The Black Phone

'The Black Phone' author Joe Hill broke down a key difference between his short horror story and the film adaptation starring Ethan Hawke.

“And the answer came after a couple years of therapy, dealing with my own childhood and really the violence in my childhood, and some of the traumatic events in my childhood. Of course, The Black Phone had to add other details to the film for length’s sake. Still, by the time The Black Phone became a film, It: Chapter One had already been established in theaters. “I think the feeling amongst us was it would be a mistake to let the bad guy be a clown, that America has had its fill of evil clowns. The Black Phone, a film adaptation of Joe Hill’s short horror story of the same name, finally hit theaters on June 24. But it happened for a good reason, as Hill explained to Vanity Fair: The filmmakers wanted to avoid any overlap with Pennywise the Clown in It.

Director Scott Derrickson crafts a winning supernatural movie that is focused more on the characters and less on the horror.

For his role, Thames had the challenge of creating a shy and timid kid at the beginning of the film and transcending to a young man who is brave and strong enough to stand up to The Grabber. It’s surprising to see such a layered performance from an actor who is that young, which makes it all the more impressive. Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. ‘Sinister’ actor James Ransone has a very funny role in the movie, which I won’t spoil but he is perfect in the part. Too much of the character would have taken away from Finney’s story of facing his fears and would not have had the same effect on the audience. ‘The Shining’ is really a haunted house story, that just happens to feature a character with psychic abilities, but that is not the movie’s main focus. But, I am a fan of good filmmaking and storytelling, which is why I liked ‘The Black Phone’ so much.

Most horror movies that deal with a serial killer usually spend some time building a tragic backstory that explains why a person can become a monster.

By taking the focus away from the Grabber's past, The Black Phone allows the serial killer to remain a sadistic and dangerous figure throughout the movie. When Finney is trapped in the Grabber’s basement, there’s no big revelation that could lead him to reason with the killer to ensure his freedom. There’s also no traumatic memory Finney could use to distract the Grabber while he escapes. In The Black Phone, however, we get introduced to the Grabber as a regular man, using common tools to kidnap children and trap them in his basement. Slashers are gruesome fun that allows us to leave the fear behind in the theater because the killer is an improbable monster. In Mr. Brooks, Kevin Costner’s titular serial killer is even depicted as a family man with a good heart who is haunted by a dark shadow that forces him to kill.

June 26, 2022 at 3:43 a.m.. Joe Hill grew up in an old house in Bangor, Maine, the basement of which was home to a disconnected phone he ...

For instance — and even though the payoff feels a little forced — that we see Finney getting bullied by schoolmates early on in “The Black Phone” will prove to be important. “The Black Phone” also benefits from its two main young cast members. He’s played adequately disturbingly by “Sinister” alum Ethan Hawke. “The Black Phone” is a return to horror for Derrickson, whose credits also include 2005’s “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” and 2014’s “Deliver Us From Evil.” “It didn’t make sense for a phone to be in a basement with a dirt floor and crumbling concrete walls,” Hill says in the production notes for the stress-inducing big-screen adaptation of “The Black Phone.” “As a kid, the worst thing I could imagine was that phone ringing.” With the help of co-writer C. Robert Cargill — with whom Derrickson has collaborated on the “Sinister” (2012) and “Doctor Strange” (2016) — the filmmaker has turned “The Black Phone” into a feature-length story that pulls you in and fills you with the desired dread, even if, like most horror movies, it also irritates you with character choices here and there.

Finney Shaw, a shy but brilliant 13-year-old boy, is being kept captive in a soundproof cellar by a psychopathic, masked murderer. When a disconnected phone on ...

You’re welcome to leave it in the comment section below. What are your thoughts on the available streaming platforms? The movie is currently only available in theatres. We understand that 45 days is a long time, but if going to the theatre isn’t an option, a little wait won’t hurt. And they are determined that what happened to them does not happen to Finney. Will they be able to outwit the masked assassin? Finney’s time in the cellar appears to be one long nightmare.

June 26, 2022 at 3:43 a.m.. Joe Hill grew up in an old house in Bangor, Maine, the basement of which was home to a disconnected phone he ...

For instance — and even though the payoff feels a little forced — that we see Finney getting bullied by schoolmates early on in “The Black Phone” will prove to be important. “The Black Phone” also benefits from its two main young cast members. He’s played adequately disturbingly by “Sinister” alum Ethan Hawke. “The Black Phone” is a return to horror for Derrickson, whose credits also include 2005’s “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” and 2014’s “Deliver Us From Evil.” “It didn’t make sense for a phone to be in a basement with a dirt floor and crumbling concrete walls,” Hill says in the production notes for the stress-inducing big-screen adaptation of “The Black Phone.” “As a kid, the worst thing I could imagine was that phone ringing.” With the help of co-writer C. Robert Cargill — with whom Derrickson has collaborated on the “Sinister” (2012) and “Doctor Strange” (2016) — the filmmaker has turned “The Black Phone” into a feature-length story that pulls you in and fills you with the desired dread, even if, like most horror movies, it also irritates you with character choices here and there.

