The Black Phone Plot Synopsis
Scott Derickson’s new horror movie The Black Phone is based on a short story written by horror author Joe Hill and it stars Ethan Hawke as ‘The Grabber,’ a masked serial killer who ‘grabs’ children off the street, holds them captive and then murders them.
It’s a dark story to be sure but despite the grim nature of the plotting, it has earned a lot of fans during its theatrical release. Reviews about this movie have largely been strong, with special attention given to Hawke who turns in an uncharacteristically chilling performance.
If you have seen the end of The Black Phone, you might assume a sequel isn’t a possibility. However, both the star and director seem open to a follow-up movie.
What happens in The Black Phone?
We aren’t going to give you a blow-by-blow account of what happens in the movie as that would give away too many spoilers. For a little more insight, you should read our Ending Explained article.
But if you have seen the trailer for The Black Phone, you will know that it largely focuses on 13-year-old Finney Shaw who is abducted by the sadistic killer. The luckless teen is taken to a house in an unknown location and is locked in the basement. He seemingly has no way to escape a tragic end at the hands of this masked psychopath but then the black phone, conveniently placed in his dark room, starts to ring.
Who is on the other end of the phone? As the trailer gives this away you will know it is the victims of The Grabber!
With their help, Finney does what he can to escape the clutches of the deranged madman.
And that’s all we’re going to tell you here.
Will there be a sequel to The Black Phone?
At present, there is no confirmed news of a sequel. But when speaking to Comicbook.com, Ethan Hawke had this to say.
“If Scott was involved, yeah… Sometimes sequels feel borne out of a storyteller’s necessity to continue talking to you. And sometimes they feel borne out of a desire to make money off of the same poster again. So I want to be the first, there’s a difference.”
Hawke never returned to the sequel to Scott Derickson’s Sinister, presumably because the script for the follow-up was terrible and probably a cash-in on the first.
But as the director is interested in returning to this one (he wisely bowed out of Sinister 2) and as Joe Hill has an idea for a continuation of the story, it might be that Hawke does return if the sequel is given the greenlight.
This is what Derickson had to say during his interview with Comicbook.
“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.” “
If Hill, Hawke and Derrickson do collaborate on the sequel, The Black Phone 2 could be a movie worth seeing. The first movie is mostly excellent and while the ending doesn’t suggest a follow-up could happen, it would appear that Hill already has something in mind.
What could ‘The Black Phone 2’ be about?
As we haven’t received a phone call from Joe Hill (or anybody from the spirit world who might know the answer), we cannot say for sure.
A prequel story could be interesting as we didn’t get to know much about The Grabber in The Black Phone. The scarcity of plot regarding this character was the only flaw in an otherwise excellent horror movie.
The prequel could concentrate on his backstory, the relationship he had with his brother (who is featured briefly in the first movie), and the terrible incidents that eventually warped his mind.
If Derickson decides to do a direct sequel to the first movie’s plotline, it could focus on a new protagonist coming face to face with The Grabber. If this is the case, it would be a very different movie from the first (we are trying to avoid spoilers). But as many other horror titles in the past have managed to find new ways to bring back their featured killers, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Hawke could don his terrifying face mask once again.
When could The Black Phone 2 be released?
As the first movie has been popular, we imagine it won’t be too long before the sequel/prequel hits the screens, as the studio will be keen to capitalize on the success of the original. If it is given the greenlight, we imagine 2024 or 2025 could be likely.
But as we said, nothing has been confirmed yet. While we hope a follow-on movie will happen (as long as it’s not a cash-grab), it might be a while before we hear any definite news.
Read More: The Black Phone Movie Review
In the movie Gwen is shown to have physic powers that she got passed down from her mom, but what if Finney also has physic powers? The grabber states that the phone is broken and maybe he’s correct. Maybe Finney’s physic powers are to talk to the dead on the Black Phone. We don’t know for sure if the other kids also got to talk to the past kids, but this would be a cool theory. Another theory is maybe Gwen passed down her physic power to her kids. What if one of her kids gets kidnapped and starts to have visons of Finney when he was kidnapped, these visons show them how to escape the “New Grabber”.
Idk if this is just me but I would love to see a platonic or normal version of rinney continuing. I think that Robin should get more screen time and a possible way how is that it was a halucination and that Robin was held in a different room of the house where they were buried since it didn’t say what he did to play the naughty boy game. Also I feel like Finney shouldn’t date Donna since she is such a minor part of the movie and merely a background character.
