Trailer for Scott Derrickson’s The Black Phone Premieres at CineCon - Terrifying Audiences!

One of the standouts of the trailers to be debuted at this year’s CineCon is Scott Derrickson’s paranormal horror-thriller The Black Phone. Universal Pictures unveiled the teaser, under its horror subsidiary Blumhouse, at the American cinema owners’ convention to a theatre of terror-stricken viewers - a pleasing result in their books no doubt. While the official trailer has yet to be released online, reports from the convention alone can no doubt give horror fans an indication of what exactly they’ll be signing up for on January 28, 2022.  

Starring Ethan Hawke as an unnamed villain, the film revolves around Finney Shaw, a child Hawke character kidnaps and traps in his soundproof basement. The child has no access to communication of any kind - save for a telephone that brings him into contact with the undead. Shaw must listen to the tales of Hawke’s victims and put together the clues in order to escape. The ghosts leave behind tools and hints for him to use - but he must act quickly before the kidnapper decides his time is up. 

Derrickson previously directed Marvel’s Doctor Strange but is no stranger to thrills, chills and spills. Derrickson and Hawke worked together on the bone-chiller Sinister (2012), and he’s also the name behind The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Deliver Us From Evil. He is also currently tapped for the director’s chair of the upcoming Labyrinth which has just entered development. 

From the studio behind Insidious, Happy Death Day and the recent spurt of Halloween sequels, it’s clear the Blumhouse method is a winner. Blumhouse are well-known for being fiscally conservative with regards to their projects - allowing them to take chances on burgeoning writers, actors and directors looking to make a name for themselves in horror. The studio have essentially saved the genre from the maws of cynical studios that tend to reduce horror movies to their most reductive parts.  See: Freddy vs. Jason. In fact, Ethan Hawke forfeited his salary during the making of Insidious in exchange for a stake in the film’s profits - a great tactic considering the film’s box office take home of $100 million. 

Judging by the audiences’ reaction to just the trailer, it’s clear this film will be a real nail-biter, like an Insidious meets Don’t Breathe hybrid. We’re definitely hyped to see the infamous trailer and catch the film in theatres next January. 

Next Up, Stranger Things Season 4 Release Revealed