THE BLACK PHONE 2 Director Shares What Inspired Him to Return and Shares New Details
I’m a big fan of director Scott Derrickson’s The Black Phone, because it delivered a chilling mix of supernatural terror and coming-of-age drama that just clicked with me.
Now, a sequel is in the works, and Derrickson recently opened up about what inspired him to return and what we can expect from the story.
Derrickson wasn’t initially set on making a follow-up, but as time passed, he started thinking about the cast and realized he had a small window to tell another meaningful chapter in their lives.
Speaking with ScreenRant, the director explained: "But I realized that if I made a big movie after Black Phone, which was The Gorge, by the time I was ready to shoot another film, all those kids would've been in high school.
“So, it's basically a high school coming-of-age movie in the same way that the first movie was a middle school coming-of-age film."
That shift in setting makes a lot of sense. The first film was rooted in middle school life, capturing the craziness of the pre-teen years even before the horror kicked in.
Finney and Gwen’s struggles at home were just as interesting and intense as their battle against Ethan Hawke’s sadistic Grabber. Now, The Black Phone 2 will be diving into the high school years, which is another period of life filled with its own unique fears and challenges.
But one big questions I have, though, is how will The Grabber be incorporated into the story. The original film wrapped up with Finney escaping and killing the masked child murderer.
Yet, given the supernatural elements at play, I’m sure that Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill found a way to bring him back. I mean, Ethan Hawke is reprising his role.
When talking about the idea for a sequel, Hill said: "There have been some really, really good conversations about a sequel. And the thing is, as soon as I saw the mask, which was designed by Tom Savini and Jason Baker, as soon as I saw the mask I thought, 'If this film is a hit, there'll be a sequel,' because the mask is so iconic.
“It is like Freddy Krueger's glove, it is like Michael Myers' mask, it is this thing where it's the imagery, iconic imagery, that haunts people's sleep.
“And, look, in horror, guys like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, and Frankenstein, and Dracula, none of these guys stay buried. They all claw their way out of the grave for a sequel and then a threequel."
He continued, "There have been talks about how to do a sequel that wouldn't suck. How to do a sequel that doesn't cheapen the film that came before, that's still scary, that's still intense, that feels organic.
“And those conversations have been pretty good. But if I were to provide any details, Scott and [writer C. Robert] Cargill would lock me in the basement in the film, and that's it.
“And the phone doesn't work. As you know, the phone doesn't work. I can't call anyone to get out. So I would decline to offer any real granular details about the possible sequel."
Derrickson also talked about a sequel in a past interview, saying: "Joe Hill pitched me a wonderful idea for a sequel to Black Phone that, if this movie does well, I'm gonna do it.
“He's got a great idea, I really liked it. Joe's very protective and personal about his material, but he came to me with the idea and I was like, 'That's how you do a sequel to Black Phone. That's terrific.'"
The cast also includes Mason Thames (How to Train Your Dragon, Incoming), Madeleine McGraw (Toy Story 4, Secrets of Sulphur Springs), Jeremy Davies (Justified), and Miguel Mora (The Black Phone). Demián Bichir (The Nun) has also joined the cast.
I’m excited to see how the story unfolds for the sequel! Universal and Blumhouse will release The Black Phone 2 in theaters on October 17, 2025.