I think if there were to be a sequel it would involve a new antagonist that has purchased the house and after months of The Grabber calling him on the black phone, The Grabber convinces him to start kidnapping children. Maybe Finn is now an adult and his children gets kidnapped.
I think that somehow The Grabber faked his death and hid before the cops came into the building. But the cops then keep that as a secret. Months go by and Finney is in the background again. There is a girl he has a crush on but this girl is mean to him. She is the new girl, and as a new girl she ends up also being the popular girl. Without her knowing about the Grabber she says that he is weak, then she ends up learning about the abduction and apologizes for being so mean. They walk home together and we somehow end up seeing that the grabber is back to health. He comes from behind and abducts them both! Instead of just letting them be able to escape they are chained to the ground… that’s all I got…its up to Joe Hill now. Lol
Great ideas Lanika, thanks for sharing them with us 🙂
They could call it the “Money Grab-ber.”
I don’t know if you guys got my comment but here it is again my idea for the black phone 2 is we could do a perspective on what the ghost kids went through but keep mason and Madeline in it becuase they did such a great job and I think I speak for everyone when I say we would all love to see more of Robin becuase I think such an iconic character deserves more screen time for this movie becuase he did an overall great job and I hope you get this message and thanks for considering my idea for this movie if you do🥰either way how it goes I’m sure we will all love it
My idea for a black phone two is we could do a perspective on what the ghost kids went through in the basement but I would still love mason and Madeline to be in it they did a great job and I think I speak for everyone when I say we would all love to see what happens to Robin becuase he did an overall great job on the movie and I think he deserves a little or a lot more screen time on the movie since he was finneys best friend and it isn’t fair to see such a iconic character go to waste or die
Hey, thanks for your ideas. They were great! Let’s hope Hollywood is reading!
I have a few ideas for a Black Phone 2! My first idea is that it could be from Robin’s perspective, what it was like for him down in the basement. My second idea is that Finney is out of the basement, the dead kids follow him around, scaring Finney’s bullies. His life is going back to normal. Or so he thinks… Lately, he’s been having weird dreams of a black phone ringing on his wall. He finally answers, only to be greeted by the ghost of The Grabber. The Grabber is angry and wants to kill the only victim of his that got away. So he torments Finney, attempting to murder him, while the ghost kids try to protect him. Also there would be a lot more of Robin. So there’s my idea for The Black Phone 2 🙂
I would love if finney will be in the second part, he is an amazing actor and I hope there would be a second part to this movie it is great, scary, and interesting. And I am wondering how they would have the grabber in the second one since you know. Again. I am excited and ready to know if here would be a second part.
Those are great suggestions! Thanks for getting in touch.
My idea is to have the Grabber go after Finney and Gwen’s children through a cell phone. I think Finney should have married Donna when older and have a son named Alexander Terrance Blake. Alex will have two cell phones, one a broken one he won’t get rid of and a new phone. The Grabber calls Alex on the old phone. I wrote my story idea on Quotev Black Phone fan fiction. Maybe another route would be for the Grabber’s story to be told when he was Albert Shaw. I think Finney and Donna having a son who shares his father’s, aunt’s and grandmother’s psychic powers would make a good story.
Interesting, thanks 🙂
If there was a “The Black Phone 2” I would love Robin’s death to be a hallucination and he is still alive down there. then the movie is surrounded around robin getting out
Possibility of a sequel is not possible but I think it is
I won’t give too much away but school scene at the end seems to say a certain person dies from an axe to the head..
We all know a grabber could still be alive and kicking.
Imo… Ethan Hawkes the Grabber would not be essential for a sequel. You could have a 1988 setting with them as adults facing a new foe or foes. The kids(including the bullies & Robin)can stay in as flash backs of significant length(essential, i think to further character development). But Joe Hill will turn out a vision that will stir & captivate.
Hey, thanks for your comment. I would love to see a Black Phone 2, provided Joe Hill is involved and the movie isn’t a cheap cash-in. I agree with your comment about Gwen and her dreams – that could be a good plot device.
I would love a second Black Phone movie! If it’s done right it could be a very enjoyable film!
My opinion: (MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD)
100% think Madeleine McGraw & Mason Thames should both be in it! They did a phenomenal job at holding the first movie and need to reprise their roles as Gwen and Finney in the second! I personally think going into The Grabber’s backstory would take away from how creepy The Grabber is, since right now there’s no reason for his horrific acts makes him all that scarier!
One thing they didn’t touch on that much was Gwen and her dreams, that could lead to a great premise for a second film! But i’m sure Joe Hill knows what he’s doing!