film titled "Dreamkill" in the anthology V/H/S/85 (2023) and a sequel called Black Phone 2 (2025).
Trailer
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Cast
- Mason ThamesFinney
- Madeleine McGrawGwen
- Jeremy DaviesTerrence
- James RansoneMax
- E. Roger MitchellDetective Wright
- Troy RudesealDetective Miller
- Miguel Cazarez MoraRobin
- Ethan Hawkethe Grabber
Crew
- Director
- Scott Derrickson
- Screenplay
- Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill
- Producer
- Jason Blum, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill
- Cinematography
- Brett Jutkiewicz
- Editing
- Frédéric Thoraval
- Music
- Mark Korven
Details
- Production
- Blumhouse–Atomic Monster, Crooked Highway
- Distributor
- Universal Pictures
- Budget
- $16–18 million
- Box office
- $161.4 million
