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S3:E11 The Black Phone (2021 Film)
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What happens when a disconnected rotary phone becomes your only lifeline? In this week’s episode, we’re diving into The Black Phone by Joe Hill and its chilling 2021 movie adaptation directed by Scott Derrickson. We explore how the short story stacks up against the film, from the terrifying Grabber and that iconic mask to the supernatural calls that blur the line between life and death. We’ll break down the similarities, the differences, and why this adaptation captures the perfect mix of horror, heart, and suspense.
Hosted by Lindsey with co-hosts Crystal and Keri.
Links to Books & Adaptations Discussed in this Episode:
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Question of the Episode:
- The Grabber has his mask—if you were a horror villain, what signature prop or accessory would you use?
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Chapters:
(00:00) Introductions
(01:09) Ratings and Non-Spoiler Discussion
(07:50) Book vs Movie Breakdown (SPOILERS)
(47:06) Final Verdict & Question of the Episode
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Host Apprehensions
00:00:07
Speaker
Hello, this is based on a book, the podcast that always answers, even when it's a call we shouldn't pick up. I'm Lindsay, and I'm a millennial. Of course I'm terrified of phone calls.
00:00:20
Speaker
I'm k Crystal, and once again, this is why we don't help strangers. I'm Carrie, and I'm definitely not answering the phone.
The Grabber and Finney's Abduction
00:00:29
Speaker
Picture this.
00:00:32
Speaker
It's the late 1970s. Kids are disappearing one by one, snatched by a figure known only as the Grabber. For most, that's where their story ends. But when young Finney is taken, he discovers something strange in the dark basement where he's being held, a disconnected black rotary phone.
Realism and Supernatural Themes
00:00:52
Speaker
It's a story that blends gritty realism with supernatural tension, exploring fear, resilience, and the fight to overcome trauma. whether in Joe Hill's short story, The Black Foe, or in Scott Derrickson's film.
00:01:07
Speaker
It's a pretty simple horror tale, but it's about courage in the face of relentless darkness.
Hosts' Ratings and Impressions
00:01:15
Speaker
And speaking of courage, let's see how brave we felt while reading and watching, because it's time to get into our ratings.
00:01:24
Speaker
And I want to start with Carrie. Ooh. o I mean, this book is a short story. i think it's about like 20 pages, maybe.
00:01:38
Speaker
So find it kind of difficult to rate. I want to say I'm going to give it three rings. Because... almost went with rings. Yes. i Honestly, I was thinking, i was like, what are they going to come up with?
00:01:53
Speaker
And I wanted us to all come up with the same ring again. was trying to like tell you guys mind to mind. Yeah. I got it, but then I i was like, they ignore. And then you threw away. Yeah.
00:02:04
Speaker
I ignored the call. Blocked.
00:02:09
Speaker
oh But I really enjoyed the story. i thought it was really interesting. But, I mean, it doesn't go into a lot of depth because it's short.
00:02:22
Speaker
It's very surface level. But this adaptation goes into a lot of depth. And so i have a lot of different feelings about the adaptation, but I would have to say pretty average short story for me.
00:02:40
Speaker
That's fair. Crystal. I also got your message and gave this for ringy dingies. Yes.
00:02:52
Speaker
But no, I really liked this short story. It was very short, but, um But I liked the opening, which was very um I don't like if you didn't know the premise of the story, you wouldn't have guessed it by the opening of the short story.
00:03:10
Speaker
liked, you know, the kind of loose um and vague descriptions of a handful of things. So it was a little bit easier to kind of picture myself there or what I would do.
00:03:23
Speaker
You know, it was it was creepy in all the right ways to me. um There were a couple of things that kind of gave me a little bit of ick, but. Other than that, I thought it was pretty solid short story and the adaptation enjoyed as well.
00:03:42
Speaker
I wasn't as terrified, but I also. watched it on one of those free streaming services that have commercials. And I think breaking things up with commercials really helps to keep my fear level down. So you have little breaks.
00:03:55
Speaker
It's fine. So like it comes, they have like a really poorly timed break. Always comes back during like a jump scare when you're just not ready. Oh, no. the Like, you because you can feel the tension and you're that it breaks attention with like 18 commercials. Yeah. true And you jump in and you're like, where were Oh, okay. Yeah. Okay. remember.
00:04:15
Speaker
Okay, gotcha. It was about perfect. Lindsay, what did you think? I gave this one four ominous phone calls. um I like the short story, but yeah, there's there's really not a lot there.
00:04:29
Speaker
But it's a good premise. It's told really well. And it still has that the emotional tension that you get from the main character. So yeah I enjoyed it.
00:04:41
Speaker
I liked it. Yeah, it was it was an interesting one, for sure.
Scott Derrickson's Influences
00:04:46
Speaker
And for those of you who don't know, joe Hill is the son of Stephen King.
00:04:54
Speaker
I'm not joking, but he is. done. I'm done. going to tell you, I've been waiting months to tell that joke.
00:05:09
Speaker
Months. she said She said the joke and she sat there staring at us. Just ready. Months. No. yeah Now I can't.
