“The Black Phone” is a fictional film with no fundamental basis. This piece was mostly inspired by Joe Hill’s 2004 short tale of the same name; also written by Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill. Hill is also the son of renowned horror author Stephen King. In contrast, the film’s director, Scott Derrickson, drew inspiration from his experiences as a young man. Thus, Derrickson and his co-writer C. Robert Cargill crafted a screenplay that departs significantly from Hill’s short story by incorporating personal realities into the plot.
Derrickson said in an interview that he had been in psychotherapy for many years due to the multiple traumatic childhood experiences he endured. Moreover, the film’s director grew up in North Denver, where the story is set. During his childhood in the area, he recalls a time when violence and tragedy were routine. Like the rest of the cast, the film’s protagonist, Finney, lives in a dangerous neighborhood.
The Black Phone’ Director Scott Derrickson On The Sense Of ‘Justice’
The latest film by Scott Derrickson, “The Black Phone,” is not based on actual incidents, yet the abduction thriller set in the 1970s is filled with absolute fear. Unidentified child abductor and the serial killer known as The Grabber (Ethan Hawke) chases 13-year-old Finney (newcomer Mason Thames), who becomes The Grabber’s latest victim.
The film opens with a feeling of dread for Finney and his companions’ fate, as they know they may be abducted by The Grabber at any time and never seen again. C. Robert Cargill, who collaborated with Derrickson on the film adaptation of Hill’s short story, found Finney’s anxiousness before the abduction unsettlingly plausible. In addition to the news about child molesters, Finney grew up at a time when American youngsters were granted enormous freedom (no mobile phones to connect them to their homes and an actual “be home by dusk” type of society).
Release Date
Universal Pictures planned to release The Black Phone on June 24, 2022, in the United States. It was initially intended to be published on January 28 and February 4; but the release was postponed until June 24.
The film debuted worldwide at Fantastic Fest on September 25, 2021. In June 2022, it will be shown at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Overlook Film Festival, respectively. The Black Phone will be broadcast on Universal’s Peacock website 45 days after its theatrical debut.
About The Black Phone Movie
The Black Phone is a 2021 supernatural horror film directed by Scott Derrickson and produced by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, starring Jason Blum. A television version of Joe Hill’s short story of the same name was created. The film stars Jeremy Davies, James Ransone, Madeleine McGraw, and Ethan Hawke. At one point in the movie, an abducted child (Thames) talks with previous victims of his kidnapper using an unusual telephone (Hawke).
