Black Phone (film series)
Supernatural horror series about a serial killer and ghostly victims.
The Black Phone film series is an American supernatural horror franchise. Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill created it, and Blumhouse Productions and Crooked Highway have produced it since 2021. The series includes two theatrical films and one short film. It draws from a short story by Joe Hill, which appeared in his 2007 anthology *20th Century Ghosts*. The story centers on siblings Finney and Gwen Blake, who face a mysterious, sadistic serial killer called The Grabber. Through unexplainable supernatural events, the killer’s captives fight his plans with help from the ghosts of his earlier victims, while also dodging his attempts to kill more people. The first movie earned critical praise and became a box office hit, making money for the studio. The second film saw similar success from critics and audiences.
**Origin**
Joe Hill, though the son of a famous author, struggled to find a publisher for his novels. That changed in 2005, when his first full-length published work came out as an anthology of short stories, *20th Century Ghosts*, through PS Publishing. Hill credits this first success with launching his career, after it won several awards and positive reviews. Among the stories, the segment “The Black Phone” follows a boy abducted by a serial killer and held in a basement. While trapped, he finds a black phone through which the killer’s dead victims speak to him. The novella took inspiration from real events, modeling The Grabber after John Wayne Gacy, described as an overweight man who worked part-time as a clown.
**Development**
After the success of Andy Muschietti’s *It* films, Joe Hill, Scott Derrickson, and C. Robert Cargill worked together to change The Grabber’s job from clown to magician, and to design a look that references Lucifer. The team also altered the character by casting Ethan Hawke in the lead villain role. Derrickson added traits from other serial killers, including Ted Bundy, and wove in traumatic experiences from his own childhood to expand the script. Derrickson, Cargill, and Hill also looked at 1920s and 1930s magic shows that featured the devil when designing The Grabber as a magician. Derrickson worked with Tom Savini to create a mask the production team thought was iconic enough for marketing, after Savini’s company had made horror-themed face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under Derrickson’s direction, *The Man
- First film release
- 2022
- Number of theatrical films
- 2
- Short film
- Dreamkill
- Creators
- Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill
- Based on
- Short story by Joe Hill
- Production companies
- Blumhouse Productions, Crooked Highway
- Notable cast
- Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw
Lore & Background
The series originated from Joe Hill's short story 'The Black Phone,' published in his 2005 anthology 20th Century Ghosts. Hill, son of acclaimed author Stephen King, had struggled to publish novels until this collection launched his career. The story was inspired by real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy, with the Grabber originally depicted as an overweight part-time clown. During development, Derrickson, Cargill, and Hill changed the Grabber's profession to a magician, incorporating imagery referencing Lucifer and drawing from 1920s and 1930s magic shows. Derrickson also integrated aspects of Ted Bundy and his own childhood trauma into the character. Tom Savini designed the Grabber's mask, with The Man Who Laughs as a reference.
Reader's Guide
The Black Phone series has been both critically praised and commercially successful, with the first film becoming a box office hit and the second achieving comparable success. The franchise's significance lies in its adaptation of a modern horror short story into a film series that blends supernatural elements with real-world serial killer history. The sequel, Black Phone 2, was green-lit in November 2023 after discussions between Hill and Derrickson, with principal photography beginning in November 2024 and release on October 17, 2025. The short film Dreamkill, set seven years after the first film, expands the universe by exploring psychic abilities similar to those of Gwen Blake. Future installments remain uncertain, with Derrickson insisting on quality over quantity and Cargill stating they will only proceed with a worthy story.
Did You Know?
- The Grabber was originally a clown in Joe Hill's story, modeled after John Wayne Gacy, but was changed to a magician for the films.
- Tom Savini designed the Grabber's mask, with his company having previously produced horror-themed face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The short film Dreamkill shares continuity with the main series and takes place in 1985, seven years after The Black Phone.
- Ethan Hawke expressed interest in exploring the Grabber's background story and journey into Hell in potential sequels.
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