00:05:22
Speaker
Do you feel better now? Do you, Lindsay? No. It's the baddest of dad jokes I think you have ever told. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'll be here all night.
00:05:34
Speaker
if
00:05:37
Speaker
um But director Scott Derrickson's childhood had its own violence, much like the movie. um But there was also a societal wave, including Ted Bundy's trip through Colorado, the murder of Derrickson's next door neighbor, and even a phone call that saw him talk briefly with one of the Manson family murderers.
00:06:01
Speaker
So Derrickson was really, i think... A good choice for this adaptation. Oh yeah. Absolutely. For sure. And he said the primary emotion that he associates with his own childhood is fear.
00:06:20
Speaker
And I think this come comes across really well in the film. And he was also involved, I believe, in Sinister, which I think Ethan Hawke, who plays the main villain, which is the grabber,
00:06:35
Speaker
In the story who I believe is also in Sinister. Yes. yeah I haven't seen that. you You haven't seen that either have you Lindsay? No and I really want to. i don't have it on like any streaming services.
00:06:48
Speaker
So no I haven't seen it yet. I'm assuming Crystal you haven't seen that. No.
00:06:54
Speaker
She only watches the horror movies when we force her to. Pretty much. Yep. yeah And she only enjoys some of them. yeah Only some. but I mean, Lindsay, you picked some real crap ones.
00:07:08
Speaker
but You've also picked some really good ones. So it's really hit or miss. yeah Give her some credit because she's picked some great ones. Oh, you've picked some really great ones that I actually enjoyed, which is shocking. So the fact that I enjoy any at all is a damn miracle. But also you can't fault me for not liking some of those. Come on.
00:07:27
Speaker
We went from Ethan Hawke in Leave the World Behind to Ethan Hawke in The Black Phone. so It's really a full circle. And With the recording date that we're recording this now, tomorrow is our one year of doing this podcast.
00:07:43
Speaker
And our first episode, technically it's our second, but we released them both on the same day, was Leave the World Behind with Ethan Knox. So here we go. Yep. Full circle.
00:07:53
Speaker
is I like it. Was there anything else we wanted to discuss quickly before we get into spoilers? This is also... So he also did Exorcism of Emily Rose, which I actually haven't seen yet.
00:08:10
Speaker
have. I saw that one a really long time ago. Oh my gosh, Crystal, you've seen it? I have. Did you like it? I... um Honestly, yes, but Exorcism movies...
00:08:21
Speaker
are just Okay, so like I grew up in a Catholic family, so it just really, any movie like that hits a little bit different for me, and i like we all watch them, so that's our that's our family bonding time.
00:08:33
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, I love an exorcism movie. For real. No, it was pretty good. I would watch it. Also, it's produced by Blumhouse, right? And I feel like a lot of their movies, I've had a lot of good like success with their movies. I feel like something about their movies, they're just like so good.
00:08:51
Speaker
I agree. I really like them. Yeah, for sure. But I'm excited to get into all the spoilers because i need to talk about this immediately. Okay.
00:09:02
Speaker
Well, before we answer the call, here's your spoiler warning. We'll be getting into both the short story and the movie, and that means we'll be covering major plot points and even the ending. If you haven't read or watched yet and want to go in fresh, now's your chance to hit pause and come back later.
00:09:19
Speaker
And, just as important, this story deals with some heavy and potentially triggering content. You'll hear us discuss child abduction, violence
Symbolism of the Phone
00:09:29
Speaker
against children, psychological trauma, abuse, and death.
00:09:33
Speaker
Please take care of yourself and feel free to skip this episode if these topics aren't for you. So... ah Both the book and the movie focus on Finny being kidnapped by the grabber and trapped in a basement.
00:09:50
Speaker
And the disconnected phone becomes a supernatural lifeline. What do you guys think the phone symbolizes, if anything? feel like... It's a connection of any kind.
00:10:05
Speaker
And honestly, it's like hope for... fin But also, you know what find really like strange? So right when we start off, especially in the book, because it's very fast-paced in the book, we've got limited amount of pages here. to Because in the movie, we're not getting to that scene of you know Finny and initially being snatched by this creepy person, this creep.
00:10:39
Speaker
Until much later and we are, you know, getting introduced to his life and, you know, seeing a lot of of the setting. Basically, the entire setup with the sister, his family life, the other kids, bullies that he's dealing with, things like that.
00:10:57
Speaker
And I thought something that was interesting in relation to the phone is that the grabber kind of doesn't like the phone.
00:11:09
Speaker
Like, the phone is, like, something, like, he says that he's, like, heard it once or something. And then it's talked about it as ah as if it's, like, a bad thing. Like, it's a scary topic.
00:11:23
Speaker
Yeah. Well, much later in the short story, when Finney is on the phone, I don't want to i don't want to get too far ahead, but when Finney's on the phone, he's told that they call him, they call...
00:11:39
Speaker
the grabber just to torment him. Yeah. So yeah, I'm, I'm sure he's terrified of the phone. Yeah. So I'm like, I'm curious if it's like doing things for different people, basically.
00:11:54
Speaker
So in my, like, we're whenever the kids, other kids were down there because there were other kids that were also snatched ah different yeah at different times at different times.
