The Black Phone - videos, teasers and stills from filming
All videos, teasers and footage from the filming of the film "The Black Phone"
The Black Phone (2022)
Timing:
1:43 (103 min)
7.53/10
5731
5731
6.655/10
85071
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6.9/10
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What's left behind the scenes
- In a 2004 story by Joe Hill, one of the screenwriters, the Grabber is a clown, but Hill himself suggested making him a magician in the film. Early script drafts stated that the Grabber’s masks were made of leather – either smiling or frowning – but screenwriter Scott Derrickson understood that the masks would be central to the advertising campaign and merchandise sales, so he devoted a lot of time and effort to creating a recognizable image (referring to the mask).
- The newspaper boy is a reference to Johnny Gosch, a newspaper carrier from Iowa who once disappeared with his dog, Gretchen, while delivering papers. The dog was later found, but the child’s disappearance remains unsolved.
- Scott Derrickson called Ethan Hawke his favorite actor of all time. He once had to put in a lot of effort to convince Hawke to star in his horror film *Sinister* (2012) – and Hawke initially refused on the grounds that he didn’t watch and simply didn’t like horror movies. Derrickson managed to convince the actor that filming horror movies was actually fun. He had to convince Hawke again to agree to star in *The Black Phone*. Hawke read the script, then called Derrickson back and left him a voicemail message in the voice of the Grabber. That’s when the director realized that Hawke was on board.
- Throughout the film, the Grabber wears different masks, and each one reveals a new part of his face. The masks in the film are the work of legendary artist and special effects artist Tom Savini. Mason Thames later said that, combined with Ethan Hawke’s performance, the mask scared him terribly when he first saw it.
- After reading the script for the future film, executive producer Jason Blum from “Bloomhouse Productions” sent Scott Derrickson a black phone as a gift, and the project was approved. Derrickson had just moved into a new house, and Blum arranged for the black phone to be hung on the wall in the basement.
- Initially, Madeleine McGraw refused to work with Scott Derrickson because filming conflicted with her schedule on the series "Secrets of Sulphur Springs" (2021), but Derrickson delayed filming his own movie until the actress became available.
- Scott Derrickson himself experienced events that caused genuine fear and horror – they were connected to serial killer Ted Bundy, the murder of a neighbor of the Derrickson family, and one of the members of the Mason gang. Derrickson later said that fear was a feeling he had become accustomed to associating with his own childhood.
- It took 6 weeks to write the script. Filming took 33 days.
- The script's ending had to be rewritten a couple of times – the filmmakers wanted to find the optimal solution. One of the options considered involved the ghosts of the children returning at the moment when Mason Thames’s character kills the Grabber. Ultimately, however, Derrickson decided that a phone call was the best solution.
- According to Scott Derrickson, filming the special effect of the axe blow to the head proved very difficult. Derrickson even turned to film history, but couldn’t find any examples of how an axe enters a person’s head on impact. Eventually, the special effect was achieved through a combination of props and visual effects.
- The character of Grabber is based on real-life serial killers Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer. Bundy lured victims with requests to help him with his car, Gacy used a belt, and one of Dahmer's victims managed to escape, though unsuccessfully hid.
- The basement set was built on a slightly raised platform, just over a meter high, to allow for digging.
- In Joe Hill's story, Grabber is a clown, but Hill suggested making him a magician in the film.
- The newspaper boy is a reference to Johnny Gosch – a newspaper carrier from Iowa who disappeared with his dog on September 5, 1982. The dog was later found, but the disappearance of the child remained unsolved.
- Scott Derrickson called Ethan Hawke his favorite actor. He had to put in a lot of effort to convince Hawke to star in his horror film "Sinister." Hawke refused, as he doesn't like horror films. Derrickson managed to convince the actor that filming horror movies is fun. He had to convince Hawke again to agree to star in "The Black Phone." Hawke read the script, after which he called Derrickson back and left him a message on his voicemail in the voice of Grabber.
- Grabber's masks were created by special effects artist Tom Savini. Mason Thames said that, combined with Ethan Hawke's performance, the mask terrified him when he first saw it.
- After reading the script, producer Jason Blum sent Scott Derrickson a black phone as a gift. Derrickson had just moved into a new house, and Blum arranged for the black phone to be hung on the wall in the basement.
- Initially, Madeleine McGraw refused to participate due to scheduling conflicts, and Derrickson changed the shooting schedule for her.
- It took 6 weeks to write the screenplay. Filming took 33 days.
- One version of the ending involved the ghosts of the children returning at the moment when Mason Thames' character kills Grabber.
- According to Scott Derrickson, filming the special effect of an axe hitting the head proved very difficult. Derrickson even turned to the history of cinema, but couldn't find any instances there of showing how an axe enters a person's head.
- The image of Grabber reflects the serial killers Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer. Bundy lured victims with requests to help him with his car, Gacy used a belt, and one of Dahmer's victims managed to escape but failed to hide.
- The basement set was built on a slightly more than one-meter-high elevation to allow for digging.
- Scott Derrickson called Ethan Hawke his favorite actor. He had to put in a lot of effort to convince Hawke to star in his horror film "Sinister." Hawke refused, as he doesn't like horror films. Derrickson managed to convince the actor that filming horror movies is fun. He had to convince Hawke again to agree to filming "The Black Phone." Hawke read the script, then called Derrickson back and left him a message on his voicemail in the voice of The Grabber.
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