Director Scott Derrickson’s latest horror adventure, The black phone, has arrived in theaters. Having earned an 85% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it seems Derrickson hasn’t lost his hand when it comes to gripping thrillers. Ethan Hawke stars as a serial child abductor named ‘The Grabber’ who targets a 13-year-old named Finney in Blumhouse’s The black phone. Trapped in a soundproof basement, Finney discovers a disconnected wall phone which he uses to call the other abductees. Hot on the heels of several other horror films, Derrickson is teaming up with C. Robert Cargill and Jason Blum to produce this feature film adaptation of Joe Hill’s 2004 short story of the same name. Derrickson tells ScreenRant that The black phone is the only one of his films that he never tires of – and audiences clearly agree.
Derrickson made his film debut after co-writing and directing The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), which was loosely based on the experiences of Anneliese Michel, who underwent 67 Catholic exorcisms. The film won the 2005 Saturn Award for Best Horror or Thriller Film and led to Derrickson’s first team with producer Jason Blum for Claim (2012). Ethan Hawke, who plays the lead role of The black phonefirst met Scott Derrickson on the set of Claim as the main character, Ellison Oswalt, a true detective writer who uncovers disturbing tapes showing the graphic and brutal murders of several families who previously owned his home.