00:12:05
Speaker
Did they also experience this phone when they were down there? Well, because some of them said they did, but they didn't hear it. Because you have to be down there for a while to hear it. And so I think this phone is kind of like a connection to your subconscious or your... site I don't know enough about psychology to know which one is which. Your id or your ego or whatever.
00:12:25
Speaker
But it's a connection to that part of your brain that's dormant until that fight or flight or until that desperation moment.
00:12:33
Speaker
You know, because, and then they say that the grabber can hear the phone. And so like, grabber's nuts. We know that he's crazy. He's a serial killer. And so like, I think that Finney couldn't hear the phone right away until he had been down there for a little while.
00:12:52
Speaker
And the other kids had said that it rang for us, but we didn't hear it. We couldn't hear it. Only you could hear it. Yeah. So I think that that's kind of a, Like when you start to go mad, when you start to go a little bit crazy. thats you wouldn start here i think he was also down there longer because of the situation with his brother being there.
00:13:13
Speaker
i want to talk about the like go back before they got snatched. And like in the In the movie, we get a little bit more lead up. We hear about how the other kids have been snatched. We don't hear about that until as Finney is being snatched. Because he's, like, reflecting on, like, I already know what's happening.
00:13:33
Speaker
This is the same thing that happened to the other kids. But Finney's, like, watching this man in the in the short story. who's a fat man. It's, it's all about, he's a fat man. He's clumsy. He's kind of disgusting down there, spilling everything, you know?
00:13:50
Speaker
And that's the only part really of the short story that kind of gave me the ick, this like demonizing of people who aren't gorgeous, you know, who aren't this like instantly was just like, here's this guy that I think is gross and disgusting. And obviously he ends up being a fricking psycho killer, you know? Mm-hmm.
00:14:11
Speaker
And that kind of bothered me because like as a general rule, especially coming from Stephen King's son, who might ought to know a little bit about murderers at this point, a lot of the time they're the good looking guy or they're the person who looks just like everybody else. They're not noticeable. They're innocent looking.
00:14:31
Speaker
You know what I mean? So if you're already kind of put off by this man, you're not as approachable and They want, you know, psycho killers, Ted Bundy style, want to be approachable because they want to lure you in, you know.
00:14:48
Speaker
And then, of course, in the movie, we get Ethan Hawke. So completely different description from book. Yeah, I thought that was interesting. And, I mean, they also even changed, like, the mask thing because he was hi had a clown mask, I think, in the book.
00:15:01
Speaker
And then they put this, like, devil-type looking mask on him for the movie the change in occupation between the book and the movie was actually joe hill's idea because you in a post stephen king it clown world yeah you can't have another clown going around tormenting children her so yeah it was his idea to make him a magician so he's a magician
00:15:32
Speaker
In the movie. yeah Also, when he in the movie, when he's spraying him to get him into the van, and he sprays him in the mouth. oh i i i That was bad.
00:15:46
Speaker
like i I knew that it was coming because it's the same thing in the in the book, but he gets sprayed in the eyes in the book. Yeah. And he like was in the movie, was aiming straight into his mouth. Yeah.
00:15:59
Speaker
but That was horrifying. Can you imagine? i know. I saw a lot of interviews. um I thought it was interesting. like Ethan Hawke kind of like talking about taking on this role. and And being very hesitant about it because he didn't want to be typecast as this like evil character. And he was really like struggling with the idea of doing this performance.
00:16:22
Speaker
But what finally got him to like take this on was because the character had a mask on the entire time. That mask was cool too. two-part mask. That was really awesome. Yeah. And honestly, the fact...
00:16:38
Speaker
We didn't, once again, because we we had just, we've just recorded like the long walk. And, you know, we talk about in that episode that our villain doesn't doesn't need like a backstory, you know, and people wanted more information about the major in that um movie.
00:16:59
Speaker
And right and for this, we don't really need a backstory for this guy because I feel like we know kind of know what's happening here a little bit. Just by things that this character is doing, like this evil person is doing, yeah he doesn't want to show, like he's very obviously not wanting to show his face to the point of like, he has to at least have some type of thing covering part of his face.
00:17:24
Speaker
And like, that is his weakness. And you have to like, that would be the thing that would distract him enough to, you know, escape this kind of thing. And like, that was like backstory enough for us to know.
00:17:38
Speaker
Like, how to get rid of this guy. Yep. Did you guys notice all the very Hannibal Lecter or Silence of the Lambs style?
00:17:49
Speaker
Like, snatching the kid off the street, keeping him in the basement. Like, you know. i think that was more just the combination of, like...
00:18:01
Speaker
Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, which is also Silence of the Lambs. Absolutely. Honestly, just giving Serial Killer, honestly. For real. there There's a freaking Serial Killer playbook.
00:18:13
Speaker
Yeah, there really is. But even the end is very Silence of the Lambs. I know we'll get there at some point.
Gwen's Psychic Role
00:18:19
Speaker
But, like, I was watching it and I was like, ooh, Carrie's loving this moment. Yeah. I know.