Adapting Joe Hill's eponymous short story, The Black Phone stars Ethan Hawke as a serial killer named The Grabber, who has abducted many young boys in the past.

The film's opening and closing scenes come in full circle when both Finney and The Grabber hear the black phone ringing for the last time. In the end, emboldened by the emblematic spirit of the previous victims, Finney meticulously uses all of their escape plans and sequentially aligns them in such a way that he gains the upper hand over The Grabber. Although these two opening scenes seem rather trivial in the beginning, they set up a solid foundation for The Black Phone's overarching premise and later come in tandem with the film's climax.

Finney Shaw, a shy but bright 13-year-old boy, is being held captive in a soundproof basement by a psychopathic, masked killer. When a disengaged phone on the ...

New Hanover County, North Carolina is one of the other locations. You’re welcome to share your thoughts on the location in the comment section below. The plot of the film is incredible, but the filming locations are even more so. The movie was filmed in some exciting locations that you’d like to discuss further. Now it’s time to explore the filming locations of this amazing movie. Critics overwhelmingly praised it for its performances and truthfulness to the source material.

The Black Phone director Scott Derrickson revealed that there was one key change made to the ending of his horror film starring Ethan Hawke.

But with the new approach to the ending, Derrickson also talked about how he really didn't have a set-up for the shot in mind on the day of filming and approached it on the fly. And that was something that Derrickson realized he would need to remedy with the ending. He keeps telling Finney it doesn't work and yet Finney hears it ringing with the voices of the Grabber's previous victims.

In the 1970s Denver setting of The Black Phone, there's a shadowy figure known as The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). He terrorizes the suburbs by kidnapping ...

The audience has to suspend disbelief that the titular black phone in the basement allows Finney to speak to the spirits of the other missing boys, but to resurrect these boys as weak jump scares is a step too far. The main theme of the movie is Finney’s kindness and the fact that he doesn’t like to fight back against bullies. Think of the reveal when the mask is removed to show a face of human horror. The child actors are able to hold their own, the score is reminiscent of John Carpenter, and Hawke is a perfectly menacing shadow figure. Gwen’s personality is the opposite of her brother’s, and she’s one of the best entries ever to be made to the snarky-little-sibling-in-a-horror-movie character list. The two have a close bond that keeps Finney alive when he finds himself locked in The Grabber’s basement as his latest victim.

The Black Phone used to have a different scene toward the end but director Scott Derrickson changed it at the last minute.

That one was probably the one that I felt the most nervous about. I chose the kitchen that I chose because it had a long counter. When it actually came time to shoot the scene, Derrickson had to figure out how to block it that day because it was an impromptu thing. The Black Phone is being hailed as one of the more sadistic horror films to come out in some time. Derrickson said that he fought to make sure the scene felt right. I think a good director always has an antenna up trying to hear what this movie really wants to be.

There are many filmmakers who have endless opportunities regardless of the success of their films. There are also just as many filmmakers who find it.

Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw are, without a doubt, the most impressive elements of the entire film, delivering two of the best performances by young actors of the last decade. The Black Phone carries a horror premise with a supernatural touch full of potential, but it plays too safe by betting on a narrative that's too simple, predictable, and repetitive. The Black Phone doesn't have many jump scares, but Derrickson manages to create an extraordinary build-up for the first one that made me drop some popcorn while watching. While the young actress brings tremendous emotion and expressiveness to her role, Thames has no issues leading a film of this caliber. Derrickson's clear vision and distinctive style create a visually captivating film, but it turns out to be the overly formulaic narrative that prevents The Black Phone from reaching its true potential. By far, two of the most remarkable performances from young actors that I've seen in the last decade.

The writer is the son of the legendary Stephen King. The movie stars Ethan Hawke as a child abductor known as The Grabber, and Mason Thames as Finney Shaw, a ...

Derrickson's newest film is the latest in a storied career in the horror genre. After Robin is taken, the audience does not see the character again. Since the main protagonist deals with both bullies and an abusive father, Robin is one of the few people to be nice to Finney. The director discussed, “I end up doing it all in one shot. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the motion picture's director Scott Derrickson explained a change made to the ending. The Black Phone, a recently released horror film from Blumhouse, has received highly positive critical reviews.