Black Phone is an American supernaturalhorror franchise created by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill that has been produced by Blumhouse Productions and Crooked Highway since 2021. The franchise includes two theatrical films and a short film.[3][4][5][6] The series is based on the short story authored by Joe Hill and released in his 2007 anthology collection titled 20th Century Ghosts. The plot centers around Finney and Gwen Blake, two siblings who find themselves at odds with a mysterious and sadistic serial killer known only to the public as The Grabber. Through a variety of inexplicable supernatural means, his captives must combat his plans with the help of the spirits of his previous victims, while avoiding his intentions for additional murders.
The first movie was met with critical praise,[7] and was a box office hit becoming a monetary success for the studio.[1] Similarly, the second installment was well received both critically[8] and financially.[2]
Despite being the son of an acclaimed author, Joe Hill had various failed attempts at acquiring a publisher for his novels. This changed in 2005, when Hill's first full-length published work was released as an anthology novel of short stories, as 20th Century Ghosts through PS Publishing. The author attributes this first success as the launch of his career, after earning several awards and positive critical reception.[9][10] Among the other stories, the segment titled The Black Phone follows a boy who is abducted by a serial killer and held captive in a basement. While trapped, he discovers a black phone through which the now deceased previous victims of the Grabber communicate with him.[11] The novella took inspiration from real-life historical events, with the Grabber modeled after John Wayne Gacy; described as an overweight man who works part-time as a clown.[9][12]
Development
Following the successes of the Andy Muschietti directed It franchise, Joe Hill, Scott Derrickson, and C. Robert Cargill collaborated on adjusting the Grabber's profession from clown to magician, and a design that incorporates imagery that makes reference to Lucifer.[9] The collaborative team made additional changes to the character through the casting of Ethan Hawke in the lead villainous role. Derrickson incorporated aspects of other serial killers including Ted Bundy into the character,[12] as well as aspects of the traumatic experiences he had in his childhood into the story to expand the script.[13] Derrickson, Cargill, and Hill additionally looked towards while 1920's and 1930's magic shows that incorporated the devil, when designing the Grabber as a magician.[14] Derrickson worked alongside Tom Savini to design a mask that the production team believed was iconic enough for marketing the film, after Savini's company previously produced horror-themed face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under Derrickson's direction, The Man Who Laughs was used as a reference for inspiration.[14]
A young teenage boy named Finney Blade finds himself abducted by a sadistic serial killer known as "The Grabber". Locked in a soundproof basement, Finney discovers black-colored rotary dial which through supernatural means allows him to speak with the ghosts of the killer's previous victims.
The spirits provide information to Finney, with hopes of helping him escape, before he must face The Grabber with a fight for his life. As a search and rescue continues, to no avail, his teenage sister Gwen Blake who possesses psychic abilities shares her visions with local law enforcement, who as in a combined effort race against the clock before the killer escapes and another murder occurs.[15][16][17]
In June 2022, Derrickson acknowledged that while Hill is protective of the story, the author pitched a "wonderful idea for a sequel", which was dependent on the success of the first movie.[18] By August of the same year, due to the financial and critical successes of the original, the studio had entered discussions with Hill and Derrickson for a sequel.[19] Later, Hill confirmed these discussions while discussing the successes of marketing with the design of the Grabber's mask.[20] A sequel was official green-lit in November 2023, with a script co-written by Derrickson and Cargill; while Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy Davies, and Miguel Mora were announced to be reprising their respective roles.[21] By December of the same year, Derrickson also signed onto the project to return to his role as director.[22]
Principal photography commenced in November 2024;[23] where the movie will be a joint-production between Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, and Crooked Highway Productions.[21] Marketing officially commenced in April 2025 at CinemaCon, where the first trailer debuted for those in attendance.[24][25]
Black Phone 2 was released on October 17, 2025.[26]
Future
In October 2025, Derrickson stated that he would only develop a third film if the story can be better than the previous two installments, expressing that he wants the series to quality over quantity.[27] Hawke expressed interest in reprising his villainous role in a sequel, stating that he'd like to explore the background story of the Grabber, his journey into Hell, and his continued hauntings of other characters.[28] Hill stated that he foresees the potential for various sequels, but acknowledged that their reality depends on the financial success of Black Phone 2.[29] Cargill acknowledged the potential for another film, but echoed Derrickson's thoughts by stating that they would only start production if the creatives can develop a story that is worthy of realizing.[30]
Brad Miska, Josh Goldbloom, David Bruckner, Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and James Harris
Released as one of the VHS home video segments, Dreamkill depicts events that take place a decade after The Black Phone, while also sharing continuity. The plot centers around an ongoing criminal investigation centered around a number of tapes they've been receiving, which show the events that caused the deaths of number of ongoing murder investigations. During their research, the detectives are disturbed to discover that one their own sons named Gunther is the source. Upon questioning, the teenage boy claims that these videos are created by inexplicably pulling images from his own nightmares, while explaining that he is convinced that the events within the tapes are the actions of an unknown serial killer. Det. Bobby Shaw believes his son, due to similar experiences within his family which had occurred before, when both Gunther's aunt and his cousin named Gwen had similar supernatural abilities experiencing the recurring horrific visions of the actions of killers. While mourning the pair's similar suicides, Det. Shaw becomes a person of interest as each of the victims have a questionable connection to his past.[31][32][33]
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