00:18:25
Speaker
Okay, so, something I really, really want to talk about. In the very beginning... This sister. I love a sibling relationship in any type of story. Any story. a sibling relationship is like something that really gets me every time.
00:18:44
Speaker
This brother, so Finney's sister, it's her name is Gwen in the movie. I think her name is Susanna, i think in the book. And she's older in the book, but she's younger in the movie. Yes.
00:18:58
Speaker
And so this sister, she has these like dreams that kind of are like indications of things that are happening in real life. And this girl, Madeline McGraw, I think that's her name.
00:19:13
Speaker
I'm sorry if I mispronounced that, but she is an incredible actress. hi this scene in the very beginning where her father ah screaming at her, beating her with bell because she had said that she had these dreams and her father doesn't like when she talks about these dreams because their mother also had these dreams and eventually led to her ending her life.
00:19:41
Speaker
And he doesn't like when she talks about the those dreams and he's an alcoholic and he is abusing her and is pissed that she's talking about these dreams and this scene i cannot get over this scene and that scene is burned in my brain for eternity yep the acting in that is absolutely was absolutely insane I love that they fleshed out the sister character. Yeah. And the storyline of this, like, to me, it was so well done.
00:20:18
Speaker
Like, incredible. Yeah. Like, I was shocked. I read that the director really wanted her in the movie because And it was interfering with another role that she was playing in a series or something.
00:20:34
Speaker
So they actually postpone filming to make sure that she'd be able to be in the movie. And thank God. Yeah. And it was totally worth it because she's fantastic. Like she was just like doing anything. And it was like bringing tears to my eyes. Like her brother was like, you know, getting attacked by bullies. And she would just be like running around the fence around the corner with like a rock in her hand and she's like stop fucking with my brother like kind of thing and it just like made me so emotional on the second he's getting snatched and she is just relentless yeah and then where she's like praying to jesus and she's like i know you don't interfere but i need you to give me a dream because i need to be able to find my brother she's like and she's like right fucking now yeah she's like do it do it she's like she like she literally says that
00:21:27
Speaker
A lot of people wanted the director to actually remove the scene of her getting beat with the belt. And he he opted to keep it in because no one was really pressuring him. And he was like, let's not it's not even illegal what the father is doing technically, unfortunately. like Honestly, for the setting of, like for the time frame that this is supposed to represent, it's Like, I know plenty of kids that I grew up with. Like, that's what happened when you got home. You didn't get grounded. You you got beat with a belt or a switch or whatever. Like, that was standard parenting practice.
00:22:07
Speaker
Now, obviously, he's an alcoholic and he was definitely going too far. But, like, i it was supposed to represent this time in America for good or for bad. And I think that it did, you know.
00:22:21
Speaker
Yeah, I just... It was horrifying. Yeah, it was so horrifying. And I just felt everything for this person.
00:22:33
Speaker
and then And then the fact that she has these almost like psychic abilities with her dreams, it feels like a nod to Stephen King and some of his characters. Yeah.
00:22:46
Speaker
I think it was really important to to keep that horrific scene too to show us that even though she is literally in danger to if she continues to talk about these dreams, she is not going to stop until she finds her brother. like she This is against her her her well-being. You know what i mean? this is This is potentially going to harm her and she doesn't care. She's going to keep doing it.
00:23:16
Speaker
Honestly, also represented the desperation on the father's end. I mean, the father... bad But ah what I'm saying that there was representation of desperation on his end because by the end of it, she was telling him her dreams and where they needed to go and he was driving her there because they needed to find his son.
00:23:44
Speaker
And, you know... It kind of showed the scale ah which we were at, where the desperation was we had to find him. Like, he was so terrified of her in the dreams, and now we're following him, and we you tell me where to go.
00:24:00
Speaker
And the themes of survival, resilience, and confronting trauma remain central in the grabber's unsettling ritualistic
Hawke as the Grabber
00:24:10
Speaker
behavior. Yeah. how do we think Ethan Hawke's performance compares to the literary version of the grabber?
00:24:19
Speaker
a lot of the, a lot of his lines were straight from the short story. And I found them delivered in a way that gave me the same level of creep that the short story did.
00:24:35
Speaker
He, I think he really did a great job of, embodying that mental instability, right? That like walking that line of, I know exactly what I'm doing, but I can also justify what I'm doing.
00:24:55
Speaker
You know, that those, it was really creepy and it was kind of perfect. I think his portrayal of this character was pretty spot on. Yeah, because whenever in the book you only are led through only one other kid right that was kidnapped by this by the grabber.
00:25:18
Speaker
and at this point with the grabber, you know that ah several, many, many kids have already been kidnapped, and it's very well known. And Finney is like very well aware all the kids that have been kidnapped by the grabber.
00:25:37
Speaker
And I felt like... Him with Ethan Hawke doing this character, don't know why, but like, I felt like he was even more like sinister than what i pictured in the book.
00:25:51
Speaker
Like in the book, yeah he was kind of like, he was an evil person, but a little bit of like, I don't know how to explain it.
00:26:03
Speaker
Kind of a pansy, honestly. Like he felt like he was kind of just like, I almost, in my opinion, at first when I was reading it, I felt like he wasn't the main guy. Mm-hmm. The main bad guy. Does that make sense?
