Would you like to see a magic trick?
The Black Phone is slated to be the most horrific horror flick to hit cinemas, at least in 2022. If the trailer is anything to go off, it’s not one for the faint of heart.
We knew Ethan Hawke was playing the sinister and utterly scary af villain, and that there was a room with a black phone (go figure), but now we know some more. Let’s dive in.
The Black Phone Australian release date
The Black Phone will release theatrically in Australia on June 30. It was originally expected to arrive in February, but it seems the current release date is final.
Never talk to strangers. #TheBlackPhone opens in theaters June 24. pic.twitter.com/N2T9VOl8h2
— The Black Phone (@UniversalHorror) December 17, 2021
What is the Black Phone about?
The Black Phone is the latest from Scott Derrickson, whose biggest credit is 2016’s Doctor Strange but whose shriek-inducing capabilities have also been amply demonstrated elsewhere in his filmography, including The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Deliver Us From Evil and Sinister. That last title’s especially noteworthy because The Black Phone also stars Sinister’s Ethan Hawke – though he looks to be playing a much different sort of character here (more on the cast in a sec).
The synopsis:
Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer 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.
Derrickson has returned to his horror roots and we couldn’t be happier.
The Black Phone trailer
If that synopsis isn’t enough to turn you off watching the trailers, here they are. We’ll start with the first, which came out last October.
We learned a child gets abducted by a ‘magician’ and his only way out of the room he’s being kept in is to listen to those that came before him. A series of unfinished escapes (hopefully) lead Finney to the outside.
His sister appears to dream about where he is, and it seems they’re going to annoy us by making the police not believe her premonitions.
Today, a second trailer for The Black Phone dropped. It’s essentially the same as the first one, just better. We get a giggly Hawke (which is severely creepy) and a little more context on the storyline.
Cast & crew
A squeaky-voiced Hawke plays a kidnapper and child killer that skirts authorities by using the clever disguise of a deranged carnival barker. Allegedly, we should say, because he has not been convicted as far as we can tell from The Black Phone trailer. It’s a different side to Hawke and one he so far seems to be capable of pulling off.
In addition to Hawke, Mason Thames (Evel, For All Mankind) stars as Finney Shaw, Madeleine McGraw plays his sister Gwen Shaw, Jeremy Davies (Lost, Helter Skelter) is Finney’s dad and James Ransone (The Wire, Sinister) will play Max.
Directed by Derrickson, The Black Phone is co-written by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill (Doctor Strange, Sinister) and is based on a short story by Joe Hill (Locke & Key, Creepshow, Horns).
Derrickson answered The Black Phone after exiting his Strange sequel, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. It may have been a good trade considering The Black Phone looks sufficiently terrifying.
Blumhouse rarely disappoints.
The Black Phone is set to release on June 30 in Australia. While you wait, why not check out all the other sci-fi, horror and fantasy films coming our way next year.