On the heels of landing the cover for Fangoria’s issue #14, The Black Phone, from director Scott Derrickson and screenplay writer C. Robert Cargillon for Joe Hill’s short story, has been pushed back from Feb. 4, 2022 to June 24, 2022. Looks like we can make that nightlight purchase this summer. The trailer and images have captured audiences with its casting of Ethan Hawke, whom we’ve come to know as a gentler creature than the kidnapping monster he’s portraying in the 70s era horror thriller. If you haven’s added this masked predator to your roster for nightmares, here’s you chance!
The official synopsis reads, “The phone is dead. And it’s ringing. Director Scott Derrickson returns to his terror roots and partners again with the foremost brand in the genre, Blumhouse, with a new horror thriller. Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer (The Grabber) and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.”
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Starring four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke in the most terrifying role of his career and introducing Mason Thames in his first ever film role, The Black Phone is produced, directed, and co-written by Scott Derrickson, the writer-director of Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Marvel’s Doctor Strange. The film also stars James Ransone, Jeremy Davies, and Madeleine McGraw.
Jason Blum says The Black Phone “is definitely one of the creepiest movies we’ve ever done. Scott thinks it is his best movie. I’m such a fan of Scott’s…I really like all of his movies. I loved Sinister but I will certainly say it is one of his best movies. Maybe the best movie he has ever made.”
Blumhouse is a perfect fit, producing horror films, such as Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Purge, Split, Get Out, Happy Death Day, Halloween, Us, and The Invisible Man. Blumhouse’s business model, utilizing a small budget, giving their directors creative freedom, and releasing under bigger studio tents is not a new one. You’ve seen me share the news of the micro-budgets gems ala Sharknado. What decidedly sets them apart is their international success in their endeavors. Blumhouse’s low-budget model began with the 2007 film Paranormal Activity, which was made for $15,000 and grossed over $193 million worldwide. Blumhouse produced Insidious, which grossed over $99 million worldwide on a budget of $1.5 million, and Sinister, which grossed over $87 million worldwide from a budget of $3 million.
And so now we wait… for The Black Phone to ring on June 24, 2022. Maybe we can do a double feature to shake the willies and catch Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic starring Tom Hanks as Col. Tom Parker, Kodi Smit-McPhee, who we all fell in love with in The Power of the Dog, and Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood) as a young up-and-coming Elvis Presley.