00:26:16
Speaker
Yes. Like I felt there was a bigger person controlling that. snatched him for someone else. For somebody else. That's what it felt like. It did. It really did. He felt like he was like the the henchman kind of thing.
00:26:28
Speaker
Mm-hmm. So I didn't feel that way with this person. with the With the way that Ethan Hawke did this, I knew immediately this is the main bad guy.
00:26:38
Speaker
Yep. This is the main bad There's no other person controlling this whatsoever. This is the guy that we should be afraid of. Mm-hmm. Like, there were moments where he, like, was... Because he puts him in this basement, and it's only got, like, a bed and a toilet and the phone in there.
00:26:57
Speaker
And he, one time, like the kid falls asleep because it's like adrenaline rush is insane. You immediately fall asleep and he's like squatting there. Yes. Steering at this kid when he wakes up.
00:27:11
Speaker
Oh, hell no. With the mask and everything. That literally gives me chills just thinking about it. Like, this guy is creepy. And, like, just the way he's, his mannerisms, like the way Ethan Hawke did this, like he's tilting his head like a certain way.
00:27:26
Speaker
He doesn't even have to speak. He doesn't have to say a freaking word. He just, the way he's tilting his head, just like moving his body just a little bit. And then like he'll be totally soft.
00:27:38
Speaker
And all of a sudden he'll just be everything and just throwing things. And it's fucking scary. It's fucking scary. And it's not good for a scary movie. Right. And like you said, Ethan Hawke initially didn't want to play the villain in this movie. But he was actually convinced because of the unique script.
00:27:59
Speaker
And he ended up calling the director to let him know that he was going to accept the role. And what he did was he left a voicemail for the director as the grabber.
00:28:11
Speaker
And Derrickson immediately knew, he knew that he was, he was in. He's like, you're the one. Yep. He's like, get your top hat. Yep. Oh my gosh. That's crazy. He did so well.
00:28:24
Speaker
He really did. And then the grabber, uses black balloons to abduct his victims, which is very reminiscent of the painting that the daughter does on the bedroom wall in the movie Sinister.
00:28:41
Speaker
we were talking about before. Interesting. And because Scott Derrickson also wrote and directed Sinister, also starring Ethan Hawke. ah there's also the line running through the wall of the basement from the phone, which is also a reference to the Sinister poster.
00:29:01
Speaker
Huh. So you get a lot of callbacks there, too. Yeah. I like when they do that. That's cool. Creepy. Yeah, creepy. Dude. And honestly, these... Whenever we start getting the phone calls...
00:29:15
Speaker
in general. And they, so you know, we start getting phone calls and we're not like hearing a ton and like, we're not hearing anything. And then eventually the phone calls and we're hearing the voices of kids that have been kidnapped and that he assumes are dead and have been killed by grabber.
00:29:36
Speaker
i love how we get the, the voice over the phone of, the the ghost or the dead kid, but we also see the ghost. was just about say that.
00:29:48
Speaker
yeah Sitting behind him or just off. He doesn't see it. He doesn't see One time he does see it, but he doesn't see it. It's just like, it's for the viewer.
00:29:59
Speaker
Yeah. And it's so well done to me. It's like, and that each one of the ghosts gives him a different, hint or trick or tip or something that he needs know you know and and that he ends up having to use all of the tips and tricks like it it was almost like it was net like none of these other kids ever had a chance because he needed each one of them in order to get through this i thought that was really really neat
00:30:32
Speaker
Because in the book, it's immediately like the call happens and then he's telling him the very final thing that you need to do. And that's what happens to end the story.
00:30:43
Speaker
But this, like like you said, we're getting like several tips from several other ones that have passed to get us out of here. But whenever, like you said, that they're like ghosts sitting there and it's for the viewer, that whenever they're talking...
00:30:59
Speaker
They're not talking like normal voices. It's like over the phone recording type voice. Yeah. And they're like, you know, they're like mouthing along with it instead of talking out loud. And I can't even like tell you how good that is. Like that's so freaking good to me.
00:31:18
Speaker
Yeah. when they were Go ahead, Lindsay. I was just going to say when they were filming those scenes, they actually had the actor talking on the phone with the other actor. Oh my gosh. Normally they're not on the other line, but they're actually talking on the phone together.
00:31:33
Speaker
I love that. That's cool. It was so well done. Yeah. And there was like a couple jump scares too. Like there was one where like, i think the first ghost appeared.
00:31:45
Speaker
and were could Because at first we don't see ghosts. And then all of a sudden a ghost actually appears in person. And scared the hell out of me. And then there was the one where he's asleep.
00:31:59
Speaker
Because he keeps like getting defeated. Because he thinks that every little step that they're giving him is his immediate way out of here. And it's not. And then so like he when he goes to sleep.
00:32:10
Speaker
And then he hears the dripping. Yeah. That part got me. Here's the dripping wakes up and the kid is like floating in the air. Mm-hmm. That part really got me. I was worried for Crystal.
00:32:24
Speaker
chris Honestly, they're all legitimately the scariest part. like Don't get me wrong. This this was full of scary. But the one that got me to the point of like i had to I had to pause. I had to stop.
00:32:34
Speaker
um And I had to consider fast forwarding through the section. like Because I knew it. Was when he has the combination to the lock. And he's asleep at the top of stairs. And he has the chance to escape.
00:32:48
Speaker
and he's trying because i could feel it building i knew it wasn't gonna work because there was still like 40 minutes left in the movie yeah so i got chills right now it was free so like i'm and then so like i'm i'm a composite and i was like crystal you know it's gonna happen it's gonna be okay i talked myself through it and i hit play and then the out of nowhere but this dog just like and i was like scared the daylights out of me but that i knew that I knew that Ethan Hawke was the grabber was going to wake up. I knew that that was going to happen. you know I was prepared for that mentally.
Finney's Escape Plan
00:33:23
Speaker
and was not prepared for the dog. I did not expect a dog. That's another reference to um Jeffrey Dahmer. So, you know, you have Ted Bundy who would lure his victims into his car. You had John Wayne Gacy who used to use belts on his victims and they were all young boys.
00:33:41
Speaker
And then you had Dahmer who had a victim escape from his apartment and then was recaptured. Oh my gosh, that is insane. Him like, whenever, so he purposefully unlocks, but keeps the door unlocked and he leaves.
00:33:58
Speaker
The grabber does that. And immediately Finney is like running to the door because he's like, oh, he forgot to unlock it. It runs to the door and the phone rings. And he's like, should I leave or should i answer?
00:34:10
Speaker
So he goes to answer it and immediately the next kid is like, don't go up there. Don't go up there. And then that I think that was when we got our first like ghost or something. i think so.
00:34:21
Speaker
i Because he's like, he is up there waiting for you. who He's literally waiting for you. Don't go up there. Don't go up there. He's literally waiting for you. And then it pans to Ethan Hawke sitting up there.
00:34:37
Speaker
That was the most disgusting shot ever. Mm-hmm. Yep. Get evil for that. Yeah. That shot was insane. Mm-hmm. He's just sitting there in a chair in like the dark. Lighting is crazy.
00:34:51
Speaker
Just sitting. he's got a belt. you're holding the he Yeah. Leave a belt in his lap, holding the belt, the mask on. he's just sitting there. The reason why Finney can escape that one time is because he gets the ah call.
00:35:04
Speaker
They say that he's asleep and they say that they're the cop, what the combination is on the lock to get outside. And he like sneaks past him. to get to the door. It was so, it's it's it's the suspense that kills me every time.
00:35:18
Speaker
I was memorizing the the combination for him. i was like, you know I was saying it out loud. i was like, this is what it is. Go, go, go. Two, three, three, one, seven, two, three, three, one, seven. Yep. But I kept, I was like, what's the actual combination? Right. 23, three, seven, seven. Is it 23, three,
00:35:39
Speaker
23, 31, 7. Yeah. No, I was doing the same thing. I was like, if you're in to write down a combination, please. Add dashes. Between the digits. Something I kept yelling about was that, so the guy kept giving him glass bottles to drink out of.
00:35:56
Speaker
Yeah. You want to know what I would do immediately? i would be smashing that glass bottle. Next time you're coming in, you're done for. Okay. You're literally done.
00:36:08
Speaker
Like, i you have so much glass on you now. Whenever he was sleeping right there, be like a little... And you're done. I'd sneak up there with bottle. Easy. Into the movie.
00:36:21
Speaker
Yeah. I literally would have done that. I mean, he was in a kitchen. he was literally in the kitchen. i mean, he's also like 13, so... And Cujo was on the other side of the door, That's true.
00:36:37
Speaker
That's true. One of the circumstances up there. One of the children that was snatched was a paper boy.
00:36:48
Speaker
And it's actually referenced to a real person. i believe his name was Johnny Gauche. and He was a paper boy from Iowa who was on a route with his dog Gretchen when he disappeared.
00:37:05
Speaker
And his dog was found later, but Johnny's disappearance remains unsolved to this day. Wow. So that's actually based on a real case, technically. That's insane.
00:37:18
Speaker
Did you guys find that the supernatural elements felt earned, or were they kind of forced compared to the short story? No, I i it really enjoyed them.
00:37:31
Speaker
yeah I really enjoyed this. Mostly because like they didn't just randomly drop in that you know his sister has psychic dreams after he got... like We heard that kind of in the beginning. It's mentioned because she talks about like the black balloons that she saw in her dream when one of the other kids got snatched. you know So like we already knew that there was something going on there. And so I feel like it fit.
00:37:59
Speaker
And in the short story... there's not as much about the sister being psychic but that she was into that kind of thing and that she was always trying to read his mind yeah and then they do kind of there's a a moment when she's riding her bike through neighborhoods trying to look for him and she notices some black balloons like tangled up in a pole or tree or something i can't remember and the ghost tells finney that like no she really was there she really did see that because finney starts to dream that
00:38:31
Speaker
So, you know, so like even in the in the short story, there was an indication that there was a little bit more there was a better connection between these two siblings and what we might have thought.
00:38:42
Speaker
Yeah. or slightly more supernatural connection. Yeah. I don't feel like it was out of place in the movie. In fact, I really, really liked that part of the movie. Yeah.
00:38:54
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know if I would have liked it as much without the supernatural yeah element in it. Yeah, I think it added a lot. Yeah. What about you, Lindsay? I really like the way they did it.
00:39:06
Speaker
And not just as a nod to Stephen King, obviously, but I think it worked really well. also liked like the way they showed us her dreams like where you know we were at first we weren't necessarily sure if it was a dream especially the one with like the kid in the pinball machine oh until she suddenly like is kind of present in a way that.
00:39:30
Speaker
Doesn't seem right. Cause they're like hauling him off in the back of a cop car and she gets in next to him and she, he's talking to Finney and she can hear him, but she can't, she can hear Finney through this dream, but she can't talk back to him kind of thing.
00:39:46
Speaker
Like, I love how that was filmed that, that it added a little bit extra. Cause if it was just us watching Finney in the basement the whole time, this wouldn't have been a good movie, you know? and who Felt very conjuring actually. Yeah.
00:40:00
Speaker
Kind of. i have seen that one, believe it or not. Wow. That one. Recently, I fell asleep. Not gonna lie.
00:40:08
Speaker
Yeah, i that was honestly my favorite part of the movie is all like the supernatural parts of it. And honestly, the sister and her abilities to kind of guide the detectives to Finney to get them to, you know, investigate.
00:40:26
Speaker
hmm. That was honestly my favorite part it. love me a good ghost, witchy, psychic story. I mean, who doesn't? Yeah. And honestly, when it gets to this end part, whenever, you know, he finally...
00:40:42
Speaker
ah talks to his friend on the phone and he gives him because at the very beginning he's like being bullied a lot and he has this friend who kind of is it like not really protecting him so much but like kind of like guards him for a second whenever he's almost like going to be attacked in the bathroom and he's like kind of like a a friend to him he gets kidnapped and is one of the boys that talks to him on the phone he's the last one and gives him you know he's like you finally need to like stand up to him and this is how you're gonna do it that scene crying when he's training him yeah his ghost is behind him and he's telling him the moves he needs to make
00:41:31
Speaker
That was cinematic. It was. it really was. It was so Gut punch. Yeah. That one had me emotional for sure. And the whole time we are like watching her, his sister, like literally trying to find his location and like seeing that almost like the address, like the numbers to the house and seeing like the way the tree, the dead tree in the yard. And the kids like kind of trying to guide her there almost. She's like riding her bike around the neighborhood, like trying to see if you can recognize the tree and which house it is.
00:42:08
Speaker
It's very intense. And like, It's like a slow suspense, but like you're literally like your heart is being at your chest. And again, this reminds me of Silence of the Lambs.
00:42:20
Speaker
Like just the like buildup of like they're starting to put the pieces together. We're starting to have enough clues here. And you're seeing it from different angles. Like the police are trying to find and the sister is trying to find while Finney's in the basement fighting for his life and making his plan, you know.
Confrontation and Climax
00:42:37
Speaker
yeah The cinematography, and specifically in this moment, was so well done. And then they do the classic bust into the wrong house.
00:42:48
Speaker
Yep. Which, I mean, technically it was the right house. It was the right house. The Grabber had two houses, but... Across the street from each other. That, honestly, like whenever whenever they bust into that house...
00:43:04
Speaker
I was like, this is not going to be the right house. I just know it. I know it. I go in the basement. And was like, no. No. But there's Finny using every tip from each one of the ghosts.
00:43:19
Speaker
and All at the same time, kind of. Literally the entire time that he is attacking the grabber. Literally, I'm like, rip off his mask. Rip off that mask.
00:43:32
Speaker
It was like the Phantom from Phantom of of the Opera. He's like, that was actually Ethan Hawke who suggested that happen, that the mask get ripped off and and his reaction the grabber's reaction to it.
00:43:47
Speaker
It was also his idea for him to, when he when he dies, for him to slump over and fall into the hole. Yeah.
00:43:59
Speaker
Honestly, that whole time I was like, how does the grabber not see that you made a giant hole in the ground and put carpet over it? Right. Where did all that dirt go?
00:44:09
Speaker
Also, the hole in the wall. Yeah. that that He didn't notice that? The perfectly square hole in the wall. Perfectly square. Yeah. Like, how how did he not hear you wait. was It was soundproof.
00:44:22
Speaker
But how did he not, like, see it when he, like, constantly comes down there? Mm-hmm. And the grate was missing from the window. Yeah. yeah Grabber's not very observant.
00:44:34
Speaker
No. Definitely not. Also with a mask, he couldn't see out the peripheral. That's what it was. Also with his van, where he was a magician, the van had an Abracadabra logo on the side.
00:44:49
Speaker
And then the Steve Miller band also had a song, Abracadabra, where the second line is, I want to reach out and grab you. Abracadabra, Abracadabra.
00:45:01
Speaker
Yep. Yep. So I don't know.
Sequel Discussion
00:45:04
Speaker
don't know if those are actually... correlated at all but yeah they're related for sure they will be a re when i cut this clip
00:45:15
Speaker
but i'm assuming you guys liked the ending of the movie more than the ending of the book Oh, yeah. I mean, this to me, this movie, no joke, is like a five star movie. Yeah. as a Yeah. It's a great movie.
00:45:31
Speaker
It is so, so good. And there's a sequel coming out in October. i'm i think that the sequel is going to be scarier. I saw the trailer. I don't know that I want to see the movie.
00:45:45
Speaker
It should be coming out right about the time this episode drops. Yep. Yeah. i I have this thing where I feel like people just make things to death.
00:46:01
Speaker
like Yeah. they just Sometimes things should just be made, and we shouldn't just we shouldn't touch it anymore. Nope. nope done it. Don't spread it out. We're done. it was great.
00:46:11
Speaker
Perfect just as it was. You told your story. Yeah. There was an end. And we loved it. That's that. We adored it. It was incredible. But now you're trying to milk it.
00:46:22
Speaker
And I don't feel confident about it. So I'm just like, don't know feel. don't know. I will say the trailer, didn't he like ice skate across a pond or something?
00:46:34
Speaker
I don't remember that. I don't remember. I know it's like winter time, I think. in I don't know. In Black Phone 2? Yeah. Or like it's snowing. i haven't watched the trailer. I'm going in blind.
00:46:46
Speaker
i am i I did watch the trailer. My sister made me because she was so excited. She loves this movie. She loves it. Was this your first time seeing it, Lindsay? It was.
00:46:58
Speaker
Oh, really? i thought you had seen it before. nope it was on my list, but I just... Hadn't found the time to watch it yet. So yeah, I'm really glad that I finally got to watch it. Yeah.
00:47:09
Speaker
Yeah. This was a really good one. I loved it. Well, since it seems like our verdicts are all the same, that we all prefer the movie. Oh yeah, definitely.
00:47:20
Speaker
I guess we'll get into our question of the episode. So the grabber has his mask. If you were a horror villain, what signature prop or accessory would you use?
00:47:33
Speaker
uh i'm gonna start with carrie honestly 100 would be the mask i mean literally i would do the same thing as a mask was it was a good mask too in the movie yeah i thought that mask was badass looking really was and was so cool and that's probably something that i would want too i think that's cool yeah I'm not going to be snatching out little kids though.
00:48:01
Speaker
Oh yeah. What the hell? Not that kind of horror villain. I'm going to be one of those like revenge horror villains. That's what I would be in my storyline. There you go. There you go.
00:48:16
Speaker
Like Mindfuck series. If you know, you know. That's going to be me. I don't know, but I want to find out now. Yeah, you should. don't know. It's my TV show.
00:48:28
Speaker
For me, I feel like it would be too, like, I wouldn't mean for it to be my signature thing, but, like, I would break a nail and leave a nail behind everywhere I was, and that would be, like, the broken nail killer or something.
00:48:44
Speaker
Or I'd lose an earring because I'm constantly losing earring, so. so they're just you just accidentally become like this name because you just i'll be watching the news headlines and they've given me the name of like the pirate killer because she only has one earring and i'm like what no i hate it yep oh my gosh that's so funny what about you lynx I'd be the villain with the creepy antique music box so you could hear it playing from the shadows before I show up.
00:49:19
Speaker
It's all sweet and haunting. but yeah I would be, I would run. i would hear that music because that's my, that's the thing that creeps me out. So I would hear it and I would be like, we're not going there. Other way.
00:49:32
Speaker
Instead of an antique...
00:49:35
Speaker
Instead of an antique music box, it's just a box speaker. A little speaker. ah yeah little Bluetooth speaker. It's just a Bluetooth speaker playing antique music box playlist.
00:49:53
Speaker
it's the It's the music box from The Conjuring.
00:49:57
Speaker
can't with you guys. You're like, wait, let me pause. You're done. And then I'm right behind you. you Then you're like, oh, wait, a are we I like this part. Hold on. Yeah.
00:50:09
Speaker
Turn it up.
00:50:12
Speaker
This is my jam. This is my song.
00:50:18
Speaker
Oh, gosh. It's that song. It's like tiptoe through the wind. Really love that song. It's in Spongebob a lot.
00:50:30
Speaker
Oh my god. ah Well, guess that's gonna be a wrap on the black phone.
00:50:38
Speaker
Oh my God. We hope you enjoyed diving into both Joe Hill's short story and the chilling adaptation with us. Whether it was the grabber's mask, the eerie ringing phone, or the fight for survival, this one definitely gave us plenty of to scream about.
00:50:55
Speaker
If you want to keep the conversation going, make sure to follow us on all of our socials. You can find every link in our Beacon's profile from Instagram and TikTok to YouTube and Blue Sky.
00:51:07
Speaker
Come share your thoughts and theories. And don't forget, if you want to read The Black Phone or any other books we cover, you can support us by grabbing the audio bit audiobook through Libro.fm with our affiliate link.
00:51:22
Speaker
And not only do you get amazing listens, but you're also helping support independent bookstores and our podcasts at the same time. So thanks for dialing in, we'll catch you in the next chapter based